Caring Less, Doing More: The Role of Therapeutic Detachment with Volatile and Unmotivated Clients

The therapeutic alliance is taught and commonly regarded as essential in engendering change. The formation and maintenance of such an alliance often involves the corrective emotional experience of the patient with the therapist and the therapist’s ability to relate empathetically. We posit that some situations and specific clients are better served by therapeutic detachment. In the following case, we put forth the principles and purpose of this therapeutic option.