ipl-logo

The Rigid Therapeutic Relationship

803 Words4 Pages

While overly flexible boundaries between the therapist and the client seems to be undesired, a therapeutic relationship should not be rigid as well. Guidelines are developed to create boundaries between the therapist and the client (Lazarus, 1994). However, when the guidelines are followed too strictly by the therapist, it creates rigid boundaries between the therapist and client. It can result in poor and rigid therapeutic relationship, which lacks authenticity and sensitivity (Davidson, 2005). The rigid therapeutic relationship leads to an inaccurate assessment and poor working alliance (Eaton et al., 1993, as cited by Ackerman & Hilsenroth, 2001; Iwakabe, Rogan, & Stalikas, 2000). Working alliance involves the planning of tasks and the goals …show more content…

Isolation of patient, lack of agreement on goals, lack of willingness to understand client, and avoidance of client will occur when the therapeutic relationship is rigid (Pilette et al., 1995). This can lead to clients decreasing willingness for trust and rapport and having feelings of low self-worth, which result in insufficient help for the client (Davidson, 2005). Shattell, Starr, and Thomas (2007) found that mental healthcare service users want their mental healthcare providers to be understanding, honest, genuine and knowledgeable. Similarly, Gilburt, Rose, and Slade (2008) found that that effective communication, sensitivity and the absence of coercion are importance factors for good therapeutic relationship. Moreover, client’s perception of therapist’s flexibility is also important to ensure client’s satisfaction of the therapy (Reis et al., 2008). These findings reflect the characteristics of flexible therapeutic relationship to create good working alliance and suggest that rigid therapeutic relationship is not desired by clients. To further support this, Plexico, Manning, and DiLollo (2010) researched on effective and ineffective therapeutic relationship between therapists and clients with speech stuttering. The participants were asked to describe the experience with their therapists who effectively changed their stuttering and the experience with those who were unable to change their stuttering. Effective therapists were described as more competent because the therapists could show their understanding of the clients and willing to listen to the clients. On the other hand, ineffective therapists were described as the lack of competence due to the lack of understanding and willingness to listen. Additionally, a meta-analysis of 49 studies by Karver et al. (2006) found that therapeutic relationship has an important role in treatment process and outcome for child and adolescent.

Show More
Related

Interpersonal Therapy Model Summary

766 Words | 4 Pages

I have gained a tremendous amount of insight and development as a social work therapist. In summary, the therapy draws on a range of techniques that is useful by focusing and resolving the problems linked to the interpersonal problems; as well as, applying the therapeutic techniques to support the strategies of identifying the interpersonal focus. The clarification technique helps to explore interpersonal assumptions of what the client is communicating to ensure what the client is speaking is clear-cut. The IPT and techniques allow the client to explore their feelings while the therapist assists the client in exploring options in ways out of their

Read More

Human Service Negotiation Paper

336 Words | 2 Pages

Human service professionals must negotiate treatments and discharge plans with clients, while asserting their voice in an interdisciplinary team. There are certain rights that a client has, including the right to refuse care. A human service professional should respect this right without making the client feel guilty. Kenneth France, a crisis intervention psychologist, recollects the best way to negotiate with clients, “Use the client’s words and phrasing when describing targets, since the process is based on the client’s descriptions and since an important aim is to work collaboratively with your clients” (p.171, 2015). Collaborative work is the best way to negotiate on the terms of the client; the freedom of choice is placed in their hands.

Read More

Reflection On Relationship-Based Practice

970 Words | 4 Pages

Although the definition of relationship-based practice cannot be easily explained, Hollis (1964) simplifies it as “closely related to and builds in psychosocial approaches to practice and the psychodynamically informed case-work tradition.” Furthermore, two communication skills that I demonstrated during the intervention; empathy and listening skills, will be evaluated.

Read More

Boundaries In Relationships

910 Words | 4 Pages

The American Psychological Association (2010) ethics code defines a multiple relationship as “one in which a practitioner is in a professional role with a person in addition to another role with that same individual.” In the present paper, the role boundaries play in therapeutic relationships is explored, as well as boundary crossing and violations. Boundary crossings can enrich therapy, serve the treatment plan, and strengthen the therapist-client working relationship. They can also undermine the therapy, severe the therapist-patient alliance, and cause immediate or long-term harm to the client (Pope & Keith-Spiegel, 2008). It is reasoned that when clinicians engage in multiple relationships with their clients, ethical dilemmas may arise,

Read More

Managing Boundaries: A Case Study

496 Words | 2 Pages

Chapter 7 discusses the Issues and Ethics that come along with Managing Boundaries and Multiple Relationships. In class, we discussed the questionable idea of whether it is ethical or not to participate in multiple and dual relationships within the therapeutic relationship with your client. This type of relationship entails having any other sort of relations with the client that is outside of the boundaries of the standard professional - client relationship. When professionals participate in the occupation of different non-professional and professional roles with a client, I believe boundaries start to become blurred and crossed even when it is unintended. If I were a counselor, I would abide by the rationale that lies behind the idea of abstaining from any boundary crossing or multiple relationships that can possibly arise and involve the exploitation of the client by the unintentional use the power that exists between the client and therapist.

