COLLEGE-STUDENTS PERCEPTIONS OF A PSYCHOTHERAPISTS TREATMENT OF A RELIGIOUS ISSUE - PARTIAL REPLICATION AND EXTENSION

A study of the influence of a counselor's treatment of a client's reli gious values, observers' religiosity, and their interaction on observe rs' perceptions of counseling (Morrow, Worthington, and McCullough, 19 92) was partially replicated and extended. Religious beliefs were diff erentiated from religious values as determinants of observers' percept ions of counseling. Student observers (N = 148) viewed one of two vide otaped counseling interactions in which a counselor either supported o r challenged a client's religious values. Dividing observers into high and low levels of Christian belief did not result in their perceiving religiously supportive or challenging counseling differently. Dividin g observers into high and low levels of religious values produced cons istent differences in how they perceived religiously supportive and ch allenging counseling. Findings supported the theory that people with s trong religious values perceive counseling differently than people wit h weaker religious values.