The Influence of Counselors’ Religious Values on Clients’ Perceptions of the Counselor

Abstract

This research studies the effect of pretherapy information regarding counselors' religious values on clients' selection of a counselor. The subjects, 250 undergraduates, each read one of five counselor descriptions. Scripts varied only in the descriptions of counselor religious values. Subjects rated the extent to which they perceived themselves as similar to, believed in the helpfulness of, and would be willing to see the counselor. Subjects reported a willingness to see and a belief in the helpfulness of all the counselors, but rated themselves as different from the agnostic counselors. Positive relationships were found between subject religiosity and the dependent measures for one of the counselors described as religious and between male subject religiosity and confidence in and willingness to see the Christian counselor. Results are discussed in terms of the acceptance or rejection of the counselor on the basis of extreme value orientations.