This paper avaluates research on the characteristics and selection of counselors. It also considers the implications of recent developments in counseling theory and practice for the research on counselor characteristics and selection. There has been almost no research on counselor selection as such. The research on characteristics of counselors has been limited to counselors in training, with many studies simply describing the characteristics of groups of counseling students. Other studies comparing more effective with less effective student counselors have failed to define their criterion of effectiveness or failed to determine whether differences existed prior to training. A mediate criterion has been determined for counselor characteristics in the counseling relationship. This criterion is applicable in a standardized manner to counseling interviews and demonstratedly related to counseling outcomes. This criterion, consisting of ratings of counselor empathy, congruence, warmth, and concreteness, makes predictive studies possible. It is desirable for predictive studies (1) to be evidently useful, (2) bear a concurrent relationship to the criterion, (3) apply to the applicants' interviews, and (4) be rather easily obtainable. Possible instruments are suggested. (KP)