Article critique and analysis

Theoretical foundation explored within this article is that there is a real relationship that exists between psychotherapists and clients, and that this relationship profoundly affects the outcome of the sessions (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 495). This relationship is couched with other working relationships between the therapist and the client. Moreover, the real relationship can be analyzed from the perspective of both the client and the therapist, so that it exists within a "dyad" (Gelso et al., 20102, p. 496.

One of the weaknesses of the literature review in the study completed by Gelso et al., "The unfolding of the real relationship and the outcome of brief psychotherapy" is that it is not distinguished within its own section. It is intertwined with the introduction of this document, and even extends into the hypothesis section. Additionally, the vast majority of the literature cited was conducted by the principal researcher in this study. This fact may attest to the novelty of the subject and the need for research in it, yet it certainly affects the perspective taken in the study.

One of the strengths of the literature review is that it appears to be comprehensive. The authors state that "findings have emerged regarding the association between the strength of the real relationship and psychotherapy progress and outcome…only five such studies have been completed to date" (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 496). All five of these studies are referenced -- however they could have been so in much greater detail. In general, the literature review for this document could have been more detailed and denoted within its own section. Also, the literature review alludes to newfound measures that are integral in providing empirical evidence about the real relationship between the patients and clients, yet fails to mention what these are (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 496).

Research Question/Problem

The research question addressed within this study is two-fold as evinced by the subsequent quotation:

We sought to address two research questions related to this unfolding process: (a)

What is the pattern of clients' and therapists' perceptions of the strength of the real relationship over the course of brief psychotherapy? (b) Is this pattern of change associated with treatment outcome? (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 497).

This research question could have been clearer, for the simple fact that it hinges upon aspects of the theories described in the introduction section that are not mentioned in the actual question itself. For instance, it hinges upon the fact that the study will examine the real relationship after every session, and from the first session that the client and therapist meet (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 496). When all of this information is included with the research question, it is certainly worthy of pursuing.

Hypotheses

It is worth mentioning that there are five hypotheses in this study, which, when combined with its two research questions, produces the effect of making the study appear somewhat scattered to the reader. Nonetheless, the fourth hypothesis is "clients' and therapists' perceptions of the real relationship become increasingly similar over the course of brief psychotherapy," while the second hypothesis is "there are positive actor and partner associations between ratings of the strength of the real relationship after the first therapy session and treatment outcome" (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 497). These are clearly stated and intrinsic to the research question.

Variables

The first variable I have chosen from this study is that of the real relationship existing between the client and the therapist. It is essential to note that the authors of this document label this variable as "interdependent" (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 499), which entails a sort of dependency. Therefore, this variable is best labeled for the purposes of this document as dependent. This is the variable tested for, which is how genuine and real the client and the therapist perceive one another and their relationship. It is connected to the other variables in the study because it is the principle one that is examined. Thus a number of other variables, such as counseling outcome measure, are based on the real relationship which is supposed to affect the outcome. This variable is well defined on th first page of the document (p. 495) and is measured by the Real Relationship Inventory. The first hypothesis (Gelso et al., 2012, p. 497) uses this variable.