Psychotherapy relationships that work II

Abstract

This article introduces the special issue of Psychotherapy devoted to evidence-based therapy relationship elements and traces the work of the interdivisional task force that supported it. The dual aims of the task force are to identify elements of effective therapy relationships (what works in general) and to identify effective methods of adapting or tailoring treatment to the individual patient (what works in particular). The authors review the structure of the subsequent articles in the issue and the multiple meta-analyses examining the association of a particular relationship element to psychotherapy outcome. The centrality of the therapy relationship, its interdependence with treatment methods, and potential limitations of the task force work are all highlighted. The immediate purpose of the journal issue is to summarize the best available research and clinical practices on numerous elements of the therapy relationship, but the underlying purpose is to repair some of the damage incurred by the culture wars in psychotherapy and to promote rapprochement between the science and practice communities.