Sex Role Orientation and Self-Disclosure Flexibility in Counselor Training

Several studies have suggested that counselor response effectiveness may not be merely a function of instruction in basic counseling skills. This study examined the impact of the sex role orientation and level of self-disclosure flexibility of 44 counseling students on their ability to demonstrate counseling skills and their overall counseling response effectiveness during and after counseling skills training. Using a factorial analysis, sex role orientation and level of self-disclosure flexibility accounted for approximately 30% of the variance in quality of counseling skills. These findings lend support to the importance of trainee perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral flexibility in the acquisition and use of counseling skills. Suggestions for altering counseling skills training and further research are provided.