Author Description

Over the past 20 years, the quality of psychotherapy has decreased with tales of empathic failure running rampant. The clients are suffering, as is the credibility of the profession. With more emphasis on evidence-based practices than ever before, it seems inconsistent that the quality of care would decrease. While reviewing the literature and examining client complaints, it has become evident that many training programs are no longer placing an emphasis on the therapeutic relationship, which is the single greatest predictor of outcomes. While a variety of reasons exist for this lack of training, the impact is being felt by the clients who report feeling invalidated and consequently, terminate prematurely. The therapist may or may not understand what has occurred to elicit this response. The purpose of this book is to introduce the essential components of the therapeutic relationship in a simple, accessible way. There are exercises and worksheets that will make the information meaningful and applicable to the reader. The introduction of the Relational Chart(R) provides structure to otherwise complex concepts, and makes evident the relationship among variables. It is the intent of the author to familiarize new therapists with a rich introduction to the therapeutic relationship and how such understanding will greatly improve the therapeutic experience for both clients and therapists.