Bucci Sandra, Seymour-Hyde Annily, Harris Alison, Berry Katherine
School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
Department of Pain Management, Jubilee House, The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK.
Clin Psychol Psychother. 2016 Mar-Apr;23(2):155-65. doi: 10.1002/cpp.1944. Epub 2015 Feb 2.
Working alliance has been shown to be important in influencing the outcome of therapy. Research evidence suggests that characteristics of both clients and therapists impact on the development of the working alliance. Although attachment theory is well researched, there is relatively limited research on the relationship between both therapist and client attachment style and the working alliance; traditionally, research has placed greater emphasis on client characteristics. The current study examines the extent to which both client and therapist self-reported attachment styles are related to the working alliance. Thirty clients and 42 therapists were recruited from primary care psychology services. Thirty client-therapist dyads were examined. Participants completed self-report measures of anxiety and depression, attachment style and working alliance at a single time point. Client and therapist attachment security were not independently related to working alliance. However, there was a significant association between therapist insecure attachment and alliance in more symptomatic clients. There was also some evidence that therapists and clients with oppositional attachment styles reported more favourable alliances. The study suggests that the relationship between therapist attachment style and alliance is not straightforward. It is likely that the complexity of clients' presenting problems, coupled with interaction between client-therapist attachment styles, influences the therapeutic alliance.
Therapist insecure attachment may negatively affect the therapeutic alliance in more symptomatic clients. It is important to consider the interaction between client and therapist attachment and how these interactions influence the therapeutic alliance. Therapists should be aware of their own personal attachment style and reflect on how this might manifest during the therapeutic process.
工作联盟已被证明在影响治疗结果方面很重要。研究证据表明，客户和治疗师的特征都会影响工作联盟的发展。尽管依恋理论得到了充分研究，但关于治疗师和客户的依恋风格与工作联盟之间的关系的研究相对有限；传统上，研究更强调客户特征。当前的研究考察了客户和治疗师自我报告的依恋风格与工作联盟相关的程度。从初级保健心理服务机构招募了30名客户和42名治疗师。对30对客户 - 治疗师组合进行了考察。参与者在单一时间点完成了焦虑、抑郁、依恋风格和工作联盟的自我报告测量。客户和治疗师的依恋安全性与工作联盟并无独立关联。然而，在症状更明显的客户中，治疗师不安全依恋与联盟之间存在显著关联。也有一些证据表明，具有对立依恋风格的治疗师和客户报告的联盟更有利。该研究表明，治疗师依恋风格与联盟之间的关系并非简单直接。客户呈现问题的复杂性，再加上客户 - 治疗师依恋风格之间的相互作用，可能会影响治疗联盟。
治疗师不安全依恋可能会对症状更明显的客户的治疗联盟产生负面影响。考虑客户和治疗师依恋之间的相互作用以及这些相互作用如何影响治疗联盟很重要。治疗师应该意识到自己的个人依恋风格，并反思这在治疗过程中可能如何表现。
