Therapeutic Alliance in Interpreter-Supported Psychotherapy from the Perspective of Refugee Patients: Results of Qualitative Interviews

Background: The therapeutic alliance is considered to be one of the most important factors of psychotherapy and is a necessary requirement for a successful treatment in interpreter-supported psychotherapy. Patients and Methods: Using interpreter-supported guided interviews, 10 refugee patients who experienced interpreter-supported psychotherapy were asked about factors influencing the development of a trusting therapeutic alliance in the triad. The analysis of the interviews followed the rules of content-structuring qualitative content analysis. Results: A total of 11 factors were identified which could be assigned to the interpreter, therapist, or patient. In the analysis, the central role of the interpreter in establishing a therapeutic alliance in the triad became particularly clear. Conclusions: Consideration of the factors that, from the patients' perspective, require the establishment and maintenance of a trusting alliance within the triad, as well as the recommendations for action derived from this for psychotherapists and interpreters can lead to an improvement in the therapeutic treatment of refugees. (c) 2019 S. Karger AG, Basel