Individualism, Collectivism, Client Expression, and Counselor Effectiveness Among South Korean International Students

Abstract

The present study examined how individualism, collectivism, and counselor emphasis of client expression (cognition vs. emotion) are related to perceived counselor effectiveness among South Korean international students. Data were collected through mail surveys from 127 South Korean international students attending a Midwestern university. As hypothesized, results from a hierarchical multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the participants perceived the counselor who emphasized the expression of client emotion as more effective than the counselor emphasizing the expression of client cognition. Contrary to expectations, however, the interactions between cultural variables and counselor emphasis of client expression were not significantly predictive of perceived counselor effectiveness. Implications for counseling practice and future research are discussed.