TY - JOUR AU - Řiháček, Tomáš AU - Roubal, Jan AU - Motalová, Katarína PY - 2021/01/14 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Facets of the psychotherapy relationship: a metaphorical approach JF - Research in Psychotherapy: Psychopathology, Process and Outcome JA - RES PSYCHOTHER-PSYCH VL - 23 IS - 3 SE - Articles DO - 10.4081/ripppo.2020.468 UR - https://www.researchinpsychotherapy.org/rpsy/article/view/468 SP - AB - <p>Although many separate aspects of the psychotherapy relationship have been studied, including empathy, working alliance, and self-disclosure, a metaphorical approach has the potential to generate a more holistic perspective of this phenomenon. Hence, the goal of this study was to explore the nature of the psychotherapy relationship from the psychotherapists’ perspective using a metaphorical approach. In an online survey, a sample of N=373 Czech psychotherapists and counselors rated a set of relational metaphors in terms of how accurately they depicted their roles in their relationships with their clients. The single most endorsed metaphor for the practitioner’s role was a guide. Furthermore, the principal component analysis identified three relational components, namely, Mentor, Resource Supplier, and Remedy Distributor. The associations among these components and multiple practitioners’ variables, including demographic and practice-related variables and theoretical orientation, were explored. These three components represent general dimensions of the psychotherapy relationship that cut across various theoretical orientations and, thus, define psychotherapy relationships in a general sense.</p> ER -