Therapeutic alliance in child psychotherapy: adaptation of an instrument and validity evidence

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.34019/1982-1247.2025.v19.42705

Keywords:

Intrument adaptation, Therapeutic alliance, Children, Psychodynamic psychotherapy, TPOCS-A

Abstract

Therapeutic alliance is an important element of the therapeutic process. To be analyzed it requires valid and reliable instruments. This study aimed to develop a cross-cultural adaptation of the Therapy Process Observational Coding System for Child Psychotherapy - Alliance Scale (TPOCS - A) into Brazilian Portuguese, examining its reliability and evidence of validity. The Brazilian version presented good semantic, idiomatic, experiential, and conceptual equivalence, evaluator’s reliability, good internal consistency, and evidence of convergent validity. Factor analysis resulted in a solution of one factor, like international studies, proving to be a valid and reliable instrument for analyzing the therapist-patient alliance.

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Published

2025-11-18