Program Research
After an experimental group of female counselors went through a four hour training program using the Triad Method, (Wade, Priscilla & Bernstein, Bianca 1991) they received significantly higher ratings from lower income African American female clients on each of the following:
- Expertise
- Trustworthiness
- Attractiveness
- Empathy
- Unconditional positive regard
- Client Satisfaction
In addition to these ratings, these clients returned for more counseling sessions than did the clients who saw counselors from the control group of counselors who did not receive the four hour training with the Triad model. The two groups of counselors were not different in level of experience, education, or in the numbers of African Americans within their groups. The African American students who worked with the counselors who were trained with the Triad model came for more counseling sessions and rated their counselors higher than the African American counselors who were not trained with the triad model.
Dorothy Youngs (1996) The counselors who were trained with the Triad Training Model were compared to two other groups of counselors and it was concluded that the counselors who were trained with the Triad Training Model:
- Had more contacts with their African American students.
- Made more visits to the homes of their African American students.
- Involved the African American families more in the helping process
- Made more phone contacts with their African American students.
- Used more alternative approaches with their African American students.
- Dealt more with emotional needs such as grief and loss, illness of family members and relationship difficulties.
- Included more life skills instruction, and demonstrated higher expectations for their clients.
- Addressed the issues of culture and race more often during counseling interviews
While there are a few small changes in the materials presented here the dynamics are fundamentally the same as those used in both of the studies shown above. One issue that needs to be considered is that those counselors trained in the research programs above were seeing African-American clients on a daily basis which allowed them to practice the changes that were made.
While the research has not been done it can be assumed that the results would not be as strong if the participants did not have daily contact with those who are culturally different than themselves. For this reason I encourage participants to make their own arrangements to meet frequently with people who are culturally different than themselves. This could be done in a more structured way to ensure that the process is carried out.
Wade, Priscilla & Bernstein, Bianca, “Culture Sensitivity Training and Counselor's Race: Effects on Black Female Clients' Perceptions and Attrition.” Journal of Counseling Psychology (1991), Vol. 38, #1, 9-15.
Youngs, Dorothy Jeanne, “Effects of The Multicultural Triad Training Model on African American Students’ Perceptions of School Counselors” Unpublished Dissertation, Seton Hall University (1996).