The Working Alliance and Experiences of Clients and Counselors-in-Training

The authors explored the strength of the alliance and the depth of meaningful experiences in counseling. Interviews of participants were conducted to elicit experiences, whereas the alliance was measured using the Working Alliance Inventory. Results indicate the stronger the alliance, the greater depth of meaningful experiences. Implications for counselors are given. Keywords', counseling relationship, counseling process, working alliance, experiences in counseling ********** Research has suggested that counseling works regardless of therapeutic modality or theoretical orientation (Hauser & Hays, 2010; Nelson & Neufeldt, 1996; Wampold et al., 1997). There is relatively little difference in treatment outcomes or success rates among the different treatment models and theoretical approaches (Horvath & Greenberg, 1989). Instead, a great deal of success in treatment can be attributed to common factors across treatment approaches, one of which is the therapeutic relationship. Common factors in counseling research refer to the factors that affect outcomes that are common across all modes of counseling approaches and theories and are examined in the research of the counseling process (Ward, Linville, & Rosen, 2007). In humanistic practice, the understanding and examination of the counseling process through a common factors lens is widely accepted (Hauser & Hays, 2010). Common factors consist of extra therapeutic events, which account for 40% of change in therapy; therapeutic relationship, which accounts for 30% of change; hope and expectancy, which account for 15% of change; and therapeutic technique, which accounts for 15% of change. Extratherapeutic factors include age, gender, and race of the client; family dynamics; environment; and client motivation for change, among other things. The therapeutic relationship consists of the bonds, goals, and tasks of the working alliance. The factor of hope and expectancy encompasses the level of expectation from the client that counseling will be helpful. Finally, therapeutic technique refers to the model the counselor is working from, including theory and interventions (Blow et al., 2009; Ward et al., 2007). Of these common factors, the therapeutic relationship is the largest contributor to outcome that can be attended to in counseling. Carl Rogers argued that the most significant contribution counselors offer clients is the therapeutic relationship. Rogers determined that the core conditions of empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard are not only necessary but also sufficient for clients' healing in counseling (Horvath, 2000). In fact, it is the strength of the counseling relationship, established early in the process, that predicts success, regardless of the treatment modality of the counselor or the clinical issue of the client (Carpenter, Escudero, & Rivett, 2008; Horvath, 2000; Horvath & Symonds, 1991). Carpenter et al. (2008) reported that the most significant finding of counseling process-outcome studies is that the strength of the counseling alliance assessed early in the relationship predicts success. Furthermore, Horvath (2000) reported that the opportunity to develop a collaborative alliance exists early in counseling, between Sessions 1 and 5. Once this alliance is established, it becomes the context for counseling. Therefore, the counseling relationship is a key factor in the success of treatment (Hill & Knox, 2009; Horvath, 2005; Marziali, 1984). Specifically, poor alliances lead to poor outcomes, including premature termination, and good alliances lead to good therapeutic processes and outcomes. In a recent qualitative study, Sackett, Lawson, and Burge (2012) found that, from the clients' perspectives, happenings related to the counseling relationship were among the most meaningful in counseling. For these reasons, the priority of counselors is to establish a collaborative, strong therapeutic bond with their clients (Audet & Everall, 2010). …