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The client's perspective on (experiences of) psychotherapy: A practice friendly review
Author(s) -
Timulak Ladislav,
Keogh Daragh
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.22532
Subject(s) - psychology , perspective (graphical) , alliance , openness to experience , psychotherapist , therapeutic relationship , social psychology , artificial intelligence , computer science , political science , law
Recent decades have seen a significant increase in the number of studies exploring client perspectives on, and experiences of, psychotherapy. The present article provides a practice friendly overview of this research, identifying common domains of inquiry, and providing examples of findings relevant to practitioners. Research in this area can be categorized in terms of the client's perspective pertaining to theoretical constructs, studies of client satisfaction, and qualitative studies that are either open‐ended or explore specific aspects of client experiences. Examples of this latter category include studies looking at distinct processes (e.g., self‐disclosure), particular theoretical constructs (e.g., therapeutic alliance), helpful versus unhelpful aspects of therapy, and significant events. Research suggests that therapist willingness to seek client perspectives, openness to hear what clients have to say, nondefensiveness in the face of negative feedback, and ability to modulate actions accordingly are all likely to contribute to stronger relationships with clients and stronger collaboration, correspondingly contributing to stronger therapeutic outcomes.