Clients' reactions to initial interviews: Determinants of relationship-centered and problem-centered satisfaction

An investigation of determinants of clients' reactions to initial interviews was structured around a simulation of a first meeting between a counselor and a client, with 96 female college freshmen as the hypothetical-client Ss. Relationship-centered satisfaction was significantly greater when Ss perceived themselves as similar rather than dissimilar to the counselor in terms of values or life-style preferences and when the counselor was informal rather than formal. Problem-centered satisfaction was significantly greater when the counselor was reputed to have had years of professional experience than when he was reputed to be a novice. Results underscore the utility of separating the satisfaction concept into relationship-centered and problem-centered components.