Use of profanity in the counseling interview

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Counseling Studies

Background:

• Profane language occurs in counseling sessions.
• Previous research primarily focused on counselor profanity, neglecting client-counselor language matching.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate college students' perceptions of a female counselor's profanity use.
• To examine the impact of counselor profanity matching client language on help-seeking intentions.

Main Methods:

• 160 college students evaluated audiotapes of a female counselor.
• The counselor's profanity use was varied in relation to the client's (male/female) profanity use.

Main Results:

• Female counselors using profanity were generally less desirable for seeking help.
• Client gender did not significantly alter the negative impact of counselor profanity.

Conclusions:

• Counselor profanity negatively impacts client perceptions and help-seeking intentions.
• Further research is needed to understand the nuances of profanity in therapeutic alliances.