The notion of establishing a relationship between client and therapist is an examined issue raised by many people in the helping profession. Therapists, counselors, and other mental health professionals confront issues that are stemmed from the dynamics of how the client relates with others. Many interactions of the client are a direct and indirect representation of how they view themself

By forming a solid rapport and sense of trust, the therapist is able to guide the client into a healthy and positive relationship. This will prove to be a beneficial foundation in building a new structure of relationships. In order for the client to function in a nurturing and healthy relationship, they must first break down their walls in order to rebuild a stronger structure. The therapist acts as a guide to facilitate inner learning, in which many obstacles and blockages will be overcome. There are three characteristics of building an effective relationship, thus being: genuineness, acceptance, and understanding.

In order to exhibit a sense of genuineness, the therapist must be able to recognize his or her strengths and shortcomings. The therapist must be aware of his or her feelings and attitudes, which must be openly conveyed to the client. This shows a sense of transparency on the part of the therapist, thus providing the client with the ability to look deeper within themselves. By being genuine about his or her feelings, the therapist is able to establish a more effective relationship with the client.

In addition to being real with the client, the therapist also needs to be accepting of his or her needs. The client’s individuality must be maintained unconditionally. The therapist needs to convey to the client that it is all right to feel and act differently than others. In many cases the client may display a low sense of self-worth, in which he or she feels inadequate for his or her condition, behavior, or feelings. It is the role of the therapist to instill a sense of security that will encourage the client to establish more accepting relationships.

Displaying a sense of understanding is the third essential aspect of a positive relationship between the client and therapist. The therapist must be able to empathize with the client in order to understand his or her views. The therapist must also be able to view the client as he or she sees him/herself in relation to the world.

By utilizing these three principles, a therapist is able to establish a relationship with the client. This union will be supportive, as well as a solid foundation for the client to form other healthy relationships. As the therapist acts as a guide to the client’s inner learning, many blockages and obstacles can be overcome. Through this endeavor, the therapist is able to understand the client, as well as some aspect of him/herself. The client will function more effectively by expressing his or her unique characteristics. The client is also empowered to become more understanding of him/herself in attempts to accept all others unconditionally, regardless of their shortcomings. The importance of developing a relationship between the client and the therapist is not only about the client’s thoughts and problems, but rather an exchange of genuineness, acceptance, and understanding. This exchange allows for learning and growth to transpire for both the client and the therapist.

In any helping relationship there are characteristics of those involved. These characteristics assist in establishing a positive rapport and relationship between the client and therapist. This relationship is one that includes at least one member who has the intent to promote growth, development, maturity, as well as to improve the functioning and coping skills necessary to find inner strength. It is vitally important that inner strength and growth be facilitated in a genuine and transparent manner when establishing a helping relationship.

Research has been conducted to further shed light on the importance of maintaining a positive relationship with the client. The attitudes and degree of compassion in therapists were studied when working with patients with various illnesses. These studies concluded that when a doctor was able to understand the personal meaning of the client, then success was more likely. In other words, when the doctor was able to relate to the patient on a person-to-person level to understand the context in which the patient was speaking from, advancement was greater in terms of the client opening up. Many therapists, doctors, and administrators often forget that their clients are people and are able to feel love, support, and empathy. When a therapist is able to relate to the client in the context of the client’s modality, then the client will begin to feel the understanding and unconditional care resonate from the therapist. It is the attitudes and feelings of the therapist that promotes a healthy and helping relationship with the client as opposed to the therapist’s school of training.

The attitude of the client is equally important than that of the therapist. Studies have found that similar to the way a therapist perceives the client, the client also internalizes the words, actions, and feelings of the therapist. Researchers concluded that certain phrases and words have a calming effect of the client. The words, "Mhm," or "Good," or nodding the head increases the feeling of being understood. This type of reinforcement allows the client to feel free to explore his or her feelings in more depth.

Other studies have found that a client-centered approach proved to be the most effective therapy in relating with clients. This approach was measured against a two factor theory of learning and a psychoanalytically oriented approach. The learning theory consisted of labeling behaviors, exploring reasons behind these behaviors, and becoming re-educated to more effective ways to solve the problem. In this approach, the aim or intention of the therapist seemed to be impersonal. As a researcher would interpret facts and data, the therapist would attempt to "de-code" the client’s words and feelings. The client-centered approach proved to be the most effective form of therapy over a year and a half during a follow up study that was conducted. Researchers found that these patients showed a higher rate of improvement.

