Predicting therapeutic alliance with client characteristics and expectations in Hong Kong

ABSTRACT This study attempted to examine the extent to which clients’ traits and expectations can predict working alliance within the Hong Kong Chinese context. A total of 144 undergraduate students who received counselling service provided by the counselling centre of the same university participated in this study. Before their first counselling session, they completed the Expectations about Counselling Questionnaire-Brief Form, the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale, and scales adapted from the International Personality Item Pool. They were also invited to complete the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Form-Client after their third counselling session in the third week. The results demonstrated that clients’ expectation of their own involvement was the strongest predictor of working alliance in comparison with the other tested client traits.