Female or male therapists for women with eating disorders? A pilot study of experts' opinions.
OBJECTIVE
This study assessed the client and clinician characteristics associated with choosing a male or a female therapist for eating-disordered individuals.


METHODS
Participants were 27 clinicians who worked in the field of eating disorders. They were asked to judge whether they would be more likely to recommend a male or a female therapist for an adolescent client presenting with eating problems, given different clinical features.


RESULTS
Considering the group as a whole, the client characteristics that were associated with a preference for a female therapist included a history of paternal sexual abuse, body image issues, and an overprotective mother. The recommendation of a female therapist was more likely if the participants were older, and less likely if they were medically qualified. However, duration of experience with eating-disordered patients was not a relevant factor.


CONCLUSIONS
Future research into the appropriateness of male or female therapists for eating-disordered clients should attend to the complex contribution of both therapists' and clients' characteristics.
Waller
G
G
Department of Psychology, University of Southampton, England.
Katzman
M A
MA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric