Development and validation of an 8-item version of the Real Relationship Inventory–Client form

Objective: To develop and validate a very brief version of the 24-item Real Relationship Inventory–Client (RRI-C) form.Method: Two independent samples of individual psychotherapy patients (Nsample1=700, Nsample2=434) completed the RRI-C along with other measures. Psychometric scale shortening involved exploratory factor analysis, item response theory analysis, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), and multigroup CFA. Reliability and convergent and discriminant validity of the scale and subscales were also assessed.Results: The 8-item RRI-C (RRI-C-SF) preserves the two-factor structure: Genuineness (k=4, α=.86) and Realism (k=4, α=.87), which were correlated at r=.74. CFA provided the following fit indices for the bifactor model: X2/df=2.16, CFI=.99, TLI=.96, RMSEA=.07, and SRMR=.03. Multigroup CFA showed that the RRI-C-SF was invariant across in-person and remote session formats. The RRI-C-SF demonstrated high reliability (α=.91); high correlation with the full-length scale (r=.96); and excellent convergent and discriminant validity with measures of other elements of the therapeutic relationship, personality characteristics, current mental health state, and demographic-clinical variables. Clinical change benchmarks were calculated to serve as valuable tools for both research and clinical practice.Conclusion: The RRI-C-SF is a reliable measure that can be used for both research and clinical purposes. It enables a nuanced assessment of the genuineness and the realism dimensions of the real relationship

Emerging and Continuing Trends in Psychotherapy: Views From an Editor's Eye

It is proposed that six major trends in psychotherapy have continued or emerged over the course of the author's editorship of Psychotherapy, the past seven years. These trends are (a) the increasing integration of techniques and the therapeutic relationship; (b) increasing focus on theoretical integration; (c) increasing efforts at research-practice integration; (d) increases in more specific, integrative reviews; (e) integration of biological, neuroscience understandings; and (f) integration of diversity and cultural considerations into psychotherapy. Each trend is described and its impact on the field is discussed. Cautions about each trend are also noted. The six trends are discussed in the context of integration

Factor Structure of the Research Training Environment Scale-Revised: Implications for Research Training in Applied Psychology

The factor structure of the Research Training Environment Scale-Revised was examined in a sample of 270 graduate students in counseling psychology. This confirmatory factor analysis assessed the fit of a nine-factor model corresponding to the respective subscales on the measure, as well as the fit of a second-order factor structure suggested by an exploratory factor analysis of data. The second-order factor structure fit very well when conducted on manifest (i.e., observed) subscale total scores; the results were more ambiguous when first-order latent factors were included in the factor structure. The analyses suggested that an instructional dimension and an interpersonal dimension are global factors of the research training environment

The Counseling Psychologist XX(X) 1-29 Therapist Work With Client Strengths: Development and Validation of a Measure

Abstract Two studies were conducted to investigate the Inventory of Therapist Work With Client Assets and Strengths (IT-WAS), a new measure constructed to assess the importance therapists place on incorporating strength-based approaches in their therapeutic work. In the first study, a combined sample (N = 225), comprising therapists in independent practice, graduate students and faculty in counseling-related fields, and counseling center staff at a large mid-Atlantic university was gathered to conduct an exploratory factor analysis. Results yielded three factors (Theory of Intervention, Assessment of Strengths, and Supporting Progress). The data also provided evidence for the IT-WAS's internal consistency and validity, the latter being supported by correlations with measures of theoretically relevant constructs. In the second study, data from 31 counseling and clinical doctoral students provided evidence for the IT-WAS's test-retest reliability over a 2-week period. Implications for clinical training and practice are discussed, and areas of future research are provided

Development and validation of an 8-item version of the Real Relationship Inventory–Client form

Objective: To develop and validate a very brief version of the 24-item Real Relationship Inventory–Client (RRI-C) form. Method: Individual psychotherapy patients (N = 700) completed the RRI-C along with other measures. Psychometric scale shortening involved exploratory factor analysis, item response theory analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability and convergent and discriminant validity of the scale and subscales were also assessed. Results: The 8-item Real Relationship Inventory–Client Short Form (RRI-C-SF) preserves the two-factor structure: Genuineness (k=4, α=.87) and Realism (k=4, α=.86), which were correlated at r=.75. CFA provided the following fit indices: X2/df=4.88, CFI=.98, TLI=.97, RMSEA=.07, and SRMR=.03. The RRI-C-SF demonstrated high reliability (α=.91); high correlation with the full-length scale (r=.96); and excellent convergent and discriminant validity with measures of other elements of the therapeutic relationship, personality characteristics, current mental health state, and demographic-clinical variables. Clinical change benchmarks were calculated to serve as valuable tools for both research and clinical practice. Conclusion: The RRI-C-SF is a reliable measure that can be used for both research and clinical purposes. It enables a nuanced assessment of the genuineness and the realism dimensions of the real relationship