Objective: The aim of this longitudinal study was investigating how specific dimensions of client expectations about counseling relate to the initial level and subsequent trajectory of the working alliance and symptom change in psychotherapy conducted by Chinese beginning therapist trainees. Methods: Participants included 173 Chinese therapist trainees and their 1,916 clients. At intake, clients completed a measure (Anderson, T., Patterson, C. L., McClintock, A. S., after every session, both therapists and clients reported their perceived strength of the working alliance. Results: Multilevel modeling results showed that (1) clients with higher initial symptom levels showed lower expectations on Client Involvement (B = -.586, SE = .292, p = .045) but higher expectations on Counselor Expertise (B = .992, SE = .231, p B = .162, SE = .039, p B = .152, SE = .033, p B = -.060, SE = .024, p = .011). Conclusion: The findings confirms that client expectations, particularly for counselor expertise, are both a product of initial clinical factors and a predictor of therapeutic success. Conceptual and clinical implications, especially with regard to the Chinese cultural context, are discussed.
Zhang et al. (Wed,) studied this question.