Relation of counselor traits to evaluation of the counseling relationship by alcoholics.

There are those who advocate that counselor and patient must share a similar background if counseling is to be maximally effective. Gunnings (1) stated that only a Black counselor can relate effectively to a Black patient. Lewis (2) made a similar point with regard to treating patients from lower soeioeeonomie groups. Perhaps nowhere is the use of counselors of similar backgrounds more prevalent than in the treatment of alcoholism. Mann (3) observed that many members of Alcoholics Anonymous genuinely believe that only an alcoholic can help an alcoholic. Opinion is divided, however, with regard to the appropriateness and necessity of using these paraprofessionals as alcoholism counselors (4-5). Approaches to the treatment of alcoholism are many and varied but most have in common the use of alcoholism counselors in one-to-one