The author explores the theoretical validity of the concepts of "therapeutic alliance" and "therapeutic relation". In the author’s opinion, the idea of a "therapeutic alliance" between "the rational Ego of the patient and the analyzing Ego of the therapist" seems obsolete today, whereas the concept of the "therapeutic relation" better expresses the deep mutual involvement of both participants in the cocreation of their relation.
Keywords: Therapeutic alliance, therapeutic relation, transference and countertransference, dialectics, co-creation