ABSTRACT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy has been criticized for minimizing the importance of and attention to the therapeutic relationship. The therapeutic relationship is the foundation from which more specific cognitive behavioral interventions stem. Intellectual exercises such as reading about important features of the therapeutic relationship and consolidating learning by providing reflections on the therapeutic relationship are one important cornerstone of learning. Because of the importance of the therapeutic relationship, it is crucial that beginning therapists be oriented to principles of the therapeutic relationship that are essential features of all types of psychotherapy. When clients view the therapeutic relationship in a positive manner, such as when they reflect fondly on the support they received from the therapist about a particular issue with which they were struggling, the goals of therapy can be enhanced. Therapists-in-training often lament the lack of experiential learning opportunities that allow them to experience and practice, first hand, the therapeutic skills, tools, and strategies that are described in psychotherapy textbooks.
