| There is little research, and therefore a growing need, regarding the experiences and preferences
of religious persons in psychotherapy. This study examined religious therapist self-disclosures
(TSD) in a sample of 115 religious psychotherapy clients and an LDS-only subset (n = 45).
Participants were randomly assigned to view a therapy vignette with one of the five different
TSDs and then completed self-report measures on ratings of the therapist (working alliance
quality, therapist credibility, utility, and willingness to disclose). Survey data showed TSD to be
viewed as generally appropriate, with participants indicating the disclosure of education to be
most expected and the disclosure of sexual orientation to be least expected; disclosure of
religious-identity was rated the second lowest. Results showed no significant differences
between the disclosure conditions on ratings of the therapist for any of the DVs. Results also
found no significant differences in comparing disclosures to non-disclosures on any of the DVs.
Results revealed that TSDs of being LDS was not rated significantly higher in comparison to the
other disclosures. Lastly, the interaction between condition and preference was not found to be
significant for the four DVs. The lack of significant findings from this study highlight the need
for continued investigations regarding the preferences of religious persons in therapy. Results
also indicate that religious integration may be an important piece for therapists to consider, and
that this can likely be done with or without the use of religious TSD.
Keywords: Religion, TSD, disclosure, LDS, treatment, psychotherapy |