Link among therapist and parent relationship, working alliance, and therapy outcome

Abstract

On the basis of interpersonal and intergenerational family theories, this study examined (a) the association between therapists' reported relationship with their parents and clients' report of the working alliance at 3 points in the therapy process (i.e., after the 3rd, 7th, and final sessions); (b) the association between clients' report of the working alliance at 3 points in the therapy process and outcome, and (c) the association between therapists' reported relationships with parents and outcome. With 20 therapist-client dyads, results indicated that the therapist-parent relationship, measured by the Personal Authority in the Family System Questionnaire, predicted working alliance at the 3rd, middle, and final sessions of therapy. Additionally, working alliance predicted outcome. Of particular note, the results indicated that both healthy (i.e., intimacy and individuation) and less healthy (i.e., fusion and triangulation) therapist-parent relationship patterns contributed to the client's perception of a positive working alliance.