Counselor Self-Disclosure: Does Sexual Orientation Matter to Straight Clients?

Abstract

The present investigation explores the impact of counselor self-disclosure of sexual orientation on self-identified heterosexuals. Two hundred and thirty-eight psychology undergraduate students read a short description of a counselor and one of eight versions of a counseling transcript. Transcripts were identical with the exception of the gender of the counselor and the inclusion of a single counselor statement, in which the counselor either disclosed his/her sexual orientation through a “feeling” subtype disclosure (Knox and Hill in Journal of Clinical Psychology: Special Issue: In Session: Self-Disclosure 59(5):529–539, 2003) or made a reflective statement. A total of 184 respondents who self-identified as “exclusively heterosexual,” and accurately completed four validation check items, rated the target counselor on Expertness, Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness Subscales of the Counselor Rating Form-Short Version (CRF-S; Corrigan and Schmidt in Journal of Counseling Psychology, 30:64–75, 1983). A significant interaction effect was found between self-disclosure status and sexual orientation of the counselor. Participants perceived the disclosing gay and lesbian counselors as significantly more trustworthy than their nondisclosing gay and lesbian counterparts.