The working alliance in online therapy with young people: preliminary findings

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper examines the quality of the working alliance in online counselling relationships with young people. A mixed method approach has been adopted which combines the completion of a self-report quantitative measure (the ‘Therapeutic Alliance Quality Scale’) and qualitative interviews with service users of a UK-based service (Kooth.com). Findings are generally positive, with approximately three quarters of respondents reporting the working alliance to have been of a medium or high quality. To give a more detailed sense of what users found helpful or unhelpful in developing good quality online working alliances, key themes from the interviews are also presented. Finally the implications and limitations of the study are discussed before outlining some thoughts for future development.