Treatment engagement: building therapeutic alliance in home-based treatment with adolescents and their families
Open accessAbstract
Client engagement is an essential yet challenging ingredient in effective therapy. Engaged clients are more likely to bond with therapists and counselors, endorse treatment goals, participate to a greater degree, remain in treatment longer, and report higher levels of satisfaction. This study explored the process of engaging high-risk youth and their parents in a unique home-based family therapy intervention. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 19 families who completed family therapy sessions that included a core component aimed at increasing treatment engagement. Parents' and youths' perceptions of engagement suggest the importance of developing therapeutic alliance with therapists, who facilitated building a shared alliance among family members. Implications for improving client engagement are discussed within the context of alliance building with the therapist and among family members.
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The therapeutic alliance (TA) is considered fundamental to successful treatment outcomes in face-to-face therapy.
“The therapeutic alliance (TA), or the relationship between healthcare professionals and clients, is considered fundamental to successful treatment outcomes in face-to-face therapy.”
From Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [24]
TA is fundamental in building adherence or engagement with therapy.
“TA is fundamental in building adherence or engagement with therapy (24, 54, 55).”
From Digital Therapeutic Alliance With Fully Automated Mental Health Smartphone Apps: A Narrative Review (2022) · cites this paper as [24]
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A Review of Parent Participation Engagement in Child and Family Mental Health Treatment
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“TA is fundamental in building adherence or engagement with therapy (24, 54, 55).”
BackgroundHowarth, E., Moore, T. H., Stanley, N., MacMillan, H. L., Feder, G., & Shaw, A. (2019) · Health & Social Care in the Community · doi:10.1111/hsc.12587 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
- Authors
- Thompson, S. J., Bender, K., Lantry, J., & Flynn, P. M.
- Affiliations
- The University of Texas at Austin (US)
- Texas Christian University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Thompson, Sanna J.
- ORCID
- Bender, Kimberly
- Venue
- Contemporary Family Therapy
- Published
- 2007-05-12
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 1-2
- Pages
- 39-55
- ISSN
- 0892-2764 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3335
- PMC
- PMC2885699
- OpenAlex
- W1968787028
- Cited by
- 138
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 10 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 8
- FWCI
- 2.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Contemporary Family Therapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (K01DA015671)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Keywords
- treatment engagement, therapeutic relationship, adolescents, at-risk youth, parental involvement, family therapy, customer engagement, family bonding
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