It goes without saying that Sigmund Freud was one of the most important contributors to the formation of psychological theory. Freud's theories were largely concerned with his construction of the role of a psychotherapist, and his psychoanalytical viewpoint. Though influential, Freud's psychoanalysis was also a business model for the new position of therapist, a role traditionally delegated to clergy members. That meant that Freud could put himself, as psychotherapist, in the esteemed position of clergy and become a sort of medical Father Confessor. To do that, he had to undermine the authority of the Church in any way possible. Whether intentional or not, Freud's outright dismissal of religion in psychotherapy is indicative of his desire to take its place, especially evidenced through his writings in The Interpretation of Dreams (1994). The problem with dismissing religion's role in psychotherapy has been discussed since Freud; he is not representative of all psychologists, or even of all members of the school of psychoanalysis. Most other theorists understood the value of religion both to the person and to therapy. Even if Freud were correct in his statements about the etiology of religious beliefs, he still ignored a potential source of therapeutic insight. This is a damaging strategy which was not universally shared; denying such an important part of the human experience is simply dangerous for the psychotherapist.

This study sought to determine the influence of pretherapy religious value information upon potential clients' (a) perceptions of a counselor, (b) willingness to see a counselor and (c) confidence of counselor helpfulness. Two hundred and ten undergraduate college students volunteered for the study. Subjects were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups and given varying amounts and types of written information about a counselor. Group 1 received just the counselor's credentials. Group 2 received the same information plus statements about the counselor's beliefs about counseling and his therapeutic approach. Group 3 received the same information as group 2 plus a statement of the counselor's religious values. Subjects then viewed a short video tape of the counselor in a counseling session. Results of statistical treatment of dependent variables indicated that subjects' perceptions of the counselor, willingness to see the counselor, and confidence of counselor helpfulness were not influenced by the written information, including the statement of religious values that the subjects received before viewing the video tape of the counselor. Implications and recommendations for further research are discussed.