“Biases of Aspiring Psychotherapists”: Preferences and Motivations for Therapy Toward Patients with Different Characteristics

“Biases of Aspiring Psychotherapists”: Preferences and Motivations for Therapy Toward Patients with Different Characteristics - BIAS

Status

Recruiting

Phases

Unknown

Study type

Observational

Source

DRKS

Registry ID

DRKS00040191

Enrollment

140

Registered

2026-05-07

Start date

2026-05-05

Completion date

Unknown

Last updated

2026-06-01

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

The study investigates potential inequalities in access to outpatient psychotherapy as a health-related issue. Specifically, it examines whether certain patient groups such as individuals with complex mental health conditions (e.g., borderline personality disorder, substance use disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder), varying levels of treatment motivation, different degrees of religiosity, or different sexual orientations—may experience reduced treatment willingness and lower perceived treat

Interventions

Group 1: Prospective psychotherapists (bachelor’s and master’s students in psychology aiming to become psychotherapists, as well as psychotherapists in training or postgraduate education) complete a o

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

All

Age

18 Years to No maximum

Inclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Knowledge of German Either enrollment in a psychology program in Germany that leads to licensure with the goal of obtaining a license as a psychotherapist or current employment as a psychotherapist in training.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion criteria: Age < 18 years of age Currently, neither enrolled in a Psychology degree program in Germany that meets the requirements for licensure nor Training to become a psychotherapist. Insufficient knowledge of German

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame
Target criterion: (1) willingness to treat and (2) self-assessed confidence in the ability to provide effective psychotherapeutic treatment. Both endpoints are assessed once as part of the web-based cross-sectional survey (T1). The assessments are conducted separately for each patient profile presented within the same survey. Data is collected using visual analog scales. For each hypothetical patient profile, participants answer two questions: (1) how willing they would be to offer psychotherapeutic treatment to that person (willingness to treat) and (2) how confident they are that they could treat that person effectively (self-assessed treatment competence). The patient profiles were developed specifically for this study and vary systematically in terms of clinical presentation, religiosity, sexual orientation, and motivation and willingness to change.	—

Measure

Time frame

Target criterion: (1) willingness to treat and (2) self-assessed confidence in the ability to provide effective psychotherapeutic treatment. Both endpoints are assessed once as part of the web-based cross-sectional survey (T1). The assessments are conducted separately for each patient profile presented within the same survey. Data is collected using visual analog scales. For each hypothetical patient profile, participants answer two questions: (1) how willing they would be to offer psychotherapeutic treatment to that person (willingness to treat) and (2) how confident they are that they could treat that person effectively (self-assessed treatment competence). The patient profiles were developed specifically for this study and vary systematically in terms of clinical presentation, religiosity, sexual orientation, and motivation and willingness to change.

—

Countries

Germany

Contacts

Public ContactJens Hellmann

Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf

Jens.hellmann@hhu.de+492118108163

Outcome results

None listed

Source: DRKS (via WHO ICTRP) · Data processed: Jun 11, 2026