Attributions about the role of the therapeutic alliance in the effectiveness of psychotherapy

Abstract

Background: The aim is to analyse the value attributed by psychotherapists to the therapeutic alliance in the therapeutic process. With a strong emotional component, this variable is included in the so-called common factors of psychotherapies, which have proven to be essential in providing effectiveness to the therapeutic process as indicated by research in psychotherapy in recent decades. Materials and Methods: Based on an extensive documentary review, the responses of a sample of 69 psychotherapists to the Psychotherapeutic Effectiveness Attribution Questionnaire (PEAQ-12) are analysed to check whether their attributions are in line with the results of this research. Results: Psychodynamic therapists rate the therapeutic alliance higher than cognitive-behavioural and eclectic therapists. Those who point to the therapeutic relationship variables as the most relevant, value the therapeutic alliance as providing effectiveness more highly than those who favour patient variables. Therapists who are in favour of the similar effectiveness of psychotherapies hold common factors, including the therapeutic alliance, primarily responsible for therapeutic change. Conclusion: Although the therapists still have doubts about the factors responsible for psychotherapeutic effectiveness, in terms of the importance given to the therapeutic alliance, they behave congruently with their theoretical orientation, their position on the similar effectiveness of the different psychotherapeutic models and their position on the most relevant common factor for the cure.