Another Look at Counselor,Client, and Supervisor Ratings of Counselor Effectiveness

The purpose of the study was to compare the perceptions of counselors, clients, and supervisors with regard to the effectiveness of counseling. The Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) was used as a measure of counseling effectiveness, using client satisfaction as a criterion. 25 graduate student counselors provided self-ratings on the CEI. Additional CEI ratings of these counselors were obtained from 120 of their clients and their practicum supervisors. The counselor self-ratings and the supervisors' ratings were significantly correlated with each other, but neither was significantly correlated with the client CEI ratings. In addition, the client CEI ratings were significantly higher than both the counselor self-ratings and the supervisors' ratings.     

Instrumentation (GSR) and Its Effects On Counselor Responses

This study investigated the feasibility of using client GSR responses to increase counselor sensitivity to clients during the counseling interview. Six counselors counseled 22 clients under experimental conditions in which they observed clients' GSR responses and 22 control clients whose GSR responses were not visible to them. Clients were matched on the variables of age, sex, general diagnosis, counseling session number, and type and effect of medication, if any. Counselor responses, classified according to a modified Porter scale, were compared between experimental and control conditions. A significant difference (p<.01) between experimental conditions was observed with counselors appearing to use more probing and fewer understanding statements while viewing their clients' GSR responses.     

Paid Clients in Counselor Education - An Investigation

This investigation follows an earlier attempt to evaluate the use of paid clients in practicum work. Pre- and post-counseling responses of paid and unpaid clients, counselors, and counselor supervisors were tested by Fisher's exact probability tables. Before-counseling paid clients were found to be different from unpaid clients only in that paid clients did not expect counseling to make them more independent in their relationships with other people. Post-counseling responses did not reveal any significant differences between paid or unpaid clients. Counselors saw paid clients in the way that paid clients saw themselves. Counselor supervisors did not expect significant differences between paid and unpaid clients. The only significant difference in post-counseling ratings was that neither counselors or counselor supervisors had anticipated that paid clients did want counselors to offer alternative solutions to problems. Differing pre-counseling responses of unpaid clients and of counselors and counselor supervisors reflected unfounded expectations that unpaid clients would have greater counseling needs than paid clients. All those involved in the study evaluated paid-client counseling as being a worthwhile experience. The writers encourage further investigation and evaluation.     

Effect of Experimentally Induced Sets of High and Low ‘Expertness' During Brief Vocational Counseling

A study was designed to evaluate the effects of an experimentally induced set of “expertness” on clients' evaluations of their selected experiences during brief vocational counseling. Thirty-one college freshman males were randomly assigned to two induced sets of high and low expertness, and client responses to both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the interview were obtained. The results suggested that (a) clients responded more favorably to relationship aspects of the interview with a counselor who was introduced as a nonexpert than with a counselor who was introduced as an expert, (b) informational recall was greater for clients interviewed by the expert counselor, and (c) global ratings of counselor effectiveness did not differentiate between expert and nonexpert counselors. Implications for counselor training and counselor practice are discussed.     

The relationship among counselor experience level, empathic accuracy, and counseling outcome in the early phase of counseling

The current study examined a mediating effect of empathic accuracy on the relationship between counselor experience level and counseling outcome. Data were collected from 48 counselor?Cclient dyads in real-life counseling settings. Empathic accuracy and counseling outcome were assessed by using client perceptions of the first three audiotaped counseling sessions. Ickes?? standard empathic accuracy assessment procedure was used with modifications to assess empathic accuracy. The procedure to assess empathic evaluation included three steps: (a) clients recognize and write down their thoughts and feelings while listening to the audiotapes, (b) counselors infer their client??s thoughts and feelings, (c) The third raters rate the statements of counselors?? empathic accuracy. Correlational analysis revealed that counselor experience level, empathic accuracy, and counseling outcome were positively related to one another. A path analysis was used to test the model that counselor experience level affects counseling outcome through the effect of empathic accuracy. Both paths from counselor experience level to empathic accuracy and from empathic accuracy to counseling outcome were significant, along with a significant mediating effect of empathic accuracy. These results show enhancing empathic accuracy is critical for counseling outcome. Limitations of the current study and suggestions for future research were discussed.     

