ABSTRACT
Despite the importance of the working alliance in therapeutic outcome, little is known about the factors associated with its formation. We advance that personality similarity between client and therapist is one such factor pertinent to the working alliance. In this study, personality similarity in 32 client-therapist dyads was examined for its relations to the bond, task, and goal elements of the working alliance (Bordin, 1979, Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, and Practice, 16, 252-260) and therapeutic outcome. Personality similarity was conceptualized using Holland's (1997, Making vocational choices [3rd ed.]) congruence construct. Therapists completed the Self-Directed Search pretreatment and clients completed the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised and Self-Directed Search after the third session. Results indicated that (a) client-therapist personality congruence was associated with the bond, (b) bond was associated with task and goal, and (c) task and goal were associated with therapeutic outcome. Congruence was not associated with task, goal, or therapeutic outcome. Holland's theory provides a framework for adapting to clients of varying personality types. By understanding how client-therapist personalities relate to each other in therapy, client-therapist bonds may be more efficiently realized.
Subject(s)
Mental Disorders/therapy , Personality , Professional-Patient Relations , Psychotherapy , Adult , Aged , Female , Goals , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Personality Inventory , Surveys and Questionnaires , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to test the impact of two predictor variables, one representing extratherapeutic factors and one representing relationship factors, on outcome at a university counseling training clinic. A naturalistic design was used to collect session-by-session outcomes on 135 clients seen by 88 counselors. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to test hypotheses about the effects of clients' pretreatment social support (extratherapeutic factor) and working alliance (relationship factor) at session 3 on change over time. Results showed that higher rated alliances predicted greater change over the first 8 sessions. When clients reported poorer social supports, the therapeutic alliance was even more important in predicting a positive outcome. Limitations of the design and implications for further outcome studies are discussed.
