Investigators have found healing practices dating back for thousands of years and in all lands of the world. Research into the most effective ingredient of all such ancient or indigenous healingpractices also find that it is the therapeutic relationship that brings about change. In addition to the multitude of studies which have testified to the overriding importance of the therapeutic relationship, it has been found that there are different kinds of relationship required for different kinds of patients at different times. This has been found to be more important than diagnosis in predicting effectiveness of psychotherapy. Five kinds of therapeutic relationship have been found to be potentially present in all approaches to therapy.
Evidence exists that there are experiences of psychotherapy by which people feel harmed.
One of the most salient facts here is that the harmfulness seems to have to do with the extent to which a psychotherapist entrenches into a theoretical position when challenged or questioned by their client. The other major source of harmfulness in psychotherapy is unethical practice such as sexual abuse of clients. Research into the ethical dilemmas of UKCP psychotherapists showed that confidentiality is the most frequently experienced ethical dilemma, followed by serious concerns about unethical practice of colleagues. There is substantial evidence of organisational collusion with psychotherapist abuse. There is also substantial evidence that actions are taken against professionals who attempt to rectify such matters with their own organisations.