MODERATING EFFECTS OF CLIENT ATTACHMENT ON THE COUNSELOR EXPERIENCE WORKING ALLIANCE RELATIONSHIP

The authors predicted that client attachment status would moderate the relationship between counselor experience and client-perceived workin g alliance. Forty clients from 2 university counseling centers complet ed measures of attachment and the working alliance. Their counselors w ere classified according to experience level. Client comfort with inti macy was related to a stronger alliance with the counselors. However, counselor experience was unrelated to client-rated working alliance. C lient attachment, specifically comfort with intimacy, moderated the re lationship between counselor experience and working alliance.