INCIDENTAL ENCOUNTERS BETWEEN THERAPISTS AND CLIENTS - THE CLIENTS PERSPECTIVE

A questionnaire concerning clients' feelings about incidental encounte rs with therapists was administered to 147 university counseling cente r clients. Results indicated that most clients had experienced brief i ncidental encounters with their therapists. Clients generally felt com fortable with their therapists' responses, but some wanted a more invo lved response from their therapist. The feelings that clients reported experiencing most frequently were confidence, surprise, awkwardness, enjoyment, curiosity, and anxiety. Implications for further research a nd training are discussed.