A brief overview of the therapeutic alliance: historical, theoretical and contemporary debates

The therapeutic alliance has a historical importance in psychiatry, especially in the effectiveness of psychotherapies. The therapeutic alliance is a critical concept that reflects the quality of the relationship between the patient and the therapist in the psychotherapy process and for many clinicians it is the main factor in the patient's recovery. While a strong alliance increases the success of the therapy, in cases of weak alliance, it is difficult to achieve therapeutic goals. Although different psychotherapy approaches position the concept of therapeutic alliance differently, in the future, in-depth exploration of the therapeutic alliance in different contexts and populations will contribute to the scientific knowledge in this field. The therapeutic alliance is a valuable concept not only in psychotherapy, but also in every field of psychiatry, and even wherever there is a physician-patient relationship. In this article, the therapeutic alliance is examined in the historical process, its importance in psychotherapy is discussed, and the prevention of rupture or what to do in case of rupture is explained.