Date of Graduation

5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Psychology (MA)

Degree Level

Graduate

Department

Psychological Science

Advisor/Mentor

Bridges, Ana J.

Committee Member

Judah, Matt

Second Committee Member

Leen-Feldner, Ellen W.

Keywords

broaching; colorblindness; diversity ideology; therapist effectiveness

Abstract

Introduction. The literature has grown considerably regarding the act of broaching racial, ethnic, and cultural factors in therapy. Many have highlighted its positive impact on the therapeutic alliance, but little empirical work explores how individual differences influence a client’s response to broaching. This study assessed the effects of participant diversity ideology and therapist broaching behavior on perceptions of a therapist’s effectiveness. I hypothesized that participants in the therapists broaching condition would perceive the therapist to be more effective than participants in the no broaching condition. I also hypothesized that participants’ colorblind diversity ideology and therapist broaching condition would interact, such that participants who were higher in colorblindness would perceive the therapist less favorably when the therapist displayed broaching behaviors than when the therapist generally avoided broaching the topics of race, ethnicity and culture; however, participants low in colorblindness would show the opposite pattern. Method. One hundred and twenty-three undergraduate students were recruited from the university’s psychology subject pool. Participants completed all study materials online. They were randomly assigned to watch a video of a mock therapy session between a White therapist and a Black client. Videos were manipulated such that the therapist either broached the topic of race or avoided any discussion of race in response to the client’s presenting concerns. Participants also completed the Colorblindness Racial Attitudes Scale (CoBRAS), Session Rating Scale (SRS), and Therapist Cultural Comfort Scale (TCCS) to measure diversity ideology and therapist effectiveness. Analytic Approach. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted to ensure that the measures utilized were appropriate for the study. The two dependent variables (SRS and TCCS) were regressed onto the independent variables (CoBRAS, vignette condition, and their interaction) to evaluate the study hypotheses. Results. Consistent with the first hypothesis, participants reported more favorable perceptions of the broaching therapist compared to the therapist who did not broach. The second hypothesis was only supported when examining perceptions of positive cultural comfort. Participants with high colorblindness reported lower positive cultural comfort scores when viewing the broaching condition. Contrary to the second hypothesis, there was no interaction between participant ideology and broaching condition on ratings of therapist effectiveness. Discussion. The data suggests that clinicians who broach race in session are seen as more culturally competent and as having higher effectiveness than those who avoid these topics, regardless of an individual’s colorblindness levels. Broaching appears to be a low-risk, high-reward therapeutic behavior. Keywords: broaching; diversity ideology; colorblindness; therapist effectiveness

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