The Role of Moral Reasoning and Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality in the Development of Bisexual Counseling Competence

Research on counselor competence regarding bisexuality is scarce, despite the greater prevalence of negative attitudes about bisexuality as compared to other sexual minorities (Flanders & Hatfield, 2014)both within the general public and the LGBTQ + community (Matsick & Rubin, 2018). Therapistattitudes and moral development are 2 constructs known to affect multicultural counseling competence;however, although some research has examined competence in working with lesbian, gay, and bisexualindividuals altogether, bisexual individuals specifically are underrepresented or absent in examinationsof the relationship between these 2 constructs. Therefore, this study examined whether postconventionalmoral reasoning has an indirect relationship with bisexual counseling competence through attitudesregarding bisexuality. Currently licensed therapists were surveyed using the Defining Issues Test 2,Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale, Counseling Bisexual Clients Competence Scale, and a modifiedversion of the Multicultural Case Conceptualization Ability Task. Results indicated an indirect relationshipbetween levels of postconventional moral reasoning and self-report of bisexual counseling competencethrough attitudes regarding bisexuality. However, no such relationships were found when bisexualcounseling competence was measured by ability to utilize cultural factors related to bisexuality in caseconceptualization of etiology and treatment. Significance of these findings as well as implications foreducation and training, practice, and research, are discussed