Through the use of an analog methodology and a factorial experimental design, the current study investigated the effects of counselors' race and multicultural competency on counselor preference for Black participants. Eighty-seven African American college students participated in an online or computer-administered study. The African American multiculturally competent counselor received significantly higher counselor effectiveness ratings than did the White multiculturally competent counselor. Also, the correlations between racial identity ideologies and counselor effectiveness were examined within each condition of race and multicultural competency. Racial Identity was measured with the Multidimensional Inventory of Black Identity (Sellers, Rowley, Chavous, Shelton, & Smith, 1997). The findings from this study may assist counselors and researchers in understanding how potential African American clients perceive counselors based on their race and multicultural competency and how client's racial identity may affect African American clients' perceptions of counselors' effectiveness.

In a widely cited 2003 report, the U.S. Surgeon General criticized mental health and social services within the United States for failing to adequately serve the needs of clients of color. The report highlighted the fact that therapists often do not adequately account for cultural variables in their evaluations or interventions. Clients of color are rarely seen by therapists who adequately understand their cultural values and backgrounds. To address this discrepancy, researchers have explored a variety of therapy process and outcome variables across clients seen by therapists of their same race vs. another race (often called "ethnic matching"). Over 200 of these studies have appeared in the literature, but few conclusions have been drawn due to the large disparity across findings. To more accurately summarize these studies, three rigorous quantitative reviews using meta-analytical methods were conducted. Forty-nine studies met inclusion criteria for the first meta-analysis (client preference studies), with the average effect size across studies being d = .65, indicating a strong preference for a therapist of the same ethnicity or race. Seventy-seven studies met inclusion criteria for the second meta-analysis (client perception studies), with the average effect size across studies being d = .33, indicating that ethnically matched clients tend to perceive their therapists moderately better than they perceived ethnically mismatched therapists. Fifty-two studies met inclusion criteria for the third meta-analysis (client outcome studies), with the average effect size across studies being d = .09, indicating that ethnic matching had minimal impact on client outcome. The effects of potential moderator variables, including age, gender, and ethnicity were also investigated. The results of this meta-analysis help inform current practice and future research efforts to promote multiculturally competent mental health interventions.

This 2-study research project explored whether the ethnicity of university counseling center therapists affects White clients’ therapy attendance rates and perception of counselors’ trustworthiness and level of expertise. Study 1 examined attendance rate differences of the clients of White therapists versus ethnic minority therapists in a university counseling center to determine if the minority therapists have lower client attendance rates than clients of White counselors. Study 2 examined White undergraduate participants’ ratings of profiles of White, African American and non-US Indian counselors portrayed in a mock university counseling center brochure on factors of trustworthiness and expertise. It also examined Big 5 personality traits as covariates to determine if the trait of Openness to Experience positively influences White participants’ ratings of ethnic minority therapists. Results for Study 1 showed that practicum-level ethnic minority trainees had significantly lower client attendance rates when compared with practicum level White therapists; no significant differences in client attendance rates were found among intern-level minority and White therapists. Study 2 found that non-US Indian counselors were rated more negatively than White or African American counselors by White participants. However, the trait of Openness did not show a significant interaction with ethnicity of counselor among participants. The article concludes with a discussion of the main findings, future research ideas, and practical implications for university counseling centers regarding assigning clients to ethnically/culturally different counselors.

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