Therapeutic Alliance In Counseling

An individual’s perspective of their issue is not always straightforward. Thus, to appreciate it the counselor will present several segments in the therapeutic process which incorporate the basic listening sequence while developing a structure within the therapy session that includes; building an empathetic relationship, drawing out the client’s story and strengths, exploring the client’s goals, helping to reframe the client’s perspective, and creating a plan of action (Ivey, Ivey & Zalaquett, 2014). These steps are the commonalities that define the therapeutic relationship no matter what the prevailing theory. I believe the crucial step endures as the development of the therapeutic relationship and alliance which includes a positive rapport …show more content…
Therefore, to create a therapeutic alliance the counselor must establish empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard. To establish empathy the counselor must value the subjective world of the client by being aware of the client’s schemas and consciousness as experienced by the client with an understanding and non-judgmental attitude (Thompson, 2012). Genuineness is a tenet of PCT and requires the counselor to be his/her authentic self and together with the client realize that both individuals in the therapeutic relationship are imperfect throughout the process. For a counselor to understand unconditional positive regard, he/she must realize that all persons, including him/her, subsist in an incessantly changing phenomenal world of which he/she is the center and is motivated to grow and develop in the direction of becoming more fully functioning (Joseph & Murphy, 2013). In other words, humans are valuable and right where they are supposed to be at any given moment. Therefore, the individual needs to be respected for how they contend with life and accepted for who they are even if they do not want to pursue