An Assessment of Practitioner Cross-Racial Treatment Experiences

Abstract

This study sought to determine differences in the cross-racial practice experiences of white and minority social services practitioners. Fifty-three counselors in a Veterans Administration outreach center evaluated various aspects of their cross-racial practice experiences. Both white and minority counselors perceived themselves to work equally well with white clients, but white counselors perceived themselves to be less effective when working with minority clients. The majority of white and minority counselors reported identifying the source of white clients' problems as being internal and that of minority clients' problems as being external. This finding was interpreted as being a possible bias against white clients on the part of both white and minority practitioners. White counselors reported experiencing less client credibility, and minority counselors reported more incidents of racism. Implications for social work are discussed.