TRI-M

Therapist Relationship Interview – Midphase

Safran, J.D. & Muran, J.C. 2008

Interviewers – please pay attention to the potential for redundancy in questions and use personal judgment to omit questions that therapist has already answered a particular question.

INTRODUCTION

Our aim of this interview is to learn more about the relationship between how a therapist thinks about his/her patient and how this influences therapy. This has been an under investigated area that deserves so much more attention given the growing research demonstrating how important the therapist is to the treatment process.

In this interview, I'll be asking you about your thoughts on your relationship with your patient. Throughout the interview, I will be asking you a series of questions and I may ask you to change topics periodically so that we can cover all the questions in the interview. This interview should take approximately one hour.

INTERVIEW

  1. EMPHASIZE A BRIEF RESPONSE TO THIS QUESTION

Could you start by helping me to get oriented to your work with this patient?

(NOTE: INTERVIEWER MAY USE THE PATIENT’S NAME THROUGHOUT INTERVIEW.)

2.How would you describe your relationship with your patient at this point in time?

3.Now I’d like to ask you to choose five adjectives or words that reflect how you feel with your patient.

Can you elaborate on any of them (your feelings)?

4. How do you think your patient feels about you?

5. Do you think of your patient outside of therapy?

How often and in what ways?

6.Is there anything that puzzles you or that you find challenging in your work with your patient?

NEED ONLY ONE EXAMPLE OF EITHER PUZZLING OR CHALLENGING.

7. Did you experience any moments of conflict, disagreement, misunderstanding, or tension in your relationship with

your patient; or a particular time when you felt rejected, attacked, or criticized by your patient?

IF NO, PROCEED TO QUESTION #8.

Can you describe a specific time that happened?

When did this occur?

What did you do?

How did your patient respond?

What was your understanding of the cause?

What was your initial feeling or experience of it?

How did you become aware of the problem?

How frequently has this happened?

Did things shift for the better or worse?

How so?

To what extent was this resolved to your satisfaction?

To what extent do you feel this problem was resolved to your patient's satisfaction?

What do you think was most important for its resolution (e.g., what did you or your patient do that was critical?).

How did you feel upon its resolution?

Did you discover anything new about your patient in this process?

Do you think your patient discovered anything new about him/herself in the process?

Did you discover anything new about yourself in this process?

Has your understanding of this experience changed since it took place?

Do you think your patient’s understanding of this experience changed?

How do you think this experience has affected therapy?

Is there another important example of a time when you either felt rejected, attacked, or criticized by your patient; or another example of a conflict, disagreement, misunderstanding, or tension that comes to mind?

IF YES, FOLLOW SAME LINE OF INQUIRY ABOVE.

NEED ONLY ONE ADDITIONAL EXAMPLE

8.Have you ever worried that your patient would end the treatment? If so, why?

9.Is there anything else that would help me to understand your relationship with your patient?

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