The therapist-patient-relationship in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy . It’s function and relevance within the framework of cognitive behavior therapy - Attempts of it’s integration into interactional and interpersonal conceptions

Abstract

It is the aim of the present paper to give an overview of the current conceptions of the therapist-patient-relationship in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. The paper starts with a presentation of the conception of current cognitive behavioral psychotherapy and it’s “classical conception” of the therapist-patient-relationship. In the next section some of the short-comings of this “classical conception” are discussed. These can be grouped around two major points: the lack of taking effect-maximizing interactional strategies and interventions into consideration on the one side, and with not working through the clients problems within the relationship between therapist and client on the other side. However, one specific conception of German cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, the so called “interaktionelle Verhaltenstherapie” [interactional behavior therapy], originated from Grawe, developed a conception and adapted another one, which both can overcome the interactional and interpersonal short-comings of current behavior therapy. Both conceptions (“plan-complementary interactional interventions” and “interactional tests of the client”) are presented. At the end of the paper some implications of a general interactional and interpersonal extension of cognitive behavioral psychotherapy for the application of behavior therapy as well as for training future behavioral psychotherapists (personal therapy of the therapist, supervision) are discussed.

Keywords: Cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, interactional cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy, therapist-patient-relationship.