Examining the effects of pretherapy information, religiousness, and problem type on perceptions of counseling

Using an analogue format, this study attempted to continue in the important area of understanding religious individuals' pretherapy perceptions of counseling. After providing a presenting problem and reading a description of either a secular (non-religious), spiritual-empathic, or Christian counselor, the 210 participants responded to the Counselor Rating Farm-Short and Willingness to Seek Help scale. Participants were assessed on their religiosity from their responses to an inventory of Christian beliefs, and they were assessed on their intrinsic and extrinsic religiousness from their responses to an inventory of religious beliefs. Based on an aptitude-treatment interaction design using hierarchical, multiple regression, the interaction between client religiosity and counselor description, client extrinsic religiousness and counselor description, and client religiosity, client problem type, and counselor description was predictive of counselor social influence and willingness to seek help ratings only with respect to the Christian counselor condition. Implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio