1st Edition
The Therapeutic Relationship in Psychotherapy Practice An Integrative Perspective
The Therapeutic Relationship in Psychotherapy Practice: An Integrative Perspective explores the key components of the patient–therapist relationship in psychotherapy, as well as how these elements affect the treatment process and outcomes and what therapists may do to enhance the relationship. Dr. Gelso posits a tripartite model in which the therapeutic relationship is seen as being composed of three interlocking elements: a real or personal relationship, a working alliance, and a transference–countertransference configuration that exist in each and every therapeutic relationship. Focusing on what psychotherapists can do to foster strong and facilitative relationships with their patients, the book includes substantial material drawn from clinical practice, with an ever-present eye on research findings.
Biography
Charles J. Gelso is professor emeritus and senior lecturer in psychology at University of Maryland. He has written widely about the therapeutic relationship over the years, theorizing about and studying key elements of the relationship. Dr. Gelso has been editor of major journals in psychotherapy and has received many top awards in the field.
"Yes, of course the primary answer to why therapy works is ‘the relationship,’ but what about the relationship? That’s the harder and by far the more important and clinically compelling question, and that's exactly what Dr. Gelso answers for us in this extremely knowledgeable, readable, and eminently useful book. Integrating his theoretical perspective—a tripartite clinical model of the relationship—with multiple, experience-near clinical vignettes, Dr. Gelso offers practitioners of every variety the means to facilitate deeper, richer, and more effective therapist-client relationships."
Barry A. Farber, PhD, professor, Clinical Psychology Program, Teachers College, Columbia University; author, The Psychotherapy of Carl Rogers: Cases and Commentary; Self-disclosure in Psychotherapy; editor, Journal of Clinical Psychology: In Session
