Table of Contents
“Better relationships with patients lead to better outcomes,” wrote Tori DeAngelis in 2019 on the American Psychological Association (APA) website. The quality of the therapeutic alliance has long been considered crucial to successful psychotherapy. “In terms of psychotherapy outcomes, the relationship between patient and psychologist matters—a lot,” wrote De Angelis. “That’s the main takeaway from a new collection of meta-analyses released by an APA task force charged with examining the latest evidence on relationship factors in therapy.”
“Anyone who dispassionately looks at effect sizes can now say that the therapeutic relationship is as powerful, if not more powerful than the particular treatment method a therapist is using,” says University of Scranton professor John Norcross, the chair of the APA task force.
A Good Relationship is Essential
A good relationship, the research found, is essential to helping the client connect with, remain in, and get the most from therapy. Kimberly Dobbins, MD, is the chief medical officer at BasePoint. A good relationship with our teenage clients and their families is one of her main goals in treatment. “It is my job to offer my experience and expertise on what I think they should do, but it’s always their decision.”
Dr. Dobbins likes to offer different options. Often, there’s something families are concerned about when it comes to medications, that could be about weight or appetite, or whether the past medications made the child sleepy. “I offer them different solutions,” she says. “Sometimes, you can just change the schedule of your medications to make a difference. Or you can offer something similar, but different, to counter up the possible side effects they might have experienced in the past.”
It’s Always a Collaboration
It’s always a collaboration—that’s an important aspect of treatment at BasePoint. “If I just tell patients to do it and they may start but often won’t continue after they leave. They haven’t learned why they might need the meds, or what their body tells them about the medication.”
Dr. Dobbins is part of a shift in psychotherapy in recent years toward greater mutuality—the notion that psychotherapy is a two-way relationship in which the provider and client are equal partners in the therapy process. “It should definitely be a collaboration because we’re partners in the effort to make this person well again,” she says.
We serve communities in Dallas, Texas, and surrounding areas, including Irving, Arlington, Fort Worth, Plano, McKinney, Allen, Richardson, Forney, Rockwall, Frisco, Prosper, Grapevine, Midlothian, Mansfield, Mesquite and Garland. The partial hospitalization program (PHP) and intensive outpatient program (IOP) were designed to address the specific mental health challenges today’s teens are facing. That’s why we’ve created a dynamic program to address the multifaceted and complex teen experience that is unlike any generation before it.
A complimentary assessment with a licensed clinician will provide you with a recommendation for the appropriate level of care for your teen struggling with mental health. We can also check your insurance coverage. Call us to schedule a complimentary same-day assessment at (469) 629-6355 or complete our inquiry form.
