American Indian college student preference of counselor communication style.

Abstract

Fifty University of Oklahoma male and female college students, divided equally by race (American Indian and non-Indian), watched two video-taped simulated counseling sessions utilizing a directive and an experimental counselor communication style. Subjects indicated preference of counselor and reasons for perceived helpfulness and completed the Counselor Effectiveness Rating Scale (CERS), rating seven dimensions of perceived counselor credibility and utility. Results indicated that the experimental counselor communication was preferred by American Indian college students while the directive style was preferred by the non-Indian students. Description of the experimental style is discussed in addition to implications for current practice and further research.