Therapist Experience and "Style" as Factors in Co-therapy

Self‐descriptions of general in‐therapy behavior, attitudes toward co‐therapy, and ratings of co‐therapy effectiveness were collected from 25 experienced (E) and 25 inexperienced (IE) therapists who treated a total of 48 married couples in co‐therapy. Major findings were: (a) six different therapeutic “styles” emerged via factor analysis of thetherapists' self‐descriptions of in‐therapy behavior, (b) E and IE therapists as a group had different personal therapeutic styles and preferences as to the style desired in a co‐therapist, (c) subjectively rated effectiveness of co‐therapy correlated with the degree of comfort felt by the therapist in the relationship and the acceptance by the co‐therapist, and (d) there was evidence of a “point of diminishing returns” in satisfaction for therapists in general, which came with increasing experience in doing co‐therapy.