Redefining Patient-Therapist Relationships with Digital Working Alliance: A Commentary on “Establishing and maintaining a therapeutic alliance between people living with negative symptoms of schizophrenia and a digital therapeutic” by Snipes et al., 2025. (Preprint)

UNSTRUCTURED The influence of a positive therapeutic alliance on treatment success is well-established in psychotherapy. The emergence of digital therapeutics raises new questions about how therapeutic relationships function without human therapists. This commentary examines recent research demonstrating that individuals with schizophrenia can form and maintain a meaningful therapeutic alliance with digital interventions. It discusses the methodological approach, clinical implications, and future directions, while also situating digital alliance within the evolving landscape of human-technology interactions.