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- Title
Relationship‐undermining statements by psychotherapists with clients who present with marital or couple problems.
- Authors
Doherty, William J.; Harris, Steven M.
- Abstract
This study examined the prevalence of relationship undermining statements by psychotherapists as reported by clients in individual therapy who presented with relationship problems, and whether these statements were associated with worse outcomes for client relationships. Participants (n = 101) reported on recollections of whether their therapist had suggested that their partner would never change, had a diagnosable personality/mental health disorder, had negative motives, that the relationship was doomed from the start or beyond repair now, or that divorce/breakup was their best option. Findings showed high prevalence of these undermining statements and associations with poorer relationship outcomes and shorter duration of therapy. We discuss potential explanations for this phenomenon and offer implications for the training of therapists who treat individual clients with relationship problems.
- Subjects
MENTAL illness treatment; PERSONALITY; MARRIAGE; CLIENT relations; FAMILY conflict; PATIENT-professional relations; PATIENT care; PSYCHOTHERAPY
- Publication
Family Process, 2022, Vol 61, Issue 3, p1195
- ISSN
0014-7370
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1111/famp.12774