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A strong therapeutic alliance has a direct impact of the likelihood of successful outcomes of treatment.

Previous research has focused largely on reports of patient perceptions.

A new 2025 study provides empirical evidence that the therapeutic alliance impacts the success of treatment.

Patients often report a lack of measurable progress in symptom relief despite months or years in therapy. Why is this so common, especially given the development of multiple new evidence-based treatment modalities?

The answer is that many things can go wrong. Among the most central factors affecting treatment outcome is the alliance between the patient and therapist. This therapeutic relationship is the core foundation for successful treatment. It has long been known that a strong therapeutic alliance is highly predictive of treatment outcomes (Fitch et al, 2025). A recent review of 37 studies showed that over 70% of these demonstrated that the strength of the therapeutic relationship has a direct impact on positive outcomes (Baier et al, 2020). This holds true independent of the modality of treatment (Baier et al, 2020).

Much of the existing literature focuses largely on reports of patient perceptions. A new study published in 2025 in The Journal of Behavioral Health and Psychology........

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