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Therapeutic Alliance and Outcome in Complicated Grief Treatment

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Abstract

In this study, we examined the role of the therapeutic alliance in complicated grief treatment (CGT), an efficacious psychotherapy for complicated grief. Using data from a previously reported randomized controlled trial, we explored whether the alliance–outcome relationship differs by treatment group among treatment completers assigned to either CGT (n = 35) or interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) (n = 34). Early alliance (at week 4) was associated with a reduction in grief symptoms in CGT but not IPT. The difference in the alliance–outcome relationship was accounted for by goal/task items on the Working Alliance Inventory. The contribution of a positive alliance, particularly the agreement on goals and tasks, may be more significant in CGT, a highly structured treatment, than IPT in reducing symptoms of complicated grief.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, School of Health Sciences and Professional Programs, York College of the City University of New York, 94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd. Jamaica, New York, 11451, USA

    Kim Glickman

  2. Columbia University School of Social Work, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 1255 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY, 10027, USA

    M. Katherine Shear

  3. Division of Biostatistics in the Department of Psychiatry, Department of Biostatistics in the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 1051 Riverside Dr. Unit 48, New York, NY, 10032, USA

    Melanie M. Wall

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  1. Kim Glickman
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  2. M. Katherine Shear
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  3. Melanie M. Wall
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Correspondence to Kim Glickman.

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Glickman, K., Katherine Shear, M. & Wall, M.M. Therapeutic Alliance and Outcome in Complicated Grief Treatment. J Cogn Ther 11, 222–233 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41811-018-0018-9

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