Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, Vol 11(1), Mar 2024, 30-45; doi:10.1037/cns0000361
The present study used an email correspondence audit design to investigate the effects of clients’ perceived religion on counseling and psychotherapy practitioners’ willingness to offer an appointment. Practitioners (N = 470) received an email requesting an appointment from an individual with either a Muslim man’s or a non-Muslim man’s name. Results indicated perceived religion was neither a statistically significant predictor of whether any response was received nor practitioner willingness to offer services. However, the client with the Muslim name received significantly quicker responses and was more likely to receive an ambivalent response compared to the non-Muslim name. The findings indicate that practitioners subtly differentiate between these two types of clients in ways that may demonstrate implicit bias. In addition to interpreting the results through the lens of aversive racism theory, these findings are also considered in light of relatively unique events at the time of data collection (mass racial justice protests, the COVID-19 pandemic). (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved)