Therapist’s actions after therapeutic collaboration breaks: a single case study

Abstract

Aim: This study analyzes how a therapist contributed to therapeutic collaboration reestablishment by describing his actions after therapeutic collaboration breaks in a recovered completer clinical case. Method: Data was collected from a narrative therapy case with the diagnosis of depression spanning 19 sessions. We identified sequences in which therapeutic collaboration breaks were re-established (or not) through the Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System. We analyzed the therapist’s actions after the therapeutic collaboration breaks through Conversation Analysis. Results: Typically, the therapist maintained the action that preceded the therapeutic collaboration break. When he did so by proposing a new meaning to the client’s experience or by highlighting the client’s agency, the therapeutic collaboration was usually re-established; however, when he did so by guiding or making exploratory questions to deepen the client’s experience, the therapeutic collaboration was usually not re-established. When the therapist retreated from his previous action, the therapeutic collaboration tended to be re-established, mainly when he reflected the client’s previous turn. Conclusion: This study suggests that more important than maintaining or retreating from the previous action is how the therapist does so. The therapist’s actions of acknowledging the client’s experience and agency contributed to therapeutic collaboration reestablishment.