In attempting to create a helping relationship one must recognize several key components. These studies should be used in conjunction with one’s own personal experiences. One must then form new and additional hypotheses to be tested within their personal relationships.

Several introspective questions should be asked. One must recognize if he/she is being perceived by others as dependable, trustworthy, and consistent. The therapist should be able to be congruent with the client. In other words, the therapist’s feelings and attitudes should remain consistent. This relays a message to the client that the therapist is dependable. The therapist also needs to recognize if he/she is able to communicate unambiguously. The therapist should not verbally express a message and then contradict that message with non-verbal forms of communication. There may be times in which the client brings up an issue that may trigger some defensiveness in the therapist. It is the responsibility of the therapist to give an objective view for the client with out being influenced by the therapists own biases.

A third question involves the therapist allowing themself to experience the positive attitudes of warmth and caring toward the client. Quite often the therapist hides behind the professional shield of not being personal with the client. It is important to remember that it all right for the therapist to genuinely feel compassion for the client.

Another question for the therapist to keep in mind is if he/she can be strong enough to separate from the client as a person. As a helping professional, the therapist must not be fearful of losing themself in working with the client. The fifth question is that the therapist must be secure enough to allow the client to be a separate individual with separate issues to be addressed.

The therapist must also ask in he/she can enter into the private world of the client to experience what they are experiencing. The therapist must be able to examine all facets of the client’s personality while questioning if he/she can be acceptant of all facets. An effective therapist will be able to join with the client without posing as a threat to the client. The therapist must keep in mind the perceptions of the client in that the therapist might be viewed as threatening to one or many facets of the client’s personality. Eventually the therapist asks is he/she is able to free the client of external evaluations. The rewards or punishments of society include phrases like, "That’s good"; "That’s bad"; "That could’ve been done better". These judgments are often an unavoidable aspect of life that the therapist must prepare the client to understand. Lastly, the therapist must question if he/she can meet the client as an individual who is in the process of becoming. The therapist must recognize if he/she will be able to move past seeing the client as a troubled child or neurotic personality. By accepting the client as being in the process of becoming, the therapist is validating the client’s potentials instead of seeing the client as fixed.

In order for someone to form a helping relationship with a client or another person, he/she must first establish a helping relationship with themself. He/she must be accepting of their own feelings in order to have inner growth. This in turn allows one to facilitate growth in someone else.

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the relationship between the client and the therapist. Studies have concluded that therapy is necessary to promote and facilitate growth that is often blocked by the client.

There are several conditions that need to be fulfilled so that the client can be able to implement personal growth. Personal change will come about through the establishment of the client-therapist relationship. It is vitally important for the therapist to recognize the objective knowledge of the client’s feelings. The therapist must express a genuine concern for the client. By being congruent the therapist is able to experience the feeling of the client in its purest form.

Another required condition is when the therapist is able to express an unconditional acceptance of what the client is experiencing inside. The therapist must be able to recognize his or her own feelings about what is going on with the client. By caring for the client in a non-possessive manner, the client will feel an acceptance of his or her feelings. It is the ultimate goal of the therapist to raise the clients self-esteem through building a healthy relationship.

Empathetic understanding is also another condition that the therapist must recognize when working with a client. This occurs when the therapist is able to sense the peeling s and personal meanings the the client is expressing. By accomplishing these conditions, the client will be able to see, hear and most importantly, feel safety and security from the therapist and eventually within themself.

The client’s feelings shift from being angry to feeling frightened, and eventually to that of feeling courageous. The client is able to openly recognize his or her feelings and draws from the strength of the client-therapist relationship to validate his or her feelings. As the client is able to listen to his or her concerns the he or she will become more accepting of these issues. The client is now able to reassure him or herself that the situation will produce a positive result. This results in the client feeling comfortable in exploring other positive and negative aspects about him or herself. The congruence of the therapist has now shifted to the client in that the client is able to remove his or her facades and defensive behaviors in order to be more genuine and self-accepting.