The power of the "Therapeutic Relationship" and its impact on better Mental Health outcomes

March 5, 2025

In mental health support, the foundation of successful therapy lies in the relationship between the counsellor and the client. This dynamic, called "the therapeutic relationship", is critical for positive mental health outcomes. Yet many Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) and counselling service providers such as the NHS or charities, overlook this in favour of speed, by finding the next available counsellor to talk too. This isn't good enough. Read below to find out why the therapeutic relationship matters.

The Power of Connection

Imagine visiting the doctors to see a cardiac specialist, only to be told the next available doctor will treat you regardless of expertise?

You wouldn't be happy with the above would you? You would want to see a specialist based on your needs. Better yet, you would want to see a specialist you could trust.

Research shows relevance, trust and mutual respect in therapy predict better outcomes. When clients feel heard and valued, they are more likely to:

Openly discuss concerns.
Stick with treatment plans.
See improvements in mental health.

Why Matching Matters

Compatibility between client and counsellor is crucial.

In 2021, Paranimo conducted a pilot study with £150,000 funding from Innovate UK to support the Mental Health of key vulnerable groups, whilst trying to answer the hypothesis "The better the therapeutic match, the better the mental health outcome."

With collaboration with our strategy partner the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) who listed therapists on our platform, we conducted a three month pilot study matching participants from Carer Support Wiltshire - one of the largest carers charities in England.

We matched based on relevance to mental health need, personality fit and availability.

The results:

100% of therapists felt the matching worked
93.3% of therapy users found a therapist who matched their needs with an average reduction of 58% anxiety, 51% irritability, 40% depression and 30% for sleep disturbances after therapy.

Why is the "next available" counselling model still in use?

The answer is actual quite simple. The opportunity cost of investing time and resources in understanding each clients mental health needs and matching that to an existing counselling user base is greater, than churning counselling sessions through at scale to demonstrate success.

This was an important mental health and market opportunity we seek to help with, to lower that opportunity cost down whether you are an EAP, charity or organisation that provides counselling services.

The need for mental health support isn't decreasing, but I believe that better therapeutic matching to the right therapist can have a positive impact on the negative mental health statics we see today.