Dear Participant:



You have been invited to take part in the research project described below. If you have any concerns about this study or questions about your rights as a research participant, you may contact Alice Cheng, Ph.D., the person mainly responsible for this study. Her contact information is listed below.



The purpose of this study is to explore how cultural awareness affects therapy outcome.



To participate, you must have had mental health treatment in the U.S., and you must be at least 18 years old. You must either be in therapy now, or you must have been in therapy sometime during the last 12 months. You may not participate if your therapy ended for reasons unrelated to therapy (e.g., time constraints, transportation issues, financial issues, insurance issues, and etc). It will take you about 40 minutes to complete the questionnaires. The questionnaires measure your experiences in therapy and the satisfaction with the therapy you received. If you choose, you may enter into a raffle to win one of eight $25 gift cards. There will be a separate link to enter the raffle that will not be associated with the questionnaires. You may choose not to participate, or to stop at any time.



Risks of participating in the study are not greater than those ordinarily encountered in daily life. By participating in this study, you may help us understand how to improve mental health services for future patients.



Your name will not be associated with your answers. All data will be reported in aggregate. All responses will be stored on a password-protected computer in a locked office. All responses will be destroyed after five years. The data collected may be used in presentations and publications. Participants will not be identified in any presentations or publications.



If you have any questions about your rights as a research subject, please contact the University of Hartford Human Subjects Committee (HSC) at 860-768-5371 or hsc@hartford.edu. The HSC is a group of people that reviews research studies and protects the rights of people involved in research.



Thank you for participating. If you have any questions about this survey, you may contact:



Alice W. Cheng, Ph.D.

Principal Investigator

Department of Psychology

University of Hartford

East Hall 203I

West Hartford, CT 06117