The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 23 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Young people's experience of the therapeutic alliance: A systematic review
Abstract
Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to synthesise qualitative evidence on young people's conceptualisation, utilisation and experiences of the therapeutic alliance in individual psychotherapy or counselling and its role in bringing about change. Method: The thematic synthesis method was used to synthesise data. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the CASP checklist for qualitative research. Results: Four superordinate analytical themes were generated: (1) valuable therapist qualities, (2) conditions for the development and maintenance of the therapeutic alliance, (3) therapeutic processes and (4) barriers to the development of the therapeutic alliance. Findings indicate that young people appreciated the uniqueness of the therapeutic relationship that provided a sense of safety, choice and autonomy. Flexibility and accessibility were noted as important elements of therapeutic alliance building as they elicited a sense of agency. Young people emphasised the non‐linear nature of therapy and prioritised process variables such as improvement in self‐understanding, self‐efficacy and self‐worth. Conclusion: The current systematic review is a comprehensive overview of qualitative studies of experiences of therapy from young people's perspectives. Important practical implications derived from this review as the role of autonomy in the change process and the formation and maintenance of the therapeutic relationship were outlined as important elements in youth therapy.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews
Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., et al. (2021) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.n71 · Cited by 108,283
Rayyan-a web and mobile app for systematic reviews.
Ouzzani, M., Hammady, H., Fedorowicz, Z., & Elmagarmid, A. (2016) · Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1186/s13643-016-0384-4 · Cited by 26,092
Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews
Thomas, J., & Harden, A. (2008) · BMC Medical Research Methodology · doi:10.1186/1471-2288-8-45 · Cited by 9,312
Alliance in individual psychotherapy
Horvath, A. O., Del Re, A. C., Flückiger, C., & Symonds, D. (2011) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/a0022186 · Cited by 2,072
The Great Psychotherapy Debate: The Evidence for What Makes Psychotherapy Work
Wampold, B. E. (2015) · doi:10.4324/9780203582015 · Cited by 1,773
The alliance in adult psychotherapy: A meta-analytic synthesis
Flückiger, C., Del Re, A. C., Wampold, B. E., & Horvath, A. O. (2018) · Psychotherapy · doi:10.1037/pst0000172 · Cited by 1,763
Radez, J., Reardon, T., Creswell, C., Lawrence, P. J., Evdoka-Burton, G., & Waite, P. (2021) · European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry · doi:10.1007/s00787-019-01469-4 · Cited by 1,119
The role of puberty in the developing adolescent brain
Blakemore, S., Burnett, S., & Dahl, R. E. (2010) · Human Brain Mapping · doi:10.1002/hbm.21052 · Cited by 1,011
Understanding how and why psychotherapy leads to change
Kazdin, A. E. (2009) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503300802448899 · Cited by 728
Shirk, S. R., & Karver, M. (2003) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.71.3.452 · Cited by 698
Research works printed but not linked: 76
- 10.1016/S0272-7358(02)00146-0 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1037/0003-066X.61.4.271 · DOI · Paper page
- Arnell A., 2010, Boch han sparkade mamma…^ – möte med barn som bevittnat våld i sina familjer [Band he kickedmom…^ – Meetings with children who witnessed violence in their families]
- 10.1037/0003-066X.55.5.469 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1002/cpp.792 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1007/s12646-013-0191-0 · DOI
- 10.1080/19012276.2012.726815 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1080/13642530701869730 · DOI
- 10.1080/10503300903376338 · DOI
- 10.1080/10503307.2011.587471 · DOI
- 10.1007/s10560-011-0237-x · DOI
- 10.1037/h0085885 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1007/s10597-013-9617-3 · DOI
- 10.1080/09515070.2011.620734 · DOI
- 10.1037/0033‐3204.31.1.101 · DOI
- 10.1080/14779757.2020.1717982 · DOI
- 10.1177/1359104519857222 · DOI
- 10.1037/h0087729 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1016/S0962-1849(96)80002-3 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1002/capr.12191 · DOI
- 10.1037/a0038136 · DOI
- 10.1177/1359104512447032 · DOI
- Dooley B. O'Connor C. Fitzgerald A. &O'Reilly A.(2019).My world survey 2: The national study of youth mental health in Ireland. Dublin. Jigsaw and UCD School of Psychology.
