I think it's because of the quality of the alliance, this is of course also what the article argues. According to my memory the studies have the same effect bec

I think it's because of the quality of the alliance, this is of course also what the article argues. According to my memory the studies have the same effect because of the therapist, not because of the placebo effect of the method. If it would be primarily a placebo effect you'd expect non-empathic therapist to do just as good. I think CBT therapy scored better on average, so in that case it's not only the therapist but also the method.