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The Importance of a Therapeutic Alliance

The therapeutic alliance describes the relationship between a patient and their clinician, be it a doctor, consultant, counsellor or manual therapist.

Trust between you and your therapist is paramount for positive outcomes. That doesn’t mean that if you don’t like your doctor or therapist, you won’t get better but studies have demonstrated convincingly that a good relationship significantly improves quality and can reduce recovery time if you do.

Faith in expertise is also important so any doubts about their skill can negatively impact recovery and potentially lead to further persistency of symptoms. There is a lot of data linking long-term lower back pain with negative beliefs around low back health, fragility and low mood. If the therapist perpetuates negative feelings, then pain can be aggravated and prolonged.

These factors are completely aside from what is physically done as treatment or management, meaning in some cases it is more important what we say than what we do. If we perpetuate negative feelings and behaviours then we can promote suffering, yet by reframing things and creating a safe environment for recovery, research confirms more beneficial outcomes, both in the short and long term.

In hands-on, manual therapies such as massage, the effects can be increased through the understanding of, and engagement with, psychosocial and other potential barriers to recovery. It is not just about dismissing negative beliefs but reframing them in ways that encourage positive messages, maintain proactive behaviour and reduce fear avoidance behaviours.

It is difficult to predict who is the right therapist for you, so you need to get a sense of a personality that you like and if that coincides with trust in their expertise, then it will probably be the right therapist for you. Also, if you ever have a doubt about the therapist you are seeing, having the confidence to try elsewhere may help you more than persevering with a therapist due to a sense of obligation or pure politeness that you couldn’t go elsewhere.

At The Body Matters Clinic, we endeavour to develop a close relationship with our clients and patients to help in more ways than the hands-on treatments that we offer, encouraging openness and freedom to discuss your specific concerns.

Matthew Oliver is an osteopath, musculoskeletal pain specialist and massage therapist. For further information or to book a treatment with Matthew, phone The Body Matters on 01702 714968 or contact us to book an appointment.

Louise
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