The Significance of the Therapeutic Relationship to Rehabilitation

Project Results

This study explored intensive medical rehabilitation clients’ and therapists’ views and experiences of therapy-related quality factors and the impact of case handover on the implementation of therapy and the therapeutic relationship. The study utilised a multi-faceted study approach whereby data were collected through surveys and interviews. The therapeutic relationship is a multidimensional process where both internal and external factors are relevant. The views of clients and therapists on the importance of the therapeutic relationship exhibited some similarities. The study produced data especially on the implementation of remote rehabilitation in outpatient individual therapy during the Covid-19 pandemic. The survey studied the experiences of physiotherapists, music therapists, speech therapists, occupational therapists, neuropsychologists and psychotherapists with regard to the implementation of remote rehabilitation. The results show that rehabilitation that is offered remotely is implemented in a new kind of technical environment that emphasises the need for guidance (i.e. a therapy implementation method that is based on guidance and cooperation) and the importance of the client’s immediate community. Based on the results, the development of remote rehabilitation should account for not only the technological properties that impact the implementation of rehabilitation but also the characteristics of individuals and communities, the therapeutic environment and the tasks involved in the implementation of therapy.