Effects of Religiosity and Problem Type on Counselor Description Ratings

This analogue study examines the interaction between precounseling information, religiosity, and problem type and its subsequent effect on counselor ratings of social influence and willingness to seek help. Using an inventory of Christian beliefs, the authors assess college students' religiosity. After providing a presenting problem and reading a description of a secular (nonreligious), religious‐empathic, or Christian counselor, participants responded to the Counselor Rating Form—Short and Willingness to Seek Help scale. Based on an Aptitude × Treatment interaction design using hierarchical multiple regression, the interactions between participant religiosity and counselor description, as well as participant religiosity, counselor description, and participant problem type, were predictive of counselor social influence and willingness to seek help ratings only with respect to the Christian counselor description. Implications of these results for research and practice are discussed.