College students’ ambivalence over emotional expression and counselor’s directiveness: an analogue experiment on perceived therapeutic bond

Abstract

ABSTRACT This experimental analogue study estimated how clients’ ambivalence over emotional expression (AEE) is linked to their perception of the therapeutic relationship and satisfaction with counseling, depending on the counselor’s communication style (i.e., directive versus non-directive). One hundred and seventy three college students were recruited using a research participation pool. Participants viewed videos of mock counseling sessions that demonstrated a counselor with a directive or non-directive communication style and were instructed to imagine they were the client in the video. Participants then rated their perceived therapeutic bond and satisfaction with the counseling in the video. Results from a moderated mediation effect analysis indicated that the counselor’s directiveness moderated the relationship between AEE and perceived therapeutic bond, which in turn mediated the relationship between AEE and counseling satisfaction. Specifically, participants with higher levels of AEE reported lower levels of satisfaction when they watched a non-directive style of therapy session, and this relationship was mediated by lower levels of perceived therapeutic bond. However, this association was not found for the directive style video. Implications and future directions for research and practice are discussed.