Patients' Perceptions of Their Therapist: Effects of Race, Culture, and Cultural Competency on the Working Alliance.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent to which patients feel racially and culturally similar to their therapist, patients' perceptions of their therapist's cultural competence, and how these factors relate to the working alliance in a naturalistic treatment setting.

Methods: Participants were 119 adult patients treated at a large outpatient clinic by clinicians with a range of professional backgrounds (e.g.