Most people shopping for a therapist spend their time comparing approaches. Should they try cognitive-behavioural therapy? Psychodynamic? Something else entirely? It’s a reasonable question, but decades of research point to a surprising truth: the single strongest predictor of whether therapy actually works isn’t the method. It’s the quality of the relationship between therapist and client.

This idea can feel counterintuitive. After all, therapists train for years in specific techniques. But the evidence is hard to argue with.… Read more