The Effects of Multicultural Training Videos on Perceived Counselor Competence.

Research has shown that modeling is an effective learning technique. Since recent studies have advocated the use of culturally sensitive training videos in the training of student practitioners, counselors were shown counselor-client vignettes to determine whether or not the perceived credibility and cultural competency of the counselor was dependent on the presence of counselor-client self-talk. Graduate students (N=91), enrolled in counseling psychology programs at a major university, participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to watch two different vignettes depicting cross-cultural counseling in which the only difference between vignettes was that one set involved counselor and client self-talk while the other set did not. Results indicated that the counselor-client, self-talk condition was not significantly different from the no self-talk condition on two of the three instruments used to measure participant responses. However, a significant interaction effect of vignette type and participant condition was found when examining the results of one measure and may be explained by examining the type of self-talk each therapist used--one counselor engaged in more negative self-talk than did the other. Some implications for counselor development and student training are offered. Contains 14 references. (RJM)