Empirically supported relationships (ESRs) were adopted in counseling to help effective and individual-based therapies. There has been a consensus among counselors that the quality of medicines is dependent upon the relationships between clients and caregivers. These relationships are also known as therapeutic alliances, and they are positively correlated with treatment outcomes. These ESRs achieve better results if clients come from diverse backgrounds.
Problems in therapeutic alliances may be significant in the under-utilization of mental health interventions (Sue & Sue, 2015). This essay describes two demonstrably effective and two promising and probably practical variables and their significance to counseling interactions.
Empathy and therapeutic alliance are two examples of variables that are demonstrably effective. A counseling relationship can result in desired outcomes if a therapist expresses regard as well as respect for a client. Empathy concerns taking all aspects into account, both words and non-verbal communication. A client may behave in ways that a therapist finds unusual but could understand if such behavior is taken in context (Sue & Sue, 2015). The importance of empathy in counseling cannot be underestimated. If a client feels like his or her counselor respects him or her, he or she provides responses that improve the relationship and general outcomes.
Therapeutic alliances are working relationships that exist between caregivers and clients. They describe how therapists and patients connect and engage during treatment (Sue & Sue, 2015). At the core of effective relationships is a collaboration between patients and counselors. Notably, they are essential in the process of counseling because they determine how clients handle their emotional and psychological issues (Sue & Sue, 2015). Another important aspect associated with this concept is its relatively strong link between expectancy and results.
Feedback and self-disclosure are two examples of probably successful variables in counseling. If the correct feedback is given, it improves how clients and therapists engage with each other and try to handle matters (Sue & Sue, 2015). For example, if a client speaks in a low voice to give answers to questions, a counselor should respond appropriately without showing that he or she is offended or angry. In this context, responses imply that communication is effective and can lead to better feelings and expressions (Sue & Sue, 2015). Moreover, they can improve counseling sessions because they help clients to learn that their caregivers appreciate them.
Self-disclosure is something that all counselors do with their patients once they begin relationships. Either intentionally or unintentionally, caregivers’ clothes and other forms of nonverbal communication disclose some aspects about them (Sue & Sue, 2015). Overall, self-disclosure is a critical variable that is demonstrated by a therapist when he or she shares his or her personal views with clients to improve their mental as well as emotional states (Sue & Sue, 2015). In counseling, this variable is essential since it helps to reduce the power distance between therapists and their clients.
In conclusion, the relationship between counselors and care-receivers is essential in the achievement of outcomes in the short and long run. There is a strong link between the background diversity of clients and the attainment of better psychological results in counseling. This essay has described empathy and therapeutic alliances as demonstrably practical variables in counseling. In addition, it has explained feedback and self-disclosure as the two illustrations of promising and probably effective elements of therapy.
Reference
Sue, D. W., & Sue, D. (2015). Counseling the culturally diverse: Theory and practice (7th ed.). New York, NY: Wiley.