This study examined the relationship between a black person's racial selfdesignation and his preference for a counselor of his race. Three hundred and ninety-one black students were given an attitude questionnaire asking them to designate their race and counselor preferences. A significant difference in counselor preferences was found between self-designated black and Afro-American groups and colored and Negro groups. These findings pointed to the conclusion that when assessing attitudes of black people, investigators and counselors should consider the individual's "racial consciousness" as manifested by his racial self-designation.

This article suggests that black Americans can be understood best from a design that recognizes a cultural connection to Africa, and it shows, through the illustration of specific strategies, that the more advantageous treatment of black clients would be based on an Afro perspective.A problem for many black people in America is not that they are without a culture or ancestry, but rather that their culture is rejected by the dominant cultural group (C. Thomas, 1973), who by their rejection imply that those unlike them are inferior, deprived, or culturally disadvantaged (Vontress, 1969). A more exemplary perspective, from the standpoint of black people, would be to recognize that blacks are not disadvantaged per se but are often placed in situations in which they are at a disadvantage (Simpkins, Gunnings, & Kearney, 1973), and therefore to appreciate their differences (Wittmer, 1971). One barrier, it is hypothesized, to the realization of the goal of cultural pluralism, is the exclusive use of what is termed the European cultural perspective. A second-order problem Requests for reprints should be sent to Gerald

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Observation of the schism between employers and disadvantaged females, leads to the preparation of counselees for job interviews and exploration of the world of work with them. By chance, roleplaying a job interview was used during a group guidance session with Job Corps females, and the comparative success encountered with the technique encouraged this investigation. As a technique, it was found to be flexible, adaptable, and timesaving. It was of benefit to the counselor in six areas, and students indicated that they found the technique of value as a means of preparation for a real job interview, acquainting them with the scope of their communications problems and reducing these shortcomings.

A primary objective of this paper is to give more con ceptual substance to the legitimacy of an African cultural referent in the field of mental health. It has been reported, for example, that the omission of such a referent has resulted in intragroup conflicts among Afro-American professionals. Similarly, the lack of a consideration of the African roots to many of the at titudes and behaviors of Afro-Americans has been shown to thwart comprehensive assistance to the Afro- American community and its individuals. Carried a step farther, this paper will provide a framework for understanding the relationship between contemporary conflicts between Afro- and Euro-Americans and their antecedent cultures. This objective is crystallized in the backlash theory in mental health, and this theory is dis cussed in terms of its cultural antecedents and contem porary applications to mental health research and con cepts.