Forging relationships in psychotherapeutic interaction

Creating and maintaining a positive therapist-client relationship is considered to be essential in achieving therapeutic success, whereas damage to this relationship and the inability to repair disaffiliative episodes may have detrimental effects. So far, very little research has focused on how the relationship between therapists and clients is accomplished and negotiated through talk. Drawing from research in conversation analysis/ CA, I examine a diverse corpus of video-taped psychotherapy sessions to explore the interactional practices that may be ‘typically’ used to forge and create potential shifts in relationships and affiliation. In this paper, I not only set out to illustrate the central role that talk and conduct plays in therapist-client relationship-building, but also how the relationship is an ongoing interactional achievement.

ISBN:9789027257550

Publication year:2022

Accessibility:Closed