Marianne Welmers

Chapter 3 80 Table 5 Results of step wise multi-level regression modeling for predicting client-reported alliance at T2 Family role (0 = parent, 1 = youth) Therapist age Therapist gender (0 = male, 1 = female) Therapist experience Therapist personality Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Agreeableness Conscientiousness Therapist behavior T2 Engagement Emotional Connection Safety Alliance T1 Therapist behavior T1 Engagement Emotional Connection Safety X 2 (Δ improvement compared to previous model) X 2 (Δ improvement compared to null-model) N= 57 families, n = 77 parents, n = 21 youth, N = 33 therapists, + p < .10, * p < .05, ** p < .01, *** p < .001 Discussion We examined the role of therapists’ personality, years of clinical experience, and observed alliance building behaviors in predicting mid-treatment alliance in home-based family treatment for youth problems, controlling for family role (parent vs. youth), therapist age and gender and early treatment alliance. We found that therapist openness to experience and agreeableness as well as therapists’ in-session engagement and emotional connection behaviors predicted more positive therapists’ and family members’ reports of the alliance. Therapist neuroticism, extraversion and conscientiousness predicted more negative alliance-reports. In-session safety behaviors also predicted more negative alliance-reports, but this finding was only significant for therapists’ and not family members’ reports of the alliance. Clinical experience did not predict quality of alliances.