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Does Complementarity Promote or Hinder Client Change in Brief Therapy?

A Review of the Evidence from Two Theoretical Perspectives

University of Albany, State University of New York

Two conceptual models, interpersonal personality theory (IPT) and relational control theory (RCT), have had long-standing influences on the science and practice of psychotherapy, undergirding many of the goals, strategies, and techniques commonly used in brief treatments for individuals and families. In both models, client-therapist complementarity figures prominently, but IPT and RCT theorists define the concept differently, with varying perspectives on its value in facilitating therapeutic change. Because of the conceptual differences and a wide array of research methods, the literature on complementarity is replete with confusing, contradictory results. To clarify the existing knowledge base and suggest directions for future study, 23 IPT and 19 RCT studies of observable client-therapist interactions in brief individual and family therapy were reviewed and contrasted. Although results do not consistently confirm either model the evidence tends to support IPT in the context of individual therapy and RCT in the context of family therapy. Implications are summarized, followed by recommendations for enhancing the clinical relevance of future research in this area and avoiding the conceptual and methodological problems of the past.

The Counseling Psychologist, Vol. 21, No. 3, 457-486 (1993)
DOI: 10.1177/0011000093213010


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