The DOI matches its Crossref record; 23 of the 24 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Has the concept of the therapeutic alliance outlived its usefulness?
Abstract
In this article, we provide a brief summary of our current thinking about the constructs of the therapeutic alliance and ruptures in the therapeutic alliance. We speculate about some of the factors that have led to sustained interest in these constructs by psychotherapy researchers and discuss some of the conceptual problems associated with them. We also consider the question of whether the therapeutic alliance continues to be a meaningful construct, and we delineate more and less promising avenues of research for the future. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved).
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“The focus on repairing alliance ruptures may be seen as one of the most important assignments in psychotherapeutic courses, because ruptures challenge active cooperation and thus also recovery [28].”
From "It's not a life of war and conflict": experienced therapists' views on negotiating a therapeutic alliance in involuntary treatment (2019) · cites this paper as [28]
In the citing paper
“This could be a small tension or a severe breakdown in the cooperative relationship between patient and therapist [28].”
From "It's not a life of war and conflict": experienced therapists' views on negotiating a therapeutic alliance in involuntary treatment (2019) · cites this paper as [28]
In the citing paper
“In the last decades, research on therapeutic alliances has focused on processes involved in alliance ruptures and their repairs [28, 29].”
From "It's not a life of war and conflict": experienced therapists' views on negotiating a therapeutic alliance in involuntary treatment (2019) · cites this paper as [28]
In the citing paper
“Building on contemporary research on therapeutic alliances, alliances might experience ruptures and reparation of these might serve as useful interventions in therapy [28, 29].”
From "It's not a life of war and conflict": experienced therapists' views on negotiating a therapeutic alliance in involuntary treatment (2019) · cites this paper as [28]
Citations
Cites
The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance.
Bordin, E. S. (1979) · Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice · doi:10.1037/h0085885 · Cited by 5,238
Bergin and Garfield's Handbook of Psychotherapy and Behavior Change
Lambert, M. J. (2003) · Cited by 3,383
Relation of the therapeutic alliance with outcome and other variables: a meta-analytic review
Martin, D. J., Garske, J. P., & Davis, M. K. (2000) · Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-006x.68.3.438 · Cited by 3,355
Relation between working alliance and outcome in psychotherapy: A meta-analysis
Horvath, A. O., & Symonds, B. D. (1991) · Journal of Counseling Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-0167.38.2.139 · Cited by 2,673
Negotiating the Therapeutic Alliance: A Relational Treatment Guide
Safran, J. D., & Muran, J. C. (2000) · Cited by 1,088
Self-citationRobinson, L. A., Berman, J., & Neimeyer, R. (1990) · Psychological bulletin · doi:10.1037/0033-2909.108.1.30 · Cited by 691
(1994) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 674
Current concepts of transference 1
Zetzel, E. R. (2018) · Routledge eBooks · doi:10.4324/9780429475931-8 · Cited by 661
Relational psychoanalysis: The emergence of a tradition.
Mitchell, S. Α., & Aron, L. (1999) · Cited by 602
Relational Concepts in Psychoanalysis
Mitchell, S. Α. (2009) · Harvard University Press eBooks · doi:10.2307/j.ctvk12rmv · Cited by 597
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1 of the 24 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
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Items 301–311 of 311
Buattini, M., Paponetti, L., Torres, D., Borlimi, R., & Caselli, G. (2026) · The Clinical Supervisor · doi:10.1080/07325223.2026.2633988
Working Alliance and Therapeutic Change in Integrated Psychotherapy: A Longitudinal Study
Volpato, E., Bergamaschi, S., Cis, M., Sattin, D., Ruffino, M., Tognasso, G., Gislon, M. C., & Pagnini, F. (2026) · Behavior Modification · doi:10.1177/01454455261416501
The 5As Model: A Career Counseling Framework for Research, Theory and Practice
Rochat, S. (2026) · Journal of Career Assessment · doi:10.1177/10690727261448172
Ruptures and Repairs in The Course of Living
Hviid, P., & Villadsen, J. W. (2014) · Emerald Group Publishing Limited eBooks · doi:10.1108/978-1-62396-840-320251005
AI-Assisted Precision Psychotherapy: Toward a Process-Based Framework of Therapeutic Interaction
Mendlovic, S. (2026) · Psychiatry International · doi:10.3390/psychiatryint7030124
Allen, B., Eidan, K., & Davidtz, J. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-29009-1.00054-8
Porter, E. F., Owen, J. J., Eng, E., Eubanks, C. F., Muran, J. C., Yang, R., Gao, J., Sun, V., Morgan, S., Zhao, S., et al. (2026) · Counselling Psychology Quarterly · doi:10.1080/09515070.2026.2705445
Self-citationPorter, E. F., Aghassizadeh, N., & Ryan, L. (2026) · Psychotherapy Research · doi:10.1080/10503307.2026.2710325
Selbstdiagnosen psychischer Störungen – Chancen und Risiken für die psychotherapeutische Praxis
Berge, L.-M., Miller, L., & Schuchardt, K. (2026) · Die Psychotherapie · doi:10.1007/s00278-026-00872-y
Metadata
- Authors
- Safran, J. D., & Muran, J. C.
- Affiliations
- The New School (US)
- Mount Sinai Beth Israel (US)
- Venue
- Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training
- Published
- 2006
- Volume
- 43
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 286-291
- ISSN
- 0033-3204 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1536
- OpenAlex
- W2043568664
- Cited by
- 311
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 16 · 2017: 21 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 17 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 14 · 2012: 10
- FWCI
- 6.64
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychotherapy (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychotherapy Techniques and Applications
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychoanalysis and Psychopathology Research
- Keywords
- therapeutic relationship, psychotherapy research, conceptual difficulties, construct validity, future research directions
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