Client Attachment to Therapist - Article Example

The 51 participants who had been undergoing therapy and forty-four therapists belonged to either gender. Of all the participants, 66.7% had prior experience in counseling at an individual level while 37.3% had participated in group counseling and 31.4% had participated in couple counseling. All the participating therapists were experienced and were psychologists, clinical social workers, and psychiatrists. The participants were chosen randomly and informed of the study requirements.

The study involved analysis of the level of attachment to therapists after varying durations and related the findings to parental caregiving (Woodhouse, Schlosser, Crook, Ligiero, & Gelso, 2003). General Conclusion of Article The article concluded that clients often see therapeutic relationships as some sort of attachment relationship. Clients exhibit behaviors, which can be explored for reconstruction and reappraisal of therapy models. The study also showed that most clients show anxiety when they have to be separated from their therapists.

This is similar to the way infants feel when being separated from their parents. . The level of attachment differed depending on the duration that the client and the therapists had related (Woodhouse, Schlosser, Crook, Ligiero, & Gelso, 2003). After assessing the relations between attachment to a therapist and the three types of transference, the study found that there was no connection between levels of avoidant fear attachment with negative transference. However, the study found some relation between positive association and transference level.

The researchers thus concluded that the inclusion of avoidant-fearful attachment enhanced the prediction of the relation between transference level and attachment. On how parental caregiving at childhood affects the relationship between the therapist and the client, the article argued that there was no relationship between how a client related with the therapist and the kind of care they might have received from their parents. Additionally, the article concluded that the level of negative transference was more when clients felt secure with their therapists.

Moreover, there was some relation between cold maternal care and the amount of transference, especially negative transference (Woodhouse, Schlosser, Crook, Ligiero, & Gelso, 2003). Benefits of Reading the Article This article would benefit different groups of social workers. This article provides some insights into the different factors that may affect the outcomes of therapy. The chief beneficiaries would-be therapists. This is because the article gives some insight on how therapists can improve the way their clients relate with them increasing the chances of success of the therapy.

The study shows that an increase in negative transference, as well as emotional insight, improves the therapy outcomes. Therefore, therapists are able to understand that allowing their clients to explore issues more seriously improves the therapy outcomes. The author assumes that the reader is a professional therapist who understands the procedures of conducting therapy.

Evaluation of How Well the Author Addressed the Question of the Article
The study question was to examine how the view of therapists as attachment figures by the client and how it may affect therapy outcomes. The study addressed the question clearly and established that therapeutic relationships result in attachment, which results in clients viewing their therapist as a secure basis for exploration (Woodhouse, Schlosser, Crook, Ligiero, & Gelso, 2003).

Contribution of the Article Make to Understanding of Therapy
The findings of this study exhibit the importance of therapists in determining the outcomes of therapy. Additionally, the article explains how different factors affect therapy sessions. Such factors include the transference level and the level of security associated with the association between a client and the therapist. The study is significant since it provided some insight into how therapy outcomes are affected by the level of attachment between the client and the therapist. Additionally, the article provided some insight into how parental caregiving may affect therapy outcomes. Therefore, the study contributed to a better understanding of the therapeutic relationship between the client and the therapist. Additionally, the study highlighted the relevance of negative models and transference in therapy (Woodhouse, Schlosser, Crook, Ligiero, & Gelso, 2003).

What I learned
After reading the article, I was able to understand how attachment between the therapist and client as wee as the client's recollections of parental caregiving may affect therapy. Additionally, I learned that client attachment could be stimulated depending on how the therapist deals with the client. I learned the association between fearful-avoidant and preoccupied merger attachment to the therapist. According to the study findings, it was clear that therapists act as attachment figures and secure bases for exploration for most clients. Therefore, the behavior exhibited by clients during therapy is meaningful and can be used in developing working models.