title: The unfolding of the real relationship and the outcome of brief psychotherapy.
abstract: This study sought to assess the association of client- and therapist-rated real relationship with each other and with the outcome of brief psychotherapy. It also aimed to determine whether changes over time in perceptions of the real relationship and increasing convergence between clients' and therapists' ratings of the real relationship were associated with outcome. Forty-two clients and their therapists (n = 19) at 2 university counseling centers completed measures assessing the strength of their real relationship after every session of brief psychotherapy. They also completed an outcome measure at the end of treatment. Clients' ratings of the real relationship after the first session, first quarter of treatment, and after all sessions combined related to outcomes. Therapists' ratings of the real relationship at these time points did not relate to outcome. However, increases over time in therapists' ratings of real relationship strength, as well as increasing convergence with clients' ratings of the real relationship, did relate to outcome. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Universit y of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. gelso@umd.edu
authors.forename: Charles J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gelso
authors.forename: Dennis M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Kivlighan
authors.forename: Johnna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Busa-Knepp
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Spiegel
authors.forename: Stacie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ain
authors.forename: Ann M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hummel
authors.forename: Yueher Emilie
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Rayna D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Markin
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008396:Maryland; D008960:Models, Psychological; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D013811:Psychotherapeutic Processes; D011614:Psychotherapy, Brief; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014768:Virginia