Universal diverse orientation's relationship to working alliance, transference, insight, and outcomes in therapy with gay and bisexual males
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the role of multicultural awareness, as measured by Universal Diverse Orientation (UDO), in mediating the quality of the relationship in therapy, where the client is male, gay or bisexual, and the therapist is male and either heterosexual, gay, or bisexual. The quality of the relationship was assessed in terms of the working alliance (WA), as rated by the client and the therapist, in terms of level of client transference and insight, as measured by the therapist, and progress in the work as measured by standardized and published measures of counseling progress and outcome. Client self-identified stage of sexual identity development was also included to determine this variable's mediating effects on the therapeutic relationship and outcomes. The participants included 88 therapist and client dyads selected from mental health facilities throughout the United States. Clients completed measures of UDO, the WA, insight, outcomes, and sexual identity development. Therapist participants completed measures of UDO, the WA, client insight, client transference, and outcomes. The most salient results of the investigation indicated that client and therapist ratings of UDO, the WA, insight, and transference were all found to be indicators of outcomes in therapy relationships of male therapists working with gay and bisexual male clients. Client rated variables explained between 53% and 61% of the variance in client rated outcomes while therapist rated variables explained between 66% and 75% of the variance in therapist rated outcomes. Therapist UDO was a consistent predictor of outcomes while client UDO did not add explanatory value. The implications of these findings were discussed in relation to the importance of each of these variables in therapy relationships with diverse clients as well as the power UDO may have in predicting successful therapy outcomes with gay and bisexual male clients. Recommendations for future therapy and research with gay and bisexual male clients also were made.
Subject Area
Clinical psychology|Ethnic studies|LGBTQ studies
Recommended Citation
Stracuzzi, Thomas Ian, "Universal diverse orientation's relationship to working alliance, transference, insight, and outcomes in therapy with gay and bisexual males" (2006). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI3210282.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI3210282
