In this study, mental health therapists’ (n = 42) perceptions about the personal characteristics essential to a client’s successful therapeutic experience were examined to determine whether traditional gender role stereotyping was operative in the therapists’ perceptions of clients. The client’s sex and the therapist’s sex, age, and years of experience in the field were investigated to determine whether these variables affected the therapists’ perceptions of the personal characteristics necessary for success in therapy.
An electronic survey for either a hypothetical male or female client composed of the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) (1974) 60 personal characteristics and 12 demographic questions was sent to participants. The participants were asked to rate the BSRI personal characteristics as to whether the characteristic was “essential,” “very useful, but not essential,” “somewhat useful, but not essential,” or “not necessary” for the specified hypothetical client to have a successful therapeutic experience.
Findings indicated therapists in this study did not endorse traditional gender role stereotypes for a hypothetical male or female client. There was no significant interaction found between item type and therapist gender or client gender, and neither therapist age nor therapist years of experience appeared to have an appreciable moderating effect on the therapists’ ratings of item types. Lawshe’s content validity analysis identified both “essential” personal characteristics for a client to have a successful therapeutic experience and personal characteristics judged to be “not necessary.” Limitations of the study are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.