Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Substantive research has underscored the important role of the communicative therapist-patient relationship, commonly called the therapeutic alliance, in generating change during and after psychotherapy. This interpersonal bond has demonstrated to be a predictor of treatment outcome across a number of psychosocial interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), one of the most popularly employed psychotherapeutic treatments. Although the association between patient-therapist communication and psychotherapeutic outcome has been well documented, scant attention has focused on the factors necessary for a fruitful therapeutic alliance in CBT treatment specifically for social anxiety disorder (SA; also called social phobia), the third most common psychological disorder in the nation. Extrapolating from previous discourse in the area of the therapeutic alliance in both CBT and other psychotherapeutic approaches—replete with relevant concessions that take into account the unique nature of individuals with SA—this paper advances several conceptual elements deemed applicable to CBT treatment for SA in terms of trust and openness; warmth, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard; empathic understanding; and therapist self-disclosure. The reality that approximately half of all patients with SA who receive CBT do not significantly benefit also warrants this investigation. Findings suggest that it is critical that therapists and researchers alike explore further the association between key ingredients of the therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome specifically in the context of CBT in treating SA. Since this issue has been virtually uncharted, it is hoped that the preliminary guidelines presented herein stimulate a promising avenue of inquiry that may vastly improve the efficacy of this treatment modality for this debilitating disorder.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Substantive research has underscored the important role of the communicative therapist-patient relationship, commonly called the therapeutic alliance, in generating change during and after psychotherapy. This interpersonal bond has demonstrated to be a predictor of treatment outcome across a number of psychosocial interventions, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), one of the most popularly employed psychotherapeutic treatments. Although the association between patient-therapist communication and psychotherapeutic outcome has been well documented, scant attention has focused on the factors necessary for a fruitful therapeutic alliance in CBT treatment specifically for social anxiety disorder (SA; also called social phobia), the third most common psychological disorder in the nation. Extrapolating from previous discourse in the area of the therapeutic alliance in both CBT and other psychotherapeutic approaches—replete with relevant concessions that take into account the unique nature of individuals with SA—this paper advances several conceptual elements deemed applicable to CBT treatment for SA in terms of trust and openness; warmth, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard; empathic understanding; and therapist self-disclosure. The reality that approximately half of all patients with SA who receive CBT do not significantly benefit also warrants this investigation. Findings suggest that it is critical that therapists and researchers alike explore further the association between key ingredients of the therapeutic alliance and treatment outcome specifically in the context of CBT in treating SA. Since this issue has been virtually uncharted, it is hoped that the preliminary guidelines presented herein stimulate a promising avenue of inquiry that may vastly improve the efficacy of this treatment modality for this debilitating disorder.