Basic psychological needs satisfaction, working alliance, and early termination in psychotherapy

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the relationship between basic psychological needs satisfaction and working alliance in psychotherapy and to determine whether client ratings of basic needs and working alliance during psychotherapy were associated with early termination of therapy. Former psychotherapy clients (n = 87) completed a semi-structured interview regarding basic needs satisfaction in therapy, working alliance and dropout status. Participant ratings on the Basic Needs Satisfaction in Psychotherapy scale (BNSP) and the Retrospective Working Alliance Inventory – Short (RWAI-S) were significantly correlated (r = .77) in our sample. A comparison of intercorrelations between working alliance subscales and basic needs subscales indicated higher factorial distinctiveness within the basic needs measure. T-tests comparing those who terminated psychotherapy early with those who had planned endings on scores on the BNSP and RWAI-S were significant (Cohen’s d = .65 and 1.82, respectively). Results suggest that the basic needs measure might tap into a wider breadth of the therapist and client interaction than the RWAI-S.