| his qualitative study was designed to produce a theoretical model to illustrate disadvantaged clients' social class-related experiences in therapy. Clients' perceptions of therapist behaviors that positively and negatively influenced the quality of their therapy were also explored. Individual interviews were conducted with 18 adult clients (13 females, 5 males; age range: 18 to 64 years) at urban and rural community agencies primarily serving individuals who are considered economically disadvantaged. Participant-clients' disadvantaged status was based on their income below the cutoff for Medicaid eligibility in the state of Illinois and need for reduced fees or reliance on Medicaid coverage to pay for therapy services. Participants reported diverse ethnic backgrounds, including European American (n = 8), Hispanic American (n = 5), African American (n = 3), Jewish American (n = 1), and biracial (European and Native American; n = 1). Most participants reported a yearly household income less than... |
