title: Stages of change and the working alliance in psychotherapy.
abstract: This study investigated whether the working alliance mediates between the stages of change and symptom improvement. It also investigated whether progression to a higher stage of change was associated with an enhancement in working alliance and outcome scores. Fifty-six adult clients receiving counseling at a community mental health clinic completed measures after the first, fifth, and termination sessions. Using the Baron and Kenny (1986) and bootstrapping procedures, the working alliance was found to be a mediating variable. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that clients who progressed from a lower stage to a higher stage reported stronger working alliances and more symptom improvement than those who did not progress. These results offer further support for the importance of a strong working alliance in psychotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Alberta, 1-135 Education North, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G5, Canada. mee@ualberta.ca
authors.forename: Michelle E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Emmerling
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Whelton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011584:Psychology / Q000379:methods*; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult