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Client and therapist agreement in moment‐to‐moment helpfulness ratings in psychotherapy: A microprocess approach
Author(s) -
Penix Elizabeth A.,
Swift Joshua K.,
Russell Kelley A.,
Trusty Wilson T.
Publication year - 2021
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.23030
Subject(s) - helpfulness , session (web analytics) , psychology , alliance , attunement , dyad , psychotherapist , clinical psychology , perception , inter rater reliability , rating scale , social psychology , developmental psychology , medicine , alternative medicine , pathology , neuroscience , world wide web , computer science , political science , law
Method Clients ( n = 16; M age = 32.88 years; 81% female) and their therapists ( n = 10; 80% female) from a training clinic provided moment‐to‐moment ratings while reviewing a video recording of a recent session. West and Kenny's Truth‐and‐Bias (T&B) model was used to examine agreement in ratings. Multilevel modeling was used to evaluate the agreement‐alliance association while controlling for sessions completed. Results Consistent with the T&B model, client–therapist ratings were temporally congruent and were not discrepant overall. Greater congruence and smaller discrepancies were linked with stronger alliances. Conclusions The within‐session and between‐dyad variability in helpfulness ratings highlight the utility of moment‐to‐moment rating methods. Findings suggest that therapists should attune to client perceptions on a within‐session level and attunement may be a target for enhancing the alliance.