RELATIONS OF THE ALLIANCE WITH PSYCHOTHERAPY OUTCOME - FINDINGS IN THE 2ND SHEFFIELD PSYCHOTHERAPY PROJECT

Clients (n = 79) and therapists (n = 5) rated their alliance using par allel forms of the Agnew Relationship Measure (ARM) after every sessio n of their time-limited psychodynamic-interpersonal or cognitive-behav ioral treatments for depression. The ARM assesses 5 dimensions of the alliance: Bond, Partnership, Confidence, Openness, and Client Initiati ve. Treatment outcome was assessed as residual gain from pretreatment assessment to end of treatment, 3-month follow-up, and 1-year follow-u p on 6 standard measures. Some aspects of the alliance as measured by the ARM were correlated with clients' gains in treatment. The strength of the association varied across assessment measures, occasions of ou tcome assessment, ARM scales, and the session number when the alliance was measured.