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Alliance Repair in Couple and Family Therapy

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Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy
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Synonyms

Therapeutic alliance repair; Working alliance repair; Working relationship repair

Introduction

The working relationship between client(s) and therapist, called the alliance, is one of the powerful common factors in successful psychotherapy (Friedlander et al. 2006). Problems in the alliance, called ruptures, are common and may occur for a variety of reasons. The process of rectifying such a rupture is called alliance repair. Repairs can take a variety of forms, depending on the rupture, but should be executed quickly according to the general guidelines described below.

Theoretical Context

Psychotherapy alliance is the working relationship between client and therapist. Edward Bordin (1979) defined alliance as agreement between client and therapist on the tasks and goals of therapy, in addition to the presence of an interpersonal bond. Agreement on tasks involves a shared understanding (between client(s) and therapist) of what is occurring in the therapy room (e.g., the choice...

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References

  • Bordin, E. S. (1979). The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. Psychotherapy: Theory, research & practice, 16(3), 252.

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  • Stiles, W. B., & Goldsmith, J. Z. (2010). The alliance over time. In J. Muran, J. P. Barber, J. Muran, & J. P. Barber (Eds.), The therapeutic alliance: An evidence-based guide to practice (pp. 44–62). New York: Guilford.

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Correspondence to Jacob Z. Goldsmith .

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Goldsmith, J.Z. (2017). Alliance Repair in Couple and Family Therapy. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_556-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_556-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8

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