Cultural awareness enlarges the world view of traditional counseling methodologies that teach that the dominant society's values are the healthy norms to use in assessing and assisting ethnic groups. A dominant society counselor or therapist can be more effective in helping members of other groups by utilizing self-awareness and developing a…

A study compared the differences among public and private sector rehabilitation professionals with respect to their attitudes toward aging, fear of aging, and involvement with older clients. Demographic variables of age, sex, race, and educational status were also examined. The study sample included 325 full-time, nonclerical employees of…

Research has shown that therapy preference affects both the quality of the initial therapy session and treatment outcome. To determine personality characteristics which would affect subjects' preference of therapeutic orientation and to obtain qualitative information about subjects' therapy preferences, 203 community college students indicated…

This study attempted to determine whether counselor effectiveness designated by a high level of performance in a first counseling practicum as ranked by faculty supervisors, can be predicted with a knowledge of the extent to which the individual possesses the personal qualities of open-mindedness, tolerance for ambiguity, general mental health,…

Conducted during 1967-68 at four high schools in a large Midwestern city, this study sought to locate adults with counselor potential and to generalize as to their personality attributes. The Counselor Situation Analysis Inventory (CSAI), requiring no previous knowledge of counseling, was administered to 536 teachers. A special Student Crisis…

Citing the large numbers of disadvantaged black students now being admitted into college in special programs, the author discusses the special counseling needs engendered by their encounter with the institutional demands and alienating effects of the impersonal, white middle-class institution. To assist these students, the counselor must establish…

Examines relationship of client and therapist characteristics to length of stay and premature treatment termination in 595 psychotherapy cases at a rural Arizona community health clinic. Finds results similar to those obtained in urban settings: small number of psychotherapy sessions attended and tendency to premature termination unrelated to…

University students (N=169) rated their preferences for counselor gender for nine client concerns and completed a sex role inventory and a demographic questionnaire. Most who expressed a preference for counselor gender preferred male counselors for concerns other than sexual issues, particularly for vocational/academic and social/interpersonal…

Investigated race as a factor in Black students' preferences for counselors. Black students indicated a strong preference for Black counselors; however, this preference varied with the type of concern presented. Black students preferred a Black counselor when presented with a personal-emotional concern. (Author)

A study compared student use of and satisfaction with the central advising office and departmental advising in a college of engineering by surveying 57 central office walk-in advisees and, by mail, 103 other advisees. No significant differences were found in advisor availability and concern, but more students used departmental faculty advisors.…

This study examined relations between disabled student services and career development centers (CDCs) at 92 postsecondary institutions offering services to students with learning disabilities (LD). Findings indicated that many students with LD are not accessing CDC services and that career development personnel have limited awareness of and…

Used assumptions from racial identity and demographic models in two studies to examine white (n=183) and African-American (n=76) college students' strength of preference for counselors' racial and demographic characteristics. Found that whites' racial identity attitudes predicted their social class and white-counselor preferences; African…

Black female clients assigned to experienced counselors who had received culture sensitivity training rated their counselor higher on credibility and relationship measures, returned for more follow-up sessions, and expressed greater satisfaction with counseling than did clients of experienced counselors without such training. Being in same-race…

A compelling argument in support of behavioral approaches is the use of validated techniques. But many school psychologists use behavior consultation and intervention strategies despite not having followed the tenets of behavioral practice, such as gathering data. This study explores the reality of theory-practice discrepancies. Surveys were…

Constructivist approaches to therapy that view the therapist and patient as equal participants in co-creating a new dialogue render aspects of experience invisible. What is missing is an awareness of the dominant structures in society and the dominant ways of thinking and speaking. Three key factors need to be understood: first, the way meanings…