Read More

The ABC-E Model

1795 Words | 8 Pages

The key to establishing a trusting relationship is the integration, usage, and mastery of therapeutic communication skills (Belcher & Jones, 2009).Due to the high importance of effective communication in mental health nursing, it is essential in therapeutic interventions. (Peplau, 1952) states that effective interpersonal skills are central to a mental health nurse’s ability to form a sound therapeutic alliance and to the role of mental health nurses. Excellent interpersonal aptitudes are what every mental health nurse needs to communicate effectively with clients. Active listening is more than just hearing what the client has to say, nurse must be actively engaging with the client, physically, emotionally and mentally. Effective listening is therefore a cognitive, behavioural and an affective process (Arnold and Underman Boggs,

Read More

Therapeutic Relationship Essay

849 Words | 4 Pages

Therapists are advised to show warmth, empathy, and genuineness. As with any other social relationship, the therapeutic relationship has limits

Read More

Trauma In Human Trafficking

2463 Words | 10 Pages

It is then that the psychological state is stabilised, while the body completely relaxes. This very concept is necessary to keep in mind when working with unsettled clients: first signs of client’s relaxation should be interpreted as an indicator that the interventions are successful, and that we should continue in the same direction for some time so as to stabilise that state. It is essential to understand that creating a safe environment through systematic family therapy is the first task not only of psychotherapists but also all other persons who come into contact with the victims. During systematic family therapy, it is important that members go through the process in which they are stable and sincere in what they can objectively offer, their capacity to contain feelings, so giving the client wholeness and perseverance, represents the key for forming an environment where the mistrusting person starts to rebuild trust. It should be kept in mind that most victims have experienced betrayal by someone they had previously trusted, that they were in a

Read More

Michael Hoober's Attachment Theory

816 Words | 4 Pages

The assessment therapy helps Hoober gain more insight into the young adult’s mental state, behaviors, emotions, and history. Furthermore, attachment therapy is a therapy that Hoober values the most and is put into play when a counselor wants to understand the adult’s relationship with others (p. 439). On the other hand, Hoober uses person-centered therapy to facilitate the client’s personal growth. Person-centered therapy is when the counselor attempts to bring the client to reality about their experiences. When conducting structural family therapy, Hoober discloses how he barely works with children, although, when he does work with children, he is mostly conversing with the parents.

Read More

Philosophy Of Person Centered Therapy

1002 Words | 5 Pages

Person centered therapy is founded on two basic hypotheses: each person has the capacity to understand the circumstances that causes unhappiness and to reorganize his/her life accordingly. The therapist should be genuine, in touch with what he/she is experiencing and communicate these feelings to the client when they are appropriate to the encounter. The goal of person centered therapy is to help the client become more fully functioning person. On the other hand, the specific goals are client self directed and designed partly to eliminate clients’ unhealthy need to please others. The goals of person-centered therapy can be conceptualized as a two step process, first moving away from the self that one is not, and then moving toward one’s true

Read More

Counselor Career Goals

760 Words | 4 Pages

Although having all of those skills is still very important, being friendly, caring, understanding, and trustworthy are the skills that will help you connect with your patients. Earning the trust of your patient is crucial to all therapy processes, especially in behavior and substance abuse patients, which means being able to not judge your clients for their actions is such an important responsibility. Therefore, if the client does not trust and connect to their therapist, it is more likely they will not complete their road to recovery. All of my life I have been a very outgoing, talkative person, and I am usually the person my friends come to for advice in difficult situations. I love giving people advice, and I like helping people figure out and

Read More

Disadvantages Of Narrative Therapy

1965 Words | 8 Pages

Putting the client as the expert, understanding her story instead of attempting to judge it, in the therapist’s point of view. The therapist must in any point display with utmost care, interest, respectful curiosity, openness, empathy, and fascination. Once this collaborative relationship has been established, the counsellor and the client can move forward and work on how to improve the outcomes of the

Read More

Person Centered Therapy Essay

2624 Words | 11 Pages

Therapists must access their own internal process such as their feelings, attitudes and moods. Therapists’, who are not receptive to the awareness of their flow of thoughts and feelings, will not be able to help clients be aware of theirs (Kahn, 1997, p. 40). Though congruence does not mean that therapists have to share personal issues with clients, a therapist must not conceal their inner process from the client, and not be defensive but transparent (Kahn, 1997, p. 41). By being open sometimes a therapist learns more not only about their client but about themselves

Read More

Rogerian Therapy Case Study

742 Words | 3 Pages

When engaged in an I-Thou dialogue one is concerned with the uniqueness of the individual, or summarized as “actively listening and encouraging the feelings and opinions of the other person instead of planning our next response while he or she is speaking” (Neher & Sandin, 2007, p. 90). Rogers believed the client should be the “director of their own lives, and it is the therapists responsibility to provide an atmosphere of unconditional positive regard and empathy towards the client” (Bozarth, 2012). The use of I-Thou communication style, or the non-directivity in his therapy, allowed Rogers clients to deal with the issues they believed to be most important, by allowing the person to cope at their own pace.

Read More

Reflective Essay On Counselling

1170 Words | 5 Pages

Human beings are unique. Therefore, client-counsellor relationship is unique for each person. To ensure effectiveness of counselling,

Read More

More about The Rigid Therapeutic Relationship

Related Topics

Open Document