In the present study, the authors examined the contributions of cultural beliefs about the etiology of mental illness to the seeking of help from mental health professionals among college students in 4 cultural groups, European Americans, Chinese Americans, Hong Kong Chinese, and Mainland Chinese. Group differences were found in help-seeking…

This study investigated attitudes of black and white male students toward guidance and their preference for a counselor on the basis of race and sex. A random sample of 97 boys from two schools participated in the study. All boys in the sample were given the Attitudes Toward a Guidance Program questionnaire and all answered a Counselor Preference…

Female staff members and residents of residential drug treatment programs had more liberal attitudes toward women than male staff members and residents. Female residents in both programs had nearly identical scores on the Attitudes toward Women Scale. (Author/JAC)

Mental health professionals and the general public have generally held differing attitudes toward mental illness. As part of a needs assessment survey, 102 persons (20 service providers, 20 referral persons, and 62 potential consumers) were interviewed concerning their views of mental health problems and services. Respondents first listed examples…

The authors in this qualitative study explored how White counselors define and experience privilege and oppression. Specifically, 2 research questions were addressed in semistructured interviews with 8 counselors: How do White counselors conceptualize privilege and oppression as separate but related constructs? and What experiences do White…

Empirically validated methods for reducing stigma and prejudice toward recipients of behavioral health-care services are badly needed. In the present study, two packages presented in 1-day workshops were compared to a biologically oriented educational control condition in the alleviation of stigmatizing attitudes in drug abuse counselors. One,…

A questionnaire was administered to three groups: 21 therapists counseling incestuous families, 30 counselors working in settings other than those dealing with incest, and 30 members of the general public. The results of an analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences between the counselors and members of the general…

Investigated the effect of violating politically correct label protocol in a counselor-profession relationship. Results taken from surveys which used either politically correct or politically incorrect labels showed that the group responding to the latter survey exhibited a more positive attitude than did those responding to the politically…