In this essay I will discuss and evaluate “The relationship is the theory” Judgements are based on personal knowledge & experience as well as written material composed by others. The basic principle being “the therapy is the relationship”, does this imply engaging a therapist equates to therapy or does it propose more?
Different approaches place emphasis on the relationship i.e. CBT-A sound therapeutic relationship is necessary for effective therapy, but not the focus. Gestalt- How the therapist and the patient experience their relationship is of special concern in Gestalt therapy. Research also also indicates this: More and more research studies(Luborsky et al., 1983; O’Malley et al. 1983; Bergin and Lambert 1978; Hill 1989) demonstrates that it is the relationship between the client and psychotherapist, more than any other factor which determines the effectiveness of psychotherapy. That is success in psychotherapy can best be predicted by the properties of the patient the psychotherapist and their particular relationship. Lambert, Michael J.; Barley, Dean E: Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, Vol 38(4), 2001, 357-361: Factors that influence client outcome can be divided into four areas: extra-therapeutic factors, expectancy effects, specific therapy techniques, and common factors. Common factors such as empathy, warmth, and the therapeutic relationship have been shown to correlate more highly with client outcome than specialized treatment interventions. The common factors most frequently studied have been the person-centred facilitative conditions (empathy, warmth, congruence) and the therapeutic alliance. Decades of research indicate that the provision of therapy is an interpersonal process in which a main curative component is the nature of the therapeutic relationship. Clinicians must remember that this is the foundation of our efforts to help others. The improvement of psychotherapy may best be