Description of the Questionnaire

This questionnaire assesses the therapeutic alliance, that is, the relationship of cooperation and mutual understanding between therapist and client. It includes thirty-six statements, which are divided into three main dimensions: Bond, which refers to the sense of trust, acceptance, and emotional connection; Goals, which refer to agreement on therapeutic objectives; and Tasks, which refer to the agreement and understanding of the actions or activities required to achieve these objectives. The client responds to each statement using a seven-point Likert scale, where 1 means “Not at all true” and 7 means “Completely true.”

Analysis and Use of Data

Scoring is carried out by calculating the sum of the responses for each subscale: Bond, Goals, and Tasks. The sum of all statements provides the total therapeutic alliance score. High scores indicate a strong therapeutic relationship and an increased likelihood of a positive outcome, whereas low scores may indicate difficulties in communication, lack of trust, or divergence in goals. The questionnaire can be used to monitor progress throughout therapy, for research purposes examining the relationship between the therapeutic alliance and treatment effectiveness, as well as for providing feedback to both therapist and client.

Purpose

The purpose of the questionnaire is to reliably and validly measure the client’s perception of their identification with the therapist in terms of shared goals and values, their sense of trust and cooperation, and the shared understanding of the therapeutic plan.

Calibration

The Greek version of the Working Alliance Inventory has been tested and shows high internal consistency (Cronbach’s α greater than 0.85) and satisfactory construct validity. Scores can be compared with benchmarks from international studies or used as an internal assessment tool in a clinical setting. It is recommended that the measurement be repeated at regular intervals, for example, every four to six sessions, in order to record changes in the therapeutic relationship.

References

Bordin, E. S. (1979). The generalizability of the psychoanalytic concept of the working alliance. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 16(3), 252–260. Horvath, A. O., & Greenberg, L. S. (1989). Development and validation of the Working Alliance Inventory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36(2), 223–233. Tracey, T. J., & Kokotovic, A. M. (1989). Factor structure of the Working Alliance Inventory. Psychological Assessment, 1(3), 207–210.