- 10.1080/10503307.2015.1119326 · DOI
- 10.1080/10503300802074513 · DOI
- 10.1080/14733140212331384857 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1080/02650530802396700 · DOI
- 10.1080/10538712.2020.1848959 · DOI
- 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-000882 · DOI · Paper page
- Freud S., 1912, The standard edition of the complete psychological works of Sigmund Freud, 97
- 10.1093/ptr/8.2.190 · DOI
- 10.1037/a0033110 · DOI
- 10.1080/03069885.2014.925084 · DOI
- 10.1007/s10826-015-0292-6 · DOI
- 10.1002/jclp.21973 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1037/h0087842 · DOI
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.533903 · DOI
- 10.1037/a0038132 · doi:10.1037/a0038132
- 10.1002/cpp.1770 · DOI
- Hill C. E, 2012, Consensual qualitative research: A practical resource for investigating social science phenomena
- 10.1037/0033-3204.32.1.16 · DOI
- 10.1037/0022-0167.38.2.139 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1371/journal.pone.0257334 · DOI
- 10.1007/s10896-018-00032-0 · DOI
- 10.1016/j.cpr.2005.09.001 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1002/capr.12186 · DOI
- 10.1002/capr.12166 · DOI
- 10.1037/sgd0000544 · DOI
- 10.1080/15289168.2020.1832836 · DOI
- 10.1037/0022-006X.68.3.438 · doi:10.1037/0022-006x.68.3.438 · Paper page
- Midgley N., 2011, Experience of therapy interview (Young person, parent and therapist versions)
- 10.1080/10503307.2014.973922 · DOI
- 10.1002/jclp.20758 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1080/10503307.2016.1208373 · DOI
- 10.4081/ripppo.2022.556 · DOI
- 10.1037/0033-3204.40.3.215 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1037/pst0000279 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1080/10503307.2017.1393576 · DOI
- 10.1080/02668734.2012.760477 · DOI
- 10.3390/jcm9061716 · DOI
- 10.1111/eip.12860 · DOI
- 10.1037/0022-006X.60.6.827 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1037/a0033847 · doi:10.1037/a0033847
- 10.1080/13642537.2013.763467 · DOI
- Sasson Edgette J., 2001, Candor, connection, and enterprise in adolescent therapy
- 10.1007/s10567-009-0058-z · DOI
- 10.1037/a0022181 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1177/1359104519882765 · DOI
- 10.1016/j.tics.2004.12.005 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.1080/15289168.2019.1626137 · DOI
- 10.1080/10503300600608116 · DOI · Paper page
- 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01243 · DOI
- 10.1521/bumc.69.2.103.66507 · DOI
- 10.1037/0736-9735.23.1.108 · DOI
- 10.1111/papt.12232 · DOI
- 10.1080/10673220701803867 · DOI
Metadata
- Authors
- Dimic, T., Farrell, A., Ahern, E., & Houghton, S.
- Venue
- Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2023-08-03
- Volume
- 30
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1482-1511
- ISSN
- 1063-3995
- 1099-0879
- Cited by
- 19
- References
- 23
- Language
- en
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
How to cite
Cite CoChat for the checks on this page, and the paper for its own findings.
- This page
- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Young people's experience of the therapeutic alliance: A systematic review. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1002/cpp.2885
- The paper
- Dimic, T., Farrell, A., Ahern, E., & Houghton, S. (2023). Young people's experience of the therapeutic alliance: A systematic review. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1002/cpp.2885
Data sources
Bibliographic data: Semantic Scholar, OpenAlex, Crossref.
Contains information from the Semantic Scholar Academic Graph Datasets, made available under the ODC Attribution License (ODC-BY 1.0).
Semantic Scholar’s data is described in: Kinney, R., et al. (2023). The Semantic Scholar Open Data Platform. arXiv:2301.10140.
