The acquisition of culture-specific knowledge through reading and/or experience is an important component of cross-cultural counseling education. This study explores the relationship between counselor trainees' culture specific knowledge and their ability to empathize in general. It would seem reasonable to assume that those who belong to a…

Peace, though pursued, is often presented in the literature as an elusive and somewhat ethereal state that seldom is attained. However, African American communities in this country have historically developed and maintained effective, collaborative, working alliances that have assisted in individual and group survival under the most adverse…

Similarities and differences between group dynamics of women in all-African-American and all-White therapy groups are presented and discussed. White members attended more frequently and consistently. African-American women were more responsive to others' expressions of positive emotions and anger and focused more on day-to-day issues; Whites…

Research has consistently shown black clients to attend sessions less regularly and to completely drop out of treatment more often than their white counterparts. This study compared use of group, presenting concerns, reactions to other group members, and the service utilization patterns of group members in one all black and one all white women's…

If counselors and other mental health professionals are to improve service delivery to women, research must provide a thorough understanding of the facets of counseling that are most beneficial to women. To help in this endeavor, the relationship between female counselor variables and the evaluation of counseling effectiveness by female clients…

Distinctive value orientations of successful African American, Anglo American, Asian American, and Hispanic American students on a predominantly Anglo campus were identified by sex. Within the same ethnic or racial groups, females had different responses than males. Implications and recommendations for training and future research are presented…

Researchers identified personality typologies among urban African-American high school junior and seniors. Introverted Sensing Thinking Judging (ISTJ) and the Introverted Sensing Thinking Perceptive (ISTP) were the two most represented typologies. Implications for school counselors, teachers, and teacher and counselor educators are discussed.…

Recent research has produced ambiguous results as to whether traditional training in multicultural development, awareness, knowledge, and skills is necessary to produce counseling competence. To explore this question, a study of multicultural counseling competence prior to multicultural counseling training is reported here. For the study, a…

In a study of African-American (n=119) urban high school students, coping with life stressors was positively and negatively associated with the use of substances. This study focused on how grade point average (GPA), psychological adjustment, and coping styles contribute to the reported use of substances as a way of dealing with stress. The results…

This paper presents the results of a study conducted to assess differences among African American adolescents based on skin tone. It was hypothesized that the students would demonstrate differences in self-esteem, ethnic identity, and cross-cultural coping strategies based on their skin tones. One hundred thirteen African American adolescents…

Empathy has been defined as the single most important dimension in establishing a counseling relationship. This paper describes a study that compares counselor trainees' and a general population of African American males' empathy ratings of racially mixed videotaped counseling sessions. The report addresses the following questions: "Do…

While empathy has been defined as the single most important dimension in establishing a counseling relationship, no studies have clearly defined what counselor responses are perceived as empathic by African American clients. For clients in general, the use of Ivey and Authier's microcounseling attending and influencing skills has been found to…

Black women who have gained access to higher education and higher paying positions often find themselves in less than optimal work environments, on account of racist and sexist attitudes of their colleagues. Accordingly, this study was undertaken to identify those aspects of interpersonal interaction and response among black professional women on…

In a study of 121 African-American urban adolescents, the use of spiritual support as a means of coping was found to be significantly related to psychological well-being and adjustment. The participants were high school freshmen in a midwestern city in an area where the student attrition rate had ranged from 55 to 65% over a 5-year period.…