Perceptions of Directive and Nondirective Therapy Statements

Abstract

Introduction

Therapist communication style is one of many factors that may influence the outcome of psychotherapy. Some published research exists on the influence of whether the therapist is using a more or less directive form of speech; however, much of what is available is outdated. The present study assesses directive and nondirective therapist responses to recordings of client concerns.

Method

Participants were randomly assigned to view two stimuli including the different therapist response types and were then asked to rate the therapists on perceived empathy and skill. A repeated-measures analysis of variance was performed to assess differences between perceptions of directive and nondirective therapist responses.

Results

The results indicate that male therapists using directive statements were perceived as more skillful and empathic than those using nondirective statements.

Conclusion

The findings of the current study encourage male therapists to utilise directive statements when discussing client concerns, such as providing skill suggestions or therapy homework.