| Previous research suggests that individuals with accents are often perceived more negatively by others. Given the increasing number of Chinese immigrants working in the mental health field, it is important to understand how a Chinese accent may impact clients’ perceptions of a therapist’s credibility. Prior research has only studied the impact of a Native Alaska accent and a Hispanic accent on clients’ perceptions of the therapist, and results were inconsistent. The present study examined how an Asian therapist with a Chinese accent was evaluated by potential clients in the United States compared with an Asian therapist without a Chinese accent. A total of 451 participants were recruited through MTurk and SONA. Participants were randomly assigned to an accented condition or a non-accented condition. Participants later completed a series of questionnaires, including the Miville-Guzman Universality-Diversity Scale, Counselor Rating Form -Short, Working Alliance Inventory-Short, Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and a Preference scale in a random order. Results indicated that the Asian therapist with a Chinese accent was perceived as significantly more credible than the Asian therapist without a Chinese accent (p < .001). Specifically, participants rated the Asian therapist with a Chinese accent significantly higher in the domains of attractiveness (p < .001) and trustworthiness (p < .001). No significant differences were found in participants' preferences for the therapist or perceptions of the working alliance. In addition, participants with a higher level of universaldiverse orientation perceived the therapist as more credible (p < .001) and anticipated a stronger working alliance (p < .001), regardless of whether the therapist spoke with an accent. These findings suggest that concerns about the negative impact of a Chinese accent on initial client perceptions may be less pronounced than previously assumed and provide valuable insights into how potential clients evaluate Asian therapists. Keywords: accent, therapist, credibility, preference, working alliance, universal-diverse orientation |