(PS7-56) Exploring the Role of Gender in Client Preference of Therapist Personality

Intro: Client preferences for psychotherapy factors play a crucial role in therapy efficacy, influencing both retention and outcomes. Clients matched with therapists based on their preferences tend to have better outcomes than those who are not. One important aspect of therapeutic matching involves the personality traits of both clients and therapists (e.g., extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness). Research has also identified gender differences in self-reported therapist personality traits. This study aims to examine the role of client gender in shaping preferences for therapist personality traits.

Methods: Adult Participants (n = 94) completed the NEO-PI-3 to assess their own personality traits as well as an adapted version of the measure to indicate their preferences for an ideal therapist’s personality traits, specifically the desirability and importance of each trait. Each therapist trait (e.g., curious, resourceful, forgiving) was transformed into a bipolar rating scale ranging from -5 (extremely undesirable and important to avoid) to +5 (extremely desirable and important to have). A one-way ANOVA was conducted to compare therapist personality trait preferences among 26 men and 68 women clients.

Results: A one-way ANOVA revealed significant differences in therapist personality trait preferences based on client gender. Specifically, compared to women, men preferred therapists with less neuroticism (p = .01), less openness (p = .04), more agreeableness (p = .005), and more conscientiousness (p = .01). There were no significant gender differences in preference for therapist extraversion.

Discussion/Implications: These findings suggest that client preferences for the therapist personality traits may vary based on client gender. However, this effect may not be stronger than the overall personality match between client and therapist. Future research should explore the role of personality alignment in optimizing therapeutic outcomes, further personalizing psychotherapy to meet clients’ needs.