Who we are with a client matters more than the model we use.
We were trained to believe the method does the work. Research says otherwise: which therapist a client sees matters far more than the model.
— David Day, former Executive Director, Carl Rogers' Center for Studies of the Person, La Jolla, California
What the research found →
Only 1%
of the difference in how clients fare is explained by which treatment model the therapist uses, by Wampold's estimate.
Wampold and Imel, 2015
5X more
of the difference comes down to which therapist the client sees, whatever the model.
Baldwin and Imel, 2013
18 years
One study tracked 170 therapists for up to 18 years. Their outcomes with clients did not improve with more years of clinical experience.
Goldberg and colleagues, 2016
What separates effective therapists →
Five personal capacities, not orientation, degree, or years in practice.
One
Doubting our work without doubting our worth.
Two
Understanding accurately, and being genuine while we do it.
Three
Staying warm and steady with a hostile or withdrawn client.
Four
Noticing when the relationship has frayed, and repairing it.
Five
Keeping our own reactions from running the session.
So how do we develop who we are with another person? →