https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.468
Facets of the psychotherapy relationship: a metaphorical approach
Submitted: June 23, 2020
Accepted: September 12, 2020
Published: January 14, 2021
Accepted: September 12, 2020
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Although many separate aspects of the psychotherapy relationship have been studied, including empathy, working alliance, and self-disclosure, a metaphorical approach has the potential to generate a more holistic perspective of this phenomenon. Hence, the goal of this study was to explore the nature of the psychotherapy relationship from the psychotherapists’ perspective using a metaphorical approach. In an online survey, a sample of N=373 Czech psychotherapists and counselors rated a set of relational metaphors in terms of how accurately they depicted their roles in their relationships with their clients. The single most endorsed metaphor for the practitioner’s role was a guide. Furthermore, the principal component analysis identified three relational components, namely, Mentor, Resource Supplier, and Remedy Distributor. The associations among these components and multiple practitioners’ variables, including demographic and practice-related variables and theoretical orientation, were explored. These three components represent general dimensions of the psychotherapy relationship that cut across various theoretical orientations and, thus, define psychotherapy relationships in a general sense.
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How to Cite
Řiháček, T., Roubal, J., & Motalová, K. (2021). Facets of the psychotherapy relationship: a metaphorical approach. Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.4081/ripppo.2020.468
Copyright (c) 2020 Tomáš Řiháček, Jan Roubal, Katarína Motalová
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