ASSESSING IMPACT OF AFFECT RECOGNITION ON THERAPEUTIC RELATIONSHIP

Therapeutic alliance and its relationship to client nonverbal behavior, specifically facial expressions, were examined. Therapist interpretation of the client nonverbal behavior, or affect, influences the therapeutic alliance and process. Based on a sample of clients from a graduate school therapy training facility, results suggest therapist training in facial expressions, and how they relate to client emotion, improve the therapeutic alliance between therapist and client. After a micro-expression training for therapists, clients reported higher life functioning on the Outcome Rating Scale (ORS) and an improved therapeutic alliance on the Session Rating Scale (SRS). Overall, these findings support the benefit of incorporating micro-expression training into therapy instruction