The therapeutic relationship is the relationship developed between the therapist and client over time. Without a therapeutic relationship, therapy is less meaningful. A strong bond is extremely helpful in the success of therapy.
The therapeutic relationship has many components and varies between each individual relationship. However, there are some common characteristics.
We need to be genuine; we need the client to think we are a real human being and they can be themselves when they are with us and feel able to speak freely.
We need to be Empathetic and be able to recognise, identify and understand the situation that the client is experiencing and to understand their feelings, ideas and motivations. This is the basis and foundation for a therapeutic relationship because it establishes a personal connection between the therapist and client, allowing the client to see their therapist hears them, values and understands their needs.
We need to be trusted and be non-judgemental. For clients who find it difficult to open up or explore their feelings due to worrying that it is not safe for them to do so, it matters greatly that they can feel confident that their therapist will not judge them.
We need to be warm and show we care from the moment we first meet our clients.
Without a therapeutic relationship, therapy will be less effective. We know that this is a crucial part of therapy, in some ways the clients feels that the relationship with the therapist is the therapy. The relationship will hopefully allow the client to move towards achieving their goals
