Early therapy interpersonal process differentiating clients high and low in outcome expectations

Abstract

The present study compared early interpersonal process, during resistant and cooperative segments of session 1, between clients who went on to have low (n=9) versus high (n=8) treatment outcome expectations. Baseline outcome expectations were assessed prior to any therapist contact. During resistance episodes, there was substantially less affiliative reciprocity (i.e., complementarity), and greater client separation and hostility in the low versus high expectations group. During cooperation episodes, therapists of low versus high outcome expectation clients engaged in lower levels of affirming and understanding, and higher levels of control. These findings suggest a potentially potent association between in-session interpersonal process and early client outcome expectations.