Abstract
Very few psychotherapists can give a simple objective description of therapeutic relationship. Yet there are few concepts in traditional psychotherapy that are as widely accepted as being important and as actively pursued as the therapeutic relationship. Like many behavior therapists, however, rational behavior therapists neither actively pursue nor even hypothesize a therapeutic relationship. For that reason, many traditional psychotherapists look at behaviorists with suspicion and are reluctant to use behavioral techniques. This study tried to resolve this difference in professional opinions by consulting patients, the only legitimate experts on the issue. The two main implications are: first, if a therapeutic relationship is a distinct entity, it's probably an incidental result of effective psychotherapy. Secondly, friendly concern is probably all any therapists need to achieve therapeutic success.
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