The relationship between client-counselor race and counselor use of reflective listening skills

Abstract

Abstract Research shows that minority populations underutilize counseling services and have high dropout rates (Hser, Evans, Huang, & Anglin, 2004; King & Canada, 2004). Additionally, counselor behavior is directly related to treatment outcomes (Okiishi et al., 2006; Okiishi, Lambert, Nielson, & Ogles, 2003). That is, counselors with good rapport building skills have better client outcomes. This study explored the relationship between client race and counselor behavior. The study participants were 5 student case managers/counselors and 10 clients at a substance abuse intensive outpatient program. In an attempt to control extraneous variables, all counselors selected were Caucasian. Three counselors were males and two were females. All clients selected were males, two Caucasian and two African American. Data was collected by accessing archived counseling sessions recorded as part of the program's clinical service. Counselor use of reflective listening skills was coded by two independent raters using the Motivational Interviewing Skills Code (MISC) 2.0 (Miller, Moyers, Ernst, & Amrhein, 2003). A paired-sample t test was used to analyze the differences in group means. The results showed that counselors used more reflective listening behaviors with Caucasian clients versus African American clients.