Examining mental health practitioners’ perceptions of clients based on social class and sexual orientation.

Abstract

There is negligible research exploring mental health clinicians' perceptions of clients based upon client social class and sexual orientation (McGarrity, 2014;Whitcomb & Walinsky, 2013). The purpose of this study was to examine how licensed mental health clinicians' perceptions of clients were influenced by a hypothetical client's social class and sexual orientation using a 2 (lower social class vs. higher social class) ϫ 2 (lesbian vs. straight) quasi-experimental vignette-based design. Results from 257 practitioners demonstrated that the hypothetical client portrayed in the video was rated differently on levels of depression, anxiety, and flourishing, as well as job satisfaction and meaningful work. Participants who viewed the client portrayed as having a lower social class rated her as having more symptoms of depression and anxiety, as being less satisfied at work, as having lower levels of meaningful work, and as having lower levels of flourishing as compared with the participants who viewed the client portrayed as having a higher social class. Participants did not rate the hypothetical clients differently on symptoms of depression, anxiety, meaningful work, or job satisfaction based upon client sexual orientation. The lesbian client was rated as being significantly more attractive to work with and as having significantly higher levels of flourishing as compared to the straight clients. No interaction effects were demonstrated. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed. Clinical Impact StatementQuestion: Do mental health practitioners' perceptions of a hypothetical client presented in one of four versions of a video vignette vary based upon social class and sexual orientation cues? Findings: Results from a 2 (lower social class vs. higher social class) ϫ 2 (lesbian vs. straight) quasiexperimental design demonstrated that sexual orientation and social class cues influenced mental health practitioners' views of straight and lesbian clients who present as being from higher and lower social classes. Meaning: Client characteristics may affect mental health practitioners' perceptions of clients. Next Steps: Future research is needed to understand the implications of such perceptions on treatment for clients from diverse identities and who hold various social group memberships.

The sum of competing parts: Religious and sexual identity disparities in therapist effectiveness.

“…It is also imperative that therapists pay close attention to their own attitudes and beliefs regarding religion or sexuality. It has been demonstrated that client characteristics (i.e., social class and sexual orientation) can inform how mental health practitioners perceive a client's anxiety, depression, and feelings about working with a particular client (see Thompson et al, 2019).…”

Attending to the intersectionality and saliency of clients’ identities: A further investigation of therapists’ multicultural orientation.

“…Despite this literature, there is a scarcity of research on therapists' experiences working with clients who hold multiple cultural identities, with several notable exceptions. Thompson, Chin, and Kring (2019) conducted a quasi-experimental vignette-based study to examine therapists' perceptions of clients with various inter-This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers.…”

“…Despite this literature, there is a scarcity of research on therapists’ experiences working with clients who hold multiple cultural identities, with several notable exceptions. Thompson, Chin, and Kring (2019) conducted a quasi-experimental vignette-based study to examine therapists’ perceptions of clients with various intersecting SES and sexual orientation identities. Another study evaluated how intersectionality processes emerged while working with a client who identified as an AfroLatinx, queer immigrant (Adames, Chavez-Dueñas, Sharma, & La Roche, 2018).…”

A critical‐cultural‐relational approach to rupture resolution: A case illustration with a cross‐racial dyad

“…Thus as clinicians, it is impossible to be neutral, objective, or unbiased. A large body of evidence has shown that helping professionals hold persistent implicit biases towards members of marginalized groups that contribute to disparities in diagnosis and treatment, patient ratings of the clinician, treatment adherence, and outcomes (Penner et al, 2009; Thompson et al, 2019). Due to the repetitious and unconscious nature of these thoughts and feelings, implicit biases—or “habits of the mind”—are hard to consciously change or control despite non‐prejudiced intentions (Burgess et al, 2017).…”