The Psychotherapist's Persuasiveness: Relation to the Working Alliance and Facilitative Interpersonal Skills

The psychotherapist's persuasiveness has been suggested as a crucial skill for therapeutic success. However, it remains one of the psychotherapist interpersonal skills least studied. This correlational and observational study examined the relationship between the psychotherapist's persuasi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of psychotherapy integration 2024-06, Vol.34 (2), p.133-144
Main Authors: Sequeira, Ana, Sousa, Daniel, Afonseca, Margarida, Vaz, Alexandre, Santos, João M., Silva, Ariana
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Female
Human
Interpersonal Communication
Male
Measurement
Persuasion
Psychotherapists
Statistical Correlation
Therapeutic Alliance
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Summary:The psychotherapist's persuasiveness has been suggested as a crucial skill for therapeutic success. However, it remains one of the psychotherapist interpersonal skills least studied. This correlational and observational study examined the relationship between the psychotherapist's persuasiveness and working alliance and the relationship between the psychotherapist's persuasiveness, and facilitative interpersonal skills. Thirty-eight psychotherapy session recordings were rated using the Therapist's Persuasiveness Rating Scale, the Working Alliance Inventory-Observer Version (Short Form), and the Facilitative Interpersonal Skills In-Session to examine the relationship between the variables, using Friedman tests, Pearson's correlations, and multilevel linear regression models. The Friedman test showed significant differences in the psychotherapist's persuasiveness, working alliance, and facilitative interpersonal skills in the therapy sessions' beginning, middle, and end. Pearson's correlation test suggests that the psychotherapist's persuasiveness positively correlates with facilitative interpersonal skills and working alliance. The multilevel linear regression suggests that the psychotherapist's persuasiveness at the beginning of the session impacts the working alliance at all moments of the session, and the therapist's interpersonal skills at the beginning of the session significantly impact the psychotherapist's persuasiveness, but only at the beginning. Public Health Significance StatementThis manuscript suggests that the psychotherapist's persuasiveness may have an impact on the establishment of the therapeutic alliance, and that the psychotherapist's facilitative interpersonal skills might facilitate the psychotherapist's persuasiveness. The findings suggest that the psychotherapist's persuasiveness revealed to be a crucial skill for therapeutic success.
ISSN:1053-0479
1573-3696
DOI:10.1037/int0000324