Title & Introduction

  • Paper Title: Client Treatment Preferences in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy for Depression in Participants with Depressive Symptoms
  • Published In: Journal of Psychedelic Studies
  • Publish Date: July 11, 2024
  • Authors: Alyssa B. Oliva, Mitch Earleywine, Fiona Low, Brianna R. Altman, Joseph A. De Leo
  • Objective: To investigate the importance of demographic characteristics of therapists and guides in psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) compared to cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), particularly concerning client preferences for same-gender and same-race practitioners.
  • Importance: Understanding client preferences for therapist demographics can enhance therapeutic alliance and outcomes, particularly for racial, ethnic, and gender minority groups seeking mental health care.

Summary & Takeaways

Key Takeaway: Participants expressed a stronger preference for a same-gender therapist in CBT compared to PAT, though racial and ethnic minority clients consistently rated a same-race therapist as highly important for both therapy types.

Practical Application: Mental health organizations should prioritize diverse therapist training and recruitment to accommodate client preferences and improve accessibility to psychedelic therapy.

Key Background Information

  • Context: Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) is gaining recognition as a treatment for depression, yet little research has explored client preferences for therapists' demographic characteristics.
  • Hypothesis: Clients from racial and ethnic minority groups, as well as female clients, would prefer a therapist matching their demographic identity, with stronger preferences observed in CBT than in PAT.

Methodology

  • Study Design: Cross-sectional survey-based study.
  • Participants: 635 individuals experiencing depressive symptoms, recruited via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.
  • Intervention/Exposure: Participants rated the importance of therapist characteristics (same-gender, same-race) for both CBT and PAT.
  • Controls: Demographic factors such as gender, race, and prior therapy experience.
  • Duration: Data collection occurred between December 2020 and January 2021.

Key Findings

Primary Outcomes:

  • Women and racial/ethnic minority participants preferred a same-gender therapist more strongly in CBT than in PAT.
  • Racial and ethnic minority participants consistently valued a same-race therapist across both therapy types.
  • CBT participants rated same-gender therapists as significantly more important than PAT participants did (p < 0.001).

Secondary Outcomes:

  • African/Caribbean and Asian participants reported the highest preferences for same-gender therapists.
  • Preferences for a same-race therapist were equally important in both CBT and PAT, suggesting racial identity plays a central role in therapeutic trust.

Interpretation & Implications

  • Conclusion: While demographic matching in therapy is particularly important for racial and ethnic minorities, psychedelic therapy may allow for greater flexibility in therapist-client demographics.
  • Implications: Recruitment efforts should focus on increasing diversity among therapists and guides in psychedelic therapy to meet client needs.
  • Limitations: The study relied on self-reported preferences, and the sample was limited to those recruited online, potentially introducing bias.

Researchers & Publication

  • Researchers: Alyssa B. Oliva, Mitch Earleywine, Fiona Low, Brianna R. Altman, Joseph A. De Leo
  • Publication Name: Journal of Psychedelic Studies
  • Study URL: https://doi.org/10.1556/2054.2024.00334
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