In this qualitative study, the authors explored definitions of multicultural competence given by 99 frontline human service providers. The providers had no formal training in counseling but served in a helping role. Seven thematic definitions emerged: color blindness, client focused, acknowledgment of cultural differences, textbook consistent,…

Examines "historical hostility" (a pattern of responses that many African Americans exhibit) and how it may stem from prolonged subjection to inferior treatment in American society. Explores the impact of historical hostility on the counseling relationship, offers suggestions for diagnosing it, and presents some intervention strategies.…

Relationships between acculturation and attitudes toward psychological help seeking were studied with 170 Asian international students. Results showed a significant relationship between levels of acculturation and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Significant correlations were found between students' levels of acculturation…

Explores how an individual's privileged social or cultural group statuses (e.g., being White, male, or heterosexual) may work in combination with an individual's oppressed group statuses (e.g., being African American, a woman, or lesbian/gay/bisexual) in shaping the individual's multicultural experiences. (Contains 20 references.) (GCP)

Racial identity has been theorized to significantly influence cross-racial counseling relationships. In this study, the authors examined the influence of White racial identity on working alliance perceptions in a cross-racial vicarious counseling analogue. A significant interaction effect was found between race of the counselor vignette and White…

Korean Americans, who spoke Korean as their primary language and attended church in the Chicago area, completed a survey which rated the helpfulness of various sources of social support in addressing three psychological problems, as described in case studies. Path analysis revealed that traditionalism and attitudes toward professionals mediated…

Examined preferences of 242 American Indian secondary school students for counselor age, sex, educational level, attitudes and values, personality, and ethnicity, across personal and academic problem types, and through assessment of cultural involvement. Found primary preference for talking with American Indian counselor, although this was true…

In this study, Mexican American undergraduates (N=65) completed a battery of tests about counseling services, including the Expectations About Counseling-Brief Form B (EAC-B) and the Marlowe-Crown Social Desirability Scale-From XX. Analysis determined that significant counselor ethnicity and participant gender main and interaction effects on the…

Explores discussions of cultural variables in supervision and their influence on supervisory satisfaction and working alliance. Results indicate limited discussions occurred, but when these discussions did occur, supervisees reported enhanced supervisory working alliance and increased satisfaction with supervisor. Highlights importance of…

Conducted study to determine preferences of Cantonese-speaking Chinese college students (N=50) from Hong Kong attending a large midwestern university for either a directive or nondirective counseling approach to emotional adjustment problems. Results showed that subjects strongly preferred a directive counseling approach and attributed low…

Black adults (n=53) using services at Afro-American Community Center read bogus resumes and letters of application and completed the Cultural Mistrust Inventory, the Counselor Effectiveness Rating Scale, and the Self-Disclosure Scale with regard to a White counselor. Found a direct relationship between mistrust of Whites in general and perceptions…

Explored effects of Native-American undergraduate students' (N=84) cultural commitment on preference for ethnically similar counselors. Found degree of cultural commitment significantly affected preferences for counselor ethnicity as well as expectations about counseling, in that subjects reporting strong commitments to culture expected more…

The Rule of Opposites offers a worldview that helps both the counselor and the Native-American client to recognize and resolve conflict, to ask more effective questions, to seek harmony and balance in life for greater purpose and direction, and to explore personal decision making and choices. (LSR)