Perceptions of Therapist Effectiveness and Willingness to Work with Clients: The Role of Gender Identity

This study examined how therapist and client gender identities influence psychology students' perceptions of therapist effectiveness and willingness to work with clients, focusing on transgender identities. 134 students viewed two vignettes: one without gender identity information and one featuring one of four randomized therapist–client gender identity combinations, with transgender identity emphasized or not. They completed measures on attitudes toward transgender people, prior contact, education on transgender topics, social desirability, and demographics. No significant differences emerged in therapist effectiveness across gender identity combinations. Attitudes, contact, education, and demographics did not predict effectiveness. For willingness to work, differences between transgender and non-transgender clients were not significant, but after excluding outliers, participants showed greater willingness to work with transgender clients. Regression analyses found that attitudes, contact, and education did not predict willingness. Political orientation and gender showed nonsignificant trends, with liberals and females reporting higher willingness. Political orientation approached but did not reach significance after outlier removal. Findings suggest students assess therapist effectiveness independently of gender identity. However, willingness to work with transgender clients may reflect sociopolitical and gender influences. The absence of bias against transgender therapists and higher willingness to work with transgender clients are promising for clinical inclusivity. Limited effects of education and contact highlight the need for enhanced training to foster affirming attitudes toward gender diversity.