This article reviews research conducted on the interpersonal influence process in counseling, specifically those studies relating to counselor expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. The review is organized and analyzed in terms of variables affecting the client's perception of critical counselor characteristics and effects of the…

Past research has suggested that interpersonal influence in counseling is enhanced as clients perceive their counselors to be interpersonally attractive and similar to themselves. This study examined the relationship of specific verbal and nonverbal cues to perceived counselor attractiveness in a field setting, and explored the relation between…

To assess client expectations and evaluations of self-involving statements, subjects read transcripts of a counseling session in which the counselor used either positive or negative statements. Subjects rated counselors using positive self-involving statements as more expert, attractive, trustworthy, and appropriate, and they expressed a greater…

Counselor predicate use similarity in a social psychological context was considered in a study involving 180 college students. Results failed to support the hypothesis that clients perceive counselors with similar predicate preferences as more attractive or that predicate similarity in natural language is too subtle to detect. (JAC)

Research on the cognitive activity of clinicians during the initial interview has revealed that mental health professionals are often guided by social stereotypes of attractiveness in their choice of patients for intensive individual or group psychotherapy. Specifically, YAVIS patients (young, attractive, verbal, intelligent, successful) are…

The fact that love is so fundamental to the human experience and can affect clients in so many ways suggests that counselors may frequently encounter clients seeking assistance with problems involving love, and that counselors may consequently be interested in scientific inquiry regarding the nature and experience of love. This paper reviews two…

The Counselor Rating Form (CRF) and Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) were used in an applied setting to evaluate counselor interns. A sample of 17 counselor trainees conducted two interviews with two internship. After each interview, the trainees rated themselves on the CRF and the clients rated the trainees on both the CRF and CEI.…

Studied the effects of counselor status and weight and client gender on initial perceptions of counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Student (N=80) response to counselor photographs indicated counselors introduced as having high status were perceived as being more expert and trustworthy. The influence of body weight was…

Determined whether specific personality characteristics of group leaders predict group members' evaluations of leaders and of the group experience in self-exploration groups. Assessed group leader and group member state anxiety, trait anxiety, and cognitive style. Found significant effects for initial group rating and leader evaluation, and none…

Discusses the theoretical and practical applications of cosmetic behavior therapy in a private practice. Enhancement of physical appearance will frequently result in an enhancement of self-concept, and the client's attainment of physical attractiveness contributes to the probability of success in current culture. (Author/JAC)

Research assessed the effects of counselor physical attractiveness and inter-actions between attractiveness and counselor subject sex. It is suggested that sex of counselor and client may play a more important role independently and in conjunction with attractiveness than does attractiveness alone in influencing impressions and expectations.…

Investigated preference for counselor race and sex, client sex, likelihood of using the counseling center, and problem type for Native American college students (N=62). Both females and males demonstrated a strong preference for Native American counselors, regardless of problem situation. Likelihood of using the counseling center increased as…

Female undergraduates listened to audiotaped recordings of a counseling interview between an experienced male counselor and a female client. Subjects rated counselor's expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, and generated written responses to self-disclosing or self-involving counselor statements. The self-involving counselor was rated as…

Investigated the effects of counselor gender and drinking status on 93 mandated clients' perceptions of counselor trustworthiness, expertness and attractiveness, and confidence in the counselor. Results revealed no differences between ratings of recovering alcoholic, nonalcoholic, or no-statement counselors on any of the dependent measures.…

Studies of the relationship of counselors' dress to clients' evaluations of counselors have been based on the assumption that the formal/informal nature of clothing is the essential dimension for assessing the meaning of counselor attire. Caucasian (N=226) and Sioux Indian (N=155) high school students and 193 Caucasian community college students…