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Does the Therapeutic Relationship Matter? A Follow‐up Study of Adherence and Improvement in Family Therapy
Author(s) -
Firestone Andrew,
O'Connell Bernadette
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
australian journal of family therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1467-8438
pISSN - 0156-8779
DOI - 10.1002/j.1467-8438.1980.tb00035.x
Subject(s) - feeling , drop out , family therapy , clinical psychology , medicine , psychology , psychotherapist , social psychology , demographic economics , economics
A follow‐up study of 83 families treated by family therapy at a child guidance clinic was conducted and the relation of client/therapist interaction to (i) drop out from therapy and (ii) improvement was examined. Early terminators were found to differ significantly from continuers as to their ratings of their relationship with the therapist, and trends were found for therapists' feelings to be associated with adherence to therapy. Early terminators were not distinguished by diagnosis, severity of case, or improvement rating. Improvement, on the other hand, was not associated with therapists' or clients' attitudes to each other. It is suggested that these factors are of greater significance in “joining” therapy than in its course.