Preferences regarding psychotherapist characteristics and their predictors: Results of a German online survey.

Abstract

Despite a growing body of studies on therapist preferences, research so far remains limited to isolated characteristics, such as therapist gender or ethnicity that patients prefer. Furthermore, the interplay between participants' characteristics and their preferences regarding therapists is unclear. The present study aims to identify previously neglected preferences regarding therapists and their predictors. We recruited a heterogeneous sample of N = 969 laypersons, including a respondent pool (n = 733) and a student sample (n = 236). Participants completed self-reports on sociodemographic characteristics, Big Five traits, and anxiety. Additionally, participants reported their preferences on sociodemographic and personality characteristics of their preferred psychotherapist. We identified predictors of preferences using logistic and linear regression models. Overall, for almost all characteristics, less than half of the participants reported any preference, except for preferred political attitude and practical experience. However, there was evidence of congruency effects (i.e., preferring therapists similar to oneself), especially concerning minorities, political convictions, and personality traits. Furthermore, older participants preferred more experienced psychotherapists, whereas trait anxiety predicted preferences for more stereotypical depictions of psychotherapists. Although many participants were inconclusive about their preferences, we identified important predictors of preference choices that are worth addressing in both psychotherapy practice and research. Our results imply that psychotherapy might benefit from considering patients' preferences, especially if implemented with specific groups. Public Significance StatementThis study on preferences for psychotherapist characteristics suggests that whereas most participants do not have specific preferences, participants tend to prefer psychotherapists with similar attributes. The results underline the need to incorporate preference assessments and to offer psychotherapy by psychotherapists with diverse characteristics.