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The Working Alliance in Intervention for Partner Violence Perpetrators: Recent Research and Theory

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Abstract

The working alliance consists of therapist and client agreement on the goals and tasks of therapy, and the therapeutic bond. Measures of the working alliance, assessed during the course of therapy, have consistently predicted positive therapeutic change across various client populations and treatment approaches. This paper reviews recent research highlighting the importance of the working alliance with respect to treatment compliance and outcome in interventions for perpetrators of partner violence. The common promotion and use of confrontational intervention tactics in these interventions and the potentially negative impact of confrontational tactics on the working alliance is also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, and Boston University School of Medicine, 150 South Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA, 02130, USA

    Casey T. Taft

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Christopher M. Murphy

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  1. Casey T. Taft
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  2. Christopher M. Murphy
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Correspondence to Casey T. Taft.

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Taft, C.T., Murphy, C.M. The Working Alliance in Intervention for Partner Violence Perpetrators: Recent Research and Theory. J Fam Viol 22, 11–18 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-006-9053-z

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