Development and validation of the felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship questionnaire

Emily Hesselink; Jasmin Langdon-Daly

doi:10.1111/papt.70078

Development and validation of the felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship questionnaire

Emily Hesselink
, Jasmin Langdon-Daly

Department of Psychology

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Objective: To develop and evaluate the Felt Safeness in the Therapeutic Relationship Questionnaire (FSTRQ), a novel measure of someone's sense of social safeness within the therapeutic relationship. Method: 226 participants completed online questionnaires including FSTRQ and measures of overall social safeness, therapeutic alliance, positive/negative affect and worry. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the fit of the study data to a hypothesised one-factor structure. Reliability statistics were calculated, and correlational analyses were used to explore convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The CFA showed an adequate model fit of the one-factor structure to the data from the FSTRQ. Cronbach's alpha for the measure was 0.96. Convergent and divergent validity were supported by strong correlations with the questionnaire related to therapeutic alliance, moderate correlations to the SSPS and positive affect subscale and no correlations with negative affect and worry. Conclusion: This study showed good validity and reliability of the FSTRQ as a unique measure of felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship.

Original language	English
Number of pages	17
Journal	Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice
Early online date	13 May 2026
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/papt.70078
Publication status	Published - 8 Jun 2026

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in the Open Science Frameworkunder the main project at https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/YEQ74

Funding

Funding for this article was given by the University of Bath. No external funding was used to createthis research article

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being

Keywords

psychometric properties
social safeness
therapeutic relationship
therapy outcome
validation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Developmental and Educational Psychology
Clinical Psychology
Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
Psychiatry and Mental health

Access to Document

10.1111/papt.70078Licence: CC BY

Cite this

@article{83dbdd82f9eb401e98e01717efcc0333,

title = "Development and validation of the felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship questionnaire",

abstract = "Objective: To develop and evaluate the Felt Safeness in the Therapeutic Relationship Questionnaire (FSTRQ), a novel measure of someone's sense of social safeness within the therapeutic relationship. Method: 226 participants completed online questionnaires including FSTRQ and measures of overall social safeness, therapeutic alliance, positive/negative affect and worry. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the fit of the study data to a hypothesised one-factor structure. Reliability statistics were calculated, and correlational analyses were used to explore convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The CFA showed an adequate model fit of the one-factor structure to the data from the FSTRQ. Cronbach's alpha for the measure was 0.96. Convergent and divergent validity were supported by strong correlations with the questionnaire related to therapeutic alliance, moderate correlations to the SSPS and positive affect subscale and no correlations with negative affect and worry. Conclusion: This study showed good validity and reliability of the FSTRQ as a unique measure of felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship.",

keywords = "psychometric properties, social safeness, therapeutic relationship, therapy outcome, validation",

author = "Emily Hesselink and Jasmin Langdon-Daly",

year = "2026",

month = jun,

day = "8",

doi = "10.1111/papt.70078",

language = "English",

journal = "Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice",

issn = "1476-0835",

publisher = "Wiley-Blackwell",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Development and validation of the felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship questionnaire

AU - Hesselink, Emily

AU - Langdon-Daly, Jasmin

PY - 2026/6/8

Y1 - 2026/6/8

N2 - Objective: To develop and evaluate the Felt Safeness in the Therapeutic Relationship Questionnaire (FSTRQ), a novel measure of someone's sense of social safeness within the therapeutic relationship. Method: 226 participants completed online questionnaires including FSTRQ and measures of overall social safeness, therapeutic alliance, positive/negative affect and worry. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the fit of the study data to a hypothesised one-factor structure. Reliability statistics were calculated, and correlational analyses were used to explore convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The CFA showed an adequate model fit of the one-factor structure to the data from the FSTRQ. Cronbach's alpha for the measure was 0.96. Convergent and divergent validity were supported by strong correlations with the questionnaire related to therapeutic alliance, moderate correlations to the SSPS and positive affect subscale and no correlations with negative affect and worry. Conclusion: This study showed good validity and reliability of the FSTRQ as a unique measure of felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship.

AB - Objective: To develop and evaluate the Felt Safeness in the Therapeutic Relationship Questionnaire (FSTRQ), a novel measure of someone's sense of social safeness within the therapeutic relationship. Method: 226 participants completed online questionnaires including FSTRQ and measures of overall social safeness, therapeutic alliance, positive/negative affect and worry. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) examined the fit of the study data to a hypothesised one-factor structure. Reliability statistics were calculated, and correlational analyses were used to explore convergent and discriminant validity. Results: The CFA showed an adequate model fit of the one-factor structure to the data from the FSTRQ. Cronbach's alpha for the measure was 0.96. Convergent and divergent validity were supported by strong correlations with the questionnaire related to therapeutic alliance, moderate correlations to the SSPS and positive affect subscale and no correlations with negative affect and worry. Conclusion: This study showed good validity and reliability of the FSTRQ as a unique measure of felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship.

KW - psychometric properties

KW - social safeness

KW - therapeutic relationship

KW - therapy outcome

KW - validation

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105038656580

U2 - 10.1111/papt.70078

DO - 10.1111/papt.70078

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:105038656580

SN - 1476-0835

JO - Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice

JF - Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice

ER -

Development and validation of the felt safeness in the therapeutic relationship questionnaire

Abstract

Data Availability Statement

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this