Humility and Psychotherapist Effectiveness: Humility, the Therapy Relationship, and Psychotherapy Outcomes

Research has robustly shown psychotherapists vary in their effectiveness in promoting positive psychotherapy outcomes (Baldwin & Imel, 2013). In this chapter, we build on this research and argue that psychotherapist effects on outcomes occur primarily via how the psychotherapist’s qualities and behaviors affect the therapy relationship, which in turn affects outcomes. We highlight the potential role of psychotherapist humility in this process.