April 2021 Clinical Supervision Topic: Therapeutic Alliance
The biggest predictor of success in helping someone change? The therapeutic alliance; the relationship you build with your client.
What do you do to build a relationship with your clients? I’d love if you’d brainstorm and make a list.
Here’s a bit of mine:
stay feeling good in my body (soothe myself when needed, practice self-compassion)
remain curious, open to possibility
find joy in getting to know them
put judgment aside
focus on what they are saying
reflect back what I hear to make sure I’ve got it right
work to understand what they are feeling, and why
develop a genuine affection/caring for them
make sure I know what they want in therapy
get permission and consent regularly
imagine what life is like for them
self-disclose to create connection, laughter or a sense of shared humanity
set boundaries (with myself, with client) that protect the relationship
Want to read more on therapeutic alliance? You can find my past news posts on it here, here, and here. And, if you want to check out a scale for measuring alliance that was created in the early 90s and looks like it was typed up on an old word processor, check this out starting on page 17.
If you want really concrete direction, here is a wonderful guide by my dear mentor Susie Snyder, LCSW. We’ll be using this and your own list to guide our discussions this month.
