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Abstract: 

For decades, teachers have reported feeling unprepared to manage the emotional and behavioral demands of the classroom, particularly when working with students with emotional and behavioral disorders. This study explores the relationship between two classroom-based phenomena—emotional labor and the therapeutic alliance—to understand how teachers’ emotional acting toward students may influence their ability to forge therapeutic alliances. Results using a mixed-methods approach show that teachers’ emotional acting, particularly their use of natural emotions, influences their ability to establish positive, therapeutic alliances with students. The paper discusses the implications of these findings for practice and makes recommendations for teacher preparation and classroom supervision.

Keywords: Therapeutic alliance, emotional labor, teacher preparation, students, emotional and behavioral disorders

Affiliations:  1: George Mason University; 2: Pressley Ridge; 3: University of Pittsburgh.