Researching Client-Therapist Relationships: A Collaborative Study for Informing Therapy

This paper describes a research project conducted in Norway and Sweden that examined client-therapist relationships. A consultant (the author) conducted post-therapy interviews in which clients and their therapist(s) were asked to speak of their therapy experiences with each other in front of one another. Through such interviews, the therapists gained a better understanding and sensitivity to what clients want to talk about and how they want to talk about it. The research highlights how therapists can miss key clinical elements in therapy. Three case examples are provided.