Counseling skills used by Black and White male and female counselors.

A videotape of culturally varied client vignettes was viewed by Black and White males and females, all of whom had at least some counselor-related training. Participants responded in writing to the question, "What would you say to this person?" The data were coded according to a counseling skills scoring system. Black males and females tended to use the more active expression skills (e.g., directions, expressions of content, and interpretations) with greater frequency than did Whites. White males and females tended to use a high percentage of attending skills. In particular, White females used reflections of feeling frequently, and White males tended to respond with questions. While race appeared as a source of strong effect, one of the major implications of this study was the relative absence of significant sex differences. Discussion focuses on cultural variation in counseling styles, implications for training, and promotion of diversity among professionals. (10 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)