Mutuality of Rogers's therapeutic conditions and treatment progress in the first three psychotherapy sessions

Murphy, David; Cramer, Duncan

Abstract

Abstract
Objective: Research on the effects of Rogers’s therapeutic relationship conditions has typically focused on the unilateral provision of empathy, unconditional positive regard, and congruence from therapist to client. Method: This study looked at both client and therapist mutuality of the Rogerian therapeutic conditions and the association between mutuality and treatment progress in the first three psychotherapy sessions. Clients (N = 62; mean age = 24.32; 77% female, 23% male) and therapists (N = 12; mean age = 34.32; nine female and three male) rated one another using the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory after the first and third session. Results: Both clients and therapists perceived the quality of the
relationship as improved over time. Client rating of psychological distress (CORE-OM) was lower after session 3 than at session 1 (es = .85, [95% CIs: .67, 1.03]). Hierarchical multiple regression was used to test the predictive power of mutually high levels of the therapeutic conditions on treatment progress. The association between client rating of therapist-provided
conditions and treatment progress at session 3 was higher when both clients and therapists rated each other as providing high levels of the therapeutic conditions (R2 change = .073, p < .03). Conclusions: The findings suggest mutuality of Rogers’s therapeutic conditions is related to treatment progress.

Keywords: therapeutic relationship; psychotherapy; mutuality; treatment progress

Citation

Murphy, D., & Cramer, D. (2014). Mutuality of Rogers's therapeutic conditions and treatment progress in the first three psychotherapy sessions. Psychotherapy Research, 24(6), https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2013.874051

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Feb 6, 2014
• Deposit Date: Sep 10, 2015
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 10, 2015
• Journal: Psychotherapy Research
• Print ISSN: 1050-3307
• Electronic ISSN: 1468-4381
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 24
• Issue: 6
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10503307.2013.874051
• Keywords: Rogers's therapeutic relationship conditions; Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/723501
• Publisher URL: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10503307.2013.874051
• Additional Information: This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Psychotherapy Research on 06/02/2014, available online: http://wwww.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10503307.2013.874051