I looked to her as a guide: the therapeutic relationship in hand therapy.
OBJECTIVE
To illustrate important dimensions of the therapeutic relationship in a hand therapy patient-therapist dyad.


METHODS
This instrumental case study utilised narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews of a patient-therapist dyad.


RESULTS
Four dimensions of the therapeutic relationship were identified. These were (1) humour to promote reciprocity, (2) ordinary conversation to build rapport, (3) social comparison to promote acceptance and (4) attention as caring.


CONCLUSIONS
The therapeutic relationship is not a one-way flow from therapist to patient but a mutual exchange between equals. However, it is the therapist who is responsible for establishing the environment for the therapeutic relationship to develop and flourish.
Occupational Therapy Department, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire 03824, USA. elizabeth.crepeau@unh.edu
Elizabeth B
EB
Crepeau
Karen R
KR
Garren
D003142:Communication; D004645:Empathy; D006225:Hand; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D014925:Wit and Humor as Topic