This study examined 75 undergraduate women's perceptions of paraprofessional and professional therapists in an analogy study. The data indicated subjects were more willing to seek treatment from paraprofessional than professional therapists; no differences were found in predicted success of treatment. Subjects' perceptions of paraprofessional and professional expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness were also examined; the findings were nonsignificant.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarakA., & LacrosseM. B.Multidimensional perception of counselor behavior. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1975, 22, 471–476.
2.
CorriganJ. D.DellD. M.LewisK. N., & SchmidtL. D.Counseling as a social influence process: A review. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1980, 27, 395–441.
3.
DurlakJ. A.Comparative effectiveness of paraprofessional and professional helpers. Psychological Bulletin, 1979, 86, 80–92.
4.
GassC. S.Therapeutic influence as a function of therapist attire and the seating arrangement in an initial interview. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1984, 40, 52–57.
5.
KarlsruberA. E.The nonprofessional as a psychotherapeutic agent a review of the empirical evidence pertaining to his effectiveness. American Journal of Community Psychology, 1974, 2, 71–77.
6.
LaCrosseM. B.Perceived counselor social influence and counselor outcome: Validity of the Counselor Rating Form. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1980, 27, 320–327.
7.
President's Commission on Mental Health. Report to the President. Vol. I. Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1978.
8.
StrongS. R.Social psychology approach to psychotherapy research. In GarfieldS. L. & BerginA. E. (Eds.), Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change. Vol. 2. New York: Wiley, 1978. Pp. 101–136.
