Dr. Gupta is a licensed psychologist and professor at Barnard College, Columbia University. She specializes in the treatment of anxiety and eating/weight issues at 
The connection between patient and therapist
January 2, 2012
How important is it to feel connected to your therapist? When the therapy follows a structured plan, does it affect the connection? A study published this month examined the strength of the connection that patients with eating disorders felt with their therapist, or the “therapeutic alliance.” The study found a strong therapeutic alliance after a few sessions of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), which is a structured and goal-oriented treatment.
CBT is a type of therapy that has been scientifically demonstrated to help people suffering from bulimia and binge eating (see here, here, and here). The therapy focuses first on reducing symptoms of eating disorders, especially binging and purging, and relies on a problem-solving and goal-oriented approach. This makes for a very structured therapy session. Despite this structure and focus on changing behaviors, do people with eating disorders still feel a strong alliance with their therapist in CBT?
The simple answer is yes. Dr. Waller and his colleagues conducted a study of 44 men and women who were starting therapy for their eating disorders in London. They completed questionnaires before beginning therapy and again after 6 sessions of therapy. The study found that patients in CBT felt a strong alliance with their therapist after just a few sessions.
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