Student Personnel Services, *Student Personnel Work, *Student Personnel Workers

Three major interpersonal dimensions related to client outcome in counseling are discussed in terms of their effectiveness in dormitory counseling. These are: (1) empathy; (2) warmth; and (3) genuineness. All were considered validly measurable. A pilot training project, which focused only on empathy, is described. The results suggest a significant difference between pre-and post-scores in the levels of empathy for both an experimental and a control group. A followup project paired 66 college dorm counselors randomly to deal with specified problems common to their area and had them role play the different problems. They were grouped as follows: (1) those who received competent first-hand training focusing on empathy; (2) those who observed the training sessions via video tape; and (3) those who went through a project which included case review and discussion. No significant differences were found between the groups in improvement in empathy, warmth, or genuineness. In other words, the findings did not corroborate those of the first study. Reasons for this inconsistency are suggested. (TL) 3