ABSTRACT
The working alliance, also termed the therapeutic alliance, features in all approaches to psychotherapy as a key construct supporting a positive outcome. It has its origin in psychoanalysis, where Freud (1913) drew attention to the `pact' between analyst and patient who `band together' with a common goal based on the demands of external reality. For Freud, the alliance was closely linked to the notions of positive or idealized transference. The term `therapeutic alliance' was coined by Zetzel (1956) who highlighted the fact that in successful therapy there is a conscious, collaborative, rational agreement between therapist and client as to what the work is about and how it will proceed. However, the working or therapeutic alliance was also viewed as potentially curative in itself, indicating a particular bond between therapist and client. Some writers such as Greenson (1965 and in Jaffe, 2004) highlight the working alliance as having to do with task factors as well as a bond. Bordin (1994) proposes a relational model where the therapeutic alliance is composed of the interacting components of bond, goals and task. Gelso and Carter (1994) refer to the working alliance as the aligning of the reasonable self of the client with the analysing self of the therapist ± an alignment designed to support the work as it unfolds.
