Notes that counselors' vulnerability to inferential bias during counseling process may result in misdiagnosis and improper interventions. Discusses these inferential biases: availability and representativeness heuristics; fundamental attribution error; anchoring, prior knowledge, and labeling; confirmatory hypothesis testing; and reconstructive…

In this article, the author looks at the obstacles to a sharing relationship with clients which counselors set up by stereotyping people and seeking to enhance their own status. (Author)

This study attempted to determine whether counselor behavior and attitudes operated as a means of sex-role socialization, and whether male counselors tended to be more biased than female counselors when interacting with female clients. Eight male and eight female graduate students trained in role-playing situations representing a typical and an…

This paper provides some definitions of the components of prejudice, including aspects of counselor prejudice. The paper contends that counselors should use this definition to increase awareness of their own feelings, attitudes, and behaviors associated with levels of prejudice. Since these prejudices can influence counselors' belief systems,…

Counselor bias in the diagnostic process is problematic. This article presents a gender and culturally sensitive clinical interview and diagnostic model for use with all clients. This model, which serves as an alternative approach to traditional diagnostic models method, may also be used for training students. (RJM)

Although there are few studies that include empirical information on the subject of counseling American Indians, an informative and provocative literature base exists. The literature deals with appropriateness of techniques, the delivery of mental health services, the operation and programming of Indian service delivery units (including Indian…