Investigating Therapeutic Relationship through Avoidance Patterns of Client and Psychotherapist: A Conversational Analysis

Psychotherapy process research can be conducted to analyze therapeutic relationship, emotions, change process in therapy and therapist-client interaction by using qualitative research methods (McLeod, 2001). Conversational analysis is preferred with its main focus on interaction within dialogue, to investigate therapeutic relationship (Perakyla, 2004). This study as a psychotherapy process research aimed at analyzing the avoidance within therapist-client interaction and its effect on therapeutic relationship. Conversational analysis of three schema therapy oriented sessions which represented the avoidance pattern of therapist and client were explored. The focus was on weak agreement and disagreement in the dialogue, interruption and overlap within turn taking organization. Over the course of schema therapy sessions, it was observed that therapist avoided deeply analyzing client’s negative emotions related to therapy and changed the topic. Besides, client was withdrawn, and therapist could not repair the disagreement in the therapeutic dialogue. Investigating avoidance patterns of psychotherapist and client was important to uncover therapeutic rupture. Interaction of avoidance behaviors of client and therapist was discussed in terms of therapeutic alliance rupture and schema therapy model