What is it about?
Previous research has identified working alliance as a short-term predictor of progress in couple therapy. Conceptually, this predictor refers to the quality of the relationship between each client and the therapist. The present waiting-list controlled 1-year follow-up study explores the long-term influence of working alliance on individual mental-health problems after intensive couple therapy.
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Why is it important?
The current results show that couple therapy may improve individual mental-health problems. However, couples should be aware that forming a strong working alliance between client and therapist may be crucial for immediate and sustained benefit from treatment. Although poorer working alliance does not necessarily preclude such a benefit, it may considerably delay its onset in time.
Perspectives
To explain our findings, we presume that individual short-term gains from couple therapy may manifest in less dysfunctional long-term interpersonal dynamics in a romantic relationship, even for clients with poorer working alliance during treatment.
Benjamin Stahl
MSB Medical School Berlin
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Exploring the long-term impact of working alliance in couple therapy: A waiting-list controlled 1-year follow-up study., Journal of Psychotherapy Integration, July 2024, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/int0000341.
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