Therapist Physical Attractiveness: An Unexplored Influence on Client Disclosure

Abstract

Existing research indicates that clients perceive facially attractive therapists as more competent, trustworthy, genuine, and effective than less attractive therapists. No studies exist to help explain how the therapist's attractiveness influences a client's self-disclosure. Participants (n = 241) were randomly assigned to one of eight experimental groups to test the interaction of the therapist's attractiveness, client's gender, the nature of presenting problem, and the client's comfort with disclosing in a hypothetical couple therapy scenario. Analysis of variance procedures established that most participants reported feeling more comfortable disclosing a benign (communication) problem than a potentially embarrassing (sexual) problem, and more comfortable disclosing problems to an attractive than to a less attractive female therapist. Therapists are encouraged to understand the power attractiveness may have in their own and their clients' lives.

Women’s preference of therapist based on sex of therapist and presenting problem: An analog study

“…Selection is often based on information about the therapist that is readily accessible or visible, characteristics such as race, sex 1 , attractiveness, and age. These characteristics and the meanings attached to them by the client contribute to the initial judgments a client makes about a therapist’s abilities and competency (Harris & Busby, 1998). …”

“…Preference for gender of therapist may also be affected by the nature of the client’s presenting problem (Bernstein, Hofmann, & Wade, 1987; Harris & Busby, 1998). Female clients preferred a female therapist when their presenting problem was of a “personal nature,” although no further description of personal nature was included in the research report (Boulware & Holmes, 1970; Fowler & Wagner, 1993; Fuller, 1964).…”

“…In fact, Brooks (1974) found that female clients revealed more to male counselors than female counselors. Harris and Busby (1998) measured the effects of therapist attractiveness, nature of presenting problem, and gender of participant on the comfort of self-disclosing. The type of presenting problem had the greatest effect on comfort self-disclosing.…”

A thematic review of the family therapy journals of 1998

“…Research access to trainees and practising therapists is clearly easier than access to clients. Among these a number should be noted; for example, a study that looked at trainee stress (Polson and Nida, 1998), at minority inclusion in training (Killian and Hardy, 1998), at familyof-origin issues and the ability to make therapeutic alliances (Lawson and Sivo, 1998), at acceptance of feminist perspectives (Dankoski et al, 1998), and at the issue of therapist attractiveness as an outcome variable (Harris and Busby, 1998). Two articles described the use of computer technology as a therapeutic aide.…”

Review on the Self-Disclosure of Visitors

“…Feldstein (1979) discovered that male visitors disclose the most to womanish female counselors and the least to masculine female counselors; female visitors disclose the most to womanish male counselors and the least to masculine male counselors. Visitors are more comfortable in front of attractive female counselors (Harris & Busby, 1998). …”