Therapeutic hours conducted by analytically oriented, experientially oriented, and nonprofessional ("inherently helpful" college professors) therapists were rated along eight process dimensions-therapist exploration, therapist directiveness, feeling attention, task orientation, therapeutic relationship, patient exploration, patient negativism, and patient psychic distress. Between-group differences were obtained on six of the eight dimensions. Only patient negativism and patient exploration failed to yield significant effects. These results substantially replicated the findings of previous analogue investigations.Although nonprofessional therapists often assume major responsibilities for mental health care, little is known about how the untrained but "inherently helpful" nonprofessional conducts therapy. In simulated interviews, untrained "therapists" tend to make directive interventions rather than exploring patients' feelings or experiences (cf. D'Augelli, Danish, Si Brock, 1976). Nonetheless, in similar mock interactions, nonprofessionals (e.g., untrained college students; Pope, Nudler, VonKorff, & McGee, 1974) were as warm, genuine, and empathic as experienced therapists. Indeed, the interviewees felt more accepted and were less anxious in interviews with nonprofessional, as opposed to professional, therapists.Previous discussions of professional-nonprofessional differences have not taken into account the effects of therapists' theoretical orientations. However, evidence from surveys of therapists' self-described techniques (cf. Sundland & Barker, 1962) and from studies of therapists' responses in analogue interviews (cf. Strupp, I960) suggests that analytically oriented therapists rely on interpretive techniques, whereas Rogerian or experiential therapists focus on establishing warm, personal relationships.
