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Peer and Professional Counselors

This research was an inquiry into prisoners' preference for and evaluation of either a peer counselor inmate trained in counseling or a professional counselor. Through the use of videotaped, simulated counseling vignettes, reactions of 98 male inmates of a federal penal institution were examined. Of particular interest was whether or not an inmate's level of adjustment, as measured by Barron's Ego Strength Scale, was related to preference for either a peer or professional counselor. The Ego Strength Scale failed to serve as a useful predictor of inmates' preference for type of counselor. A significant number of subjects preferred the professional counselor over the peer counselor; however, this preference did not lead to more favorable evaluations by subjects who preferred either the peer or professional counselor. Implications for the use of peer and professional counselors in penal institutions are discussed.