The therapist-parent alliance in family-based therapy for adolescents

This article describes procedures for developing a therapeutic alliance wit h a parent within the context of family therapy for adolescents. After an o verview of the general clinical model, specific themes and interventions ar e described that provide a map to facilitate this process. Following Bordin 's (1979) model, alliance is conceptualized in th ree parts: bonds, goals, and tasks. The bond phase consists of the therapist showing empathy and und erstanding toward the parent and the parent developing empathy toward their own life struggles. The goal phase consists of defining parent-child relat ionship building as a primary focus of treatment. The task phase consists o f preparing parents to better communicate with their adolescent. These phas es can occur sequentially within a single session with a parent alone. The alliance building session sets the foundation for parent-adolescent conflic t resolution leading to reattachment in future sessions. (C) 2000 John Wile y & Sons, Inc.