Prevalence of Counselor Self‐Reference in the Therapeutic Dyad

Ninety‐one male and female counselors completed a survey assessing the frequency of their use of self‐referent statements (positive and negative self‐disclosure and positive and negative self‐involving responses) in individual counseling. As the researchers hypothesized, counselors reported using a significantly greater frequency of positive versus negative self‐reference. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no significant differences due to either counselor gender or level of counseling experience alone. There was, however, an interaction for males such that as experience increased, self‐reference decreased. Implications for training and research are discussed. 1991 American Counseling Association