Daniels, Jo, Wearden, Alison J · Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy · 2011 · DOI
This study looked at what helps build a good working relationship between ME/CFS patients and their therapists during treatment. Researchers found that when patients and therapists agreed on what the treatment goals were, the therapy relationship was stronger and patients were more cooperative. Understanding these factors may help improve how well therapy works for ME/CFS.
Understanding what makes the relationship between patient and therapist effective is crucial for improving ME/CFS treatment outcomes. This study suggests that clear agreement on treatment goals and model-consistent implementation may be key therapeutic elements, which could inform training for clinicians and help optimize psychological interventions for ME/CFS patients.
This preliminary study does not establish causation—it is unclear whether agreement on goals causes better outcomes or whether patients who improve are more likely to agree with their therapists. The findings are limited to a single RCT sample and may not generalize to all ME/CFS treatment settings. The study does not directly measure patient outcomes (e.g., symptom improvement), so the clinical significance of stronger therapeutic alliance remains to be demonstrated.
About the PEM badge: “PEM required” means post-exertional malaise was an explicit required diagnostic criterion for participant inclusion in this study — not that PEM was studied, observed, or discussed. Studies using criteria that do not require PEM (e.g. Fukuda, Oxford) are tagged “PEM not required”. How the atlas works →
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Primary citation
Daniels, Jo & Wearden, Alison J (2011). Socialization to the model: the active component in the therapeutic alliance? A preliminary study.. Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465810000792
BibTeX
@article{mecfsatlas-daniels-2011-socialization-model,
author = {Daniels, Jo and Wearden, Alison J},
title = {Socialization to the model: the active component in the therapeutic alliance? A preliminary study.},
journal = {Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1017/S1352465810000792},
note = {PubMed: 21092360},
url = {https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/daniels-2011-socialization-model},
}Atlas snapshot reference
ME/CFS Atlas. Generator v1 / Scanner v1.4 / policy v0.1. Accessed 2026-05-30. https://www.mecfsatlas.com/evidence/daniels-2011-socialization-model
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