There is a growing awareness of a sensitivity to ethnic and cultural issues in the helping professions. For the last decade a variety of multicultural concerns have been receiving increased attention. Although there is awareness, the mental health fields have not really addressed the issues involved in the counseling of culturally diverse populations. This study examined the relationship between scores of students on The Empathy Test (TET) and the Black Intelligence Scale of Cultural Homogeneity (BITCH). Subjects were 15 female and 7 male graduate students enrolled in a non-required, cross-cultural experiential/didactic counseling course at a large Midwestern university. Students were divided into two groups (higher and lower) based upon BITCH scores. No significant difference was found in empathy scores for the two groups. These results suggest that although there was a difference in the amount of knowledge about black culture by the two groups, this did not translate into differential responses on the TET. The instructor's observations throughout the semester suggested the same; knowledge of the black culture did not guarantee that individuals would be more empathic in their responses when role playing and discussing issues. These results suggest that the addition of one didactic course on multicultural counseling to an already established curriculum is not enough to prepare professionals adequately. (ABL)