This study examined social connectedness in mainstream society as a mediator between acculturation and subjective well-being (SWB), and social connectedness in the ethnic community as a mediator between enculturation and SWB. Survey data from 188 Korean immigrants in the Midwest were subject to path analyses. Results partially supported the study hypotheses. Social connectedness in mainstream society tended to partially mediate the relationship between acculturation and SWB although the standardized mediating effect did not reach statistical significance. Social connectedness in the ethnic community fully mediated the relationship between enculturation and SWB. About 49% of the variance in SWB was explained by acculturation, social connectedness in the ethnic community, and social connectedness in mainstream society, in a descending order of their unique contribution. Implications for theory, research, and practice are discussed.

This study examined the influence of gender, cultural variables (i.e., horizontal and vertical individualism), and personal psychological variables (i.e., psychological distress, social-network orientation, and self-concealment) on attitudes toward seeking counseling in Korea. For the 142 college student participants, gender, social network orientation, and self-concealment significantly influenced attitudes toward seeking professional help. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis suggested that higher scores on negative social network orientation and self-concealment were associated with lower attitudes toward seeking professional help. Men showed more negative help-seeking attitudes than women. Implications of the findings for developing and delivering counseling services in Korea are discussed.

Expertise in counseling and therapy is both desirable and elusive. Increasing our knowledge about expertise in counseling and therapy enhances understanding of the role it plays in our profession. This understanding has the potential to improve the training of counselors and therapists. Yet expertise in counseling and therapy appears to be a multifaceted and dynamic concept needing further definition and description. In this article, we outline challenges faced trying to describe expertise in counseling and therapy and present research-based factors that contribute to developing expertise in counseling and therapy. Important factors include: experience, personal characteristics of the counselor and therapist, cultural competence, and comfort with ambiguity.

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