The Therapeutic Relationship
The therapeutic alliance remains one of therapy's most reliable predictors of positive outcomes, transcending specific techniques or theoretical orientations. Mastering this craft requires therapists to honor and build this alliance with intention, balancing authenticity with healthy boundaries and recognizing how co-creation unfolds moment-by-moment in session. These articles explore therapeutic ruptures, empathy cultivation, and other insights into the art of building a strong therapeutic relationship. Learn more about the relational space between therapists and clients and the enormous transformative potential it holds even when ruptures occur.
It’s no secret: therapists make tricky clients—but there are specific ways we can help therapist-clients feel seen and cared for. Read more
A teenage boy being bullied at school experiences a life-saving version of manhood with a patient, quiet therapist. Read more
A therapist and client face unexpected dangers that reveal new facets of their humanity and vulnerability. Read more
Learning how not to save our clients, especially the ones we identify with the most. Read more
Regardless of your expertise or advanced degree, client terminations can derail you at any time. So why don't we do a better job of planning for them? Read more
Ending therapy is tough. But a client leaning out of therapy midway through treatment? That’s a whole other pill to swallow. Here, six therapists share how... Read more
How to build a therapeutic relationship from the first session that keeps clients coming back. Read more
Rather than proclaiming that you understand a client's experience, you're far better off assuming that you don't have a clue what they're going through. Read more
We’ve put together a video reel of therapists sharing some of the playful moments they’ve had with clients... Read more
Shared laughter is an attachment language. Though therapists usually engage more knowingly with tears, the exchange of brighter affect is another kind of... Read more
As the years pass, is it possible that the more we work with long-term clients, the more we might overlook bigger issues that aren’t being addressed? Read more
Five therapists share how they bring play and humor into their work. Read more
After being insulted by a difficult client, this therapist doesn't know how to proceed. Here, seven clinicians weigh in. Read more
Three expert therapists give tips on breaking through a client’s tough exterior, convey concern and build rapport in a first session. Read more
Admitting her bafflement with some of her millennial clients, a veteran therapist accepts her ignorance and gets advice from some of the young people in her... Read more
A quick glance a therapist whose young clients rave about her. Read more
We all know therapists who seem magically able to establish a powerful sense of trust and connection with even the most distrusting clients. But are there... Read more
A highlight of this year’s Symposium was iconic therapist Irvin Yalom receiving the Networker Lifetime Achievement Award. In this excerpt from his recent... Read more
Most therapists were never coached about how to reconcile the closeness of the therapeutic encounter with the fact that therapy is also a business. Read more
By Stephen Lyons - My work with Sara began in an uninspiring, windowless, downtown suite that she shared with another therapist. But before long, my therapy... Read more
Many walk into the therapist's consulting room exactly at the moment that they have been stripped to the core of their being. While not at the physical... Read more
From the moment I met the Correys in my waiting room, I was baffled about why they were together. Frank was tall, good looking and suave; Donna dowdy and... Read more
Stephen makes it clear that hard scientific evidence now exists for what most therapists instinctively know: successful therapy depends utterly on establishing... Read more
In this clip Janina Fisher talks about how years of experience do not guarantee easy clients and how she reacts when faced with a challenging case. Read more
Courtney Armstrong discusses how she connected with some clients who weren't interested in traditional therapy approaches. Read more
You never get a second chance to have a first session, so it's important to make the most of it. Read more
In this era of medical necessity, it’s easy to lose sight of a basic truth: We heal not through prescriptions and procedures, but through talking and... Read more
When we trust in ourselves to follow the signals of life that the patient emits in seemingly casual conversation, we increase chances of stepping outside the... Read more
.svg)