Client's Religiosity and Expected Working Alliance With Theistic Psychotherapists

Ethics and best practice standards suggest that clients be provided with information regarding the nature and anticipated course of therapy, and be allowed to consent to participate in treatment that is appropriate for addressing their concerns (American Psychological Association, 2002). There is considerable evidence indicating that religion is central to many clients' lives (Gallup, 2003), and some evidence suggesting that inclusion of religious issues in counseling can be beneficial for religious clients (Richards & Bergin, 2000, 2004; Sperry & Shafranske, 2005). However, there has been limited research examining the impact of including an offer to address religious issues as a part of an informed consent statement to clients. This study employed an analog experimental research design to test if inclusion of an invitation to explore religious concerns in a counselor's informed consent statement impacted participants' anticipated working alliance with that counselor. It was hypothesized that there would be an interaction between participants' levels of religiosity and their anticipated working alliance with a counselor who invites examination of religious issues in the informed consent statement, with more-religious clients showing higher anticipated working alliance in response to the invitation to address religious issues. This hypothesis was confirmed on two of the three Working Alliance Inventory scales: task and bond. Limitations, possible implications, and directions for future research are discussed.