Contribution of therapist experience and personal characteristics to the working alliance

The authors hypothesized that level of experience and selected personal characteristics of therapists would predict clients' perceptions of the working alliance early in treatment. Therapists (N = 73) in university settings completed measures that assessed level of self-directed hostility, perceived social supports, and degree of comfort with attachment, and their clients completed a measure that estimated the working alliance between the 3rd and 5th sessions of therapy. As predicted, level of self-directed hostility, perceived social support, and degree of comfort with closeness in interpersonal relationships were significantly predictive of the bond component of the working alliance. Contrary to predictions, experience level was not uniquely predictive of clients' alliance ratings on the goal and task components of the alliance.