Date of Award

1-1-2017

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College/School/Department

Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology

Program

Counseling Psychology

Content Description

1 online resource (ii, ix, 72 pages)

Dissertation/Thesis Chair

Myrna L. Friedlander

Committee Members

Lisa McAndrew, Zheng Yan

Keywords

alliance ruptures, online therapy, therapeutic relationship, working alliance, Counseling, Psychotherapy, Internet in psychotherapy, Psychotherapists, Psychotherapist and patient

Subject Categories

Counseling Psychology

Abstract

Online psychotherapy using text-based technologies has become increasingly popular in the last two decades, and a burgeoning literature attests to its efficacy as a treatment for a variety of mental health concerns. Moreover, evidence suggests that the working alliance is rated as highly online as it is in face-to-face therapy, yet little is known about how psychotherapists develop strong alliances with their clients in text-based environments. This qualitative study was conducted to investigate psychotherapists’ experiences forming therapeutic relationships with their clients in online environments, identifying and repairing alliance ruptures, and their perceptions of differences and similarities between these processes online and in traditional, face-to-face psychotherapy.

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