According to the IBM-HS, experiential beliefs are emotional responses to the idea of seeking help (e.g., “I feel nervous about the possibility of my seeking help”). These beliefs about the affective significance of seeking help primarily influence people’s help-seeking attitude.
To clarify, experiential beliefs are focused on a person’s immediate emotional reaction to thinking about the prospect of seeking help, not their anticipated emotions when attending sessions with a professional or their resulting emotional state post-treatment.
It is possible for individuals to have both pleasant and unpleasant emotional responses to the idea of their seeking help. For example, someone may feel bout nervous and hopeful.
A description of available prospective mental health help-seeking experiential beliefs measures can be found on the Experiential Beliefs Measures page.
(Please note: select page content is excerpted from Hammer et al., 2024.)