The therapeutic relationship is the connection between the therapist and client that is cultivated through shared interactions and a shared commitment to treatment goals that are aimed to facilitate the client’s healing. In the tripartite model, the therapeutic relationship is composed of three components: (a) the therapeutic alliance, (b) transference and countertransference, and (c) the real relationship. Other factors important to the therapeutic relationship include therapist behaviors that serve to enhance interactions between the therapist and client, including those that are common to all psychotherapies and those that are specific to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). Contemporary thinking about the role of the therapeutic relationship in CBT is described, and the subsequent chapters in this volume are introduced.