Discuss how one should evaluate a therapist, including his or her personal characteristics, the therapeutic alliance established, and the danger signals to watch for in therapy

What will be an ideal response?

Answer will include that a balanced look at psychotherapies suggests that all techniques can be equally successful. However, all therapists are not equally successful. Former clients consistently rate the person doing the therapy as more important than the type of therapy used. Ask yourself if you feel you are establishing a therapeutic alliance with your therapist. A therapist who is working with you is usually willing to use whatever method seems most helpful for a client. He or she is also marked by personal characteristics of warmth, integrity, sincerity, and empathy. The relationship between a client and therapist is the therapist's most basic tool. This is why you must trust and easily relate to a therapist for therapy to be effective. Here are some danger signals to watch for in psychotherapy: (1) sexual advances by the therapist, (2) a therapist who makes repeated verbal threats or is physically aggressive, (3) therapist who is excessively blaming, belittling, hostile, or controlling, (4) therapist who makes excessive small talk; talks repeatedly about his or her own problems, (5) therapist who encourages prolonged dependence on him or her, and