Collecting Multidimensional Client Data Using Repeated Measures: Experiences of Clients and Counselors Using the CCAPS‐34

Many college counseling centers do not collect client data at each session because of perceived burdens. This study explored 55 clients’ and 16 doctoral counselor trainees’ experiences collecting and using data on client distress at each session over the course of counseling at a large public university's counseling center. Results indicated that the majority of both clients and counselors found the process convenient and clinically useful. Findings, clinical implications, and future directions are discussed.     

University Counseling Center Clients' Expressed Preferences for Counselors

ABSTRACT

This archival study explored patterns of client preferences from a randomized sample of 881 clients at a Midwestern university counseling center. Information from client intake forms was collected for a four year time frame. Results showed that 61% of the clients did not express preferences for particular types of counselors when asked on intake forms. Thirty-nine percent of the clients did express a preference for a particular type of counselor. Chi-square analyses found that clients with preferences tended to have prior therapy experience and tended to prefer counselor gender over other traits. Women and people of color tended to be the most likely to express counselor preferences. It is suggested that future research clarify the meaning behind preferences, the lack of preferences, and clients' expectations for counseling.     

A Theory of Imperfection

In most counseling classes, entering students are very eager to learn techniques and theories of counseling. It is as if the students believe that these techniques will then enable them to be good counselors. If students were to succeed at their initial intention—the mastery of counseling theory and technique—all they would have are tools to distance them from their clients. In essence, the students would have the tools to work on clients and not with them. This article comments on the paradoxical nature of the teaching of counseling theory. The article demonstrates that what is correct are people and not the image people have of themselves. What is correct are the counselor's feelings between his or her clients and him or her. All counselors need do is pay attention to the correctness of their own responses to each client. They can only take a client as far along the road as they have traveled. All counselors really need to know is themselves. At this point their imperfections may be viewed as perfect and they need not depend on theories of counseling.     

Disability and Counselor Education

Mainstreaming legislation is an impetus for social change in relation to treatment of individuals with disabilities. This change requires that counselor educators include content areas related to aspects of disability to prepare counselors to serve clients with disabilities. The author makes recommendations for curricular change for experiential and didactic training to increase a counselor trainee's sensitivity, skills, and knowledge regarding disability. Also, counselor educators are urged to team trainees from school and rehabilitation counseling training programs so that these professionals can work cooperatively for the benefit of the client with a disability.     

Neophyte Counselor Attire and College Student Perceptions of Expertness,Trustworthiness, and Attractiveness

Strong (1968) proposed that counseling can be viewed as a two-phase process. During the first phase, counselors use various techniques to enhance client perceptions of counselor expertness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness. These perceptions result in influence-power and have an effect on outcome. According to Strong, clients use reputational, behavioral, and evidential cues to assess counselor credibility and attractiveness. Previous research has indicated, however, that counselor attire is not used as an evidential cue when counselors display expert verbal and nonverbal behavior. It was hypothesized that counselor attire is an evidential cue for expertness, trustworthiness, and attractiveness of the inexperienced neophyte counselor-in-training. To test this hypothesis college students participated in group counseling sessions with either a formally or informally attired neophyte counselor. It was found that the informally attired counselor was perceived as more expert, trustworthy, and helpful.     

Client Perceptions of Counselors With and Without a Practicum

The Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) was used to elicit information about the relationship between secondary school counselors with and without a practicum and their clients. The 167 counselors who volunteered for this study represented a 61 percent return. Analysis of variance procedures were used to test the difference between counselors with and without a practicum and to test the influence of age, teaching experience, counseling experience, and sex on these results. The results indicate that counselors with a practicum experience are rated significantly higher on the CEI than counselors without a practicum. When the factors of age, years of counseling experience, years of teaching experience, and sex were partialled out, client ratings of counselors with a practicum continued to be rated significantly higher than client ratings of counselors without a practicum.     

Effects of Client Race‐Ethnicity on Perceptions of Counselor Trainees: Study 1 and Study 2

The authors investigated the impact that racial stereotypes have on counselor trainees' perceptions of the attributes and behaviors of ethnically diverse male clients. Two studies were conducted in which participants were counselor trainees (Study 1, N = 58; Study 2, N = 75) who received a case study in which a male student sought counseling for problems affecting his school work. No differences were revealed in Study 1. In Study 2, counselor perceptions of client attributes differed across client race–ethnicity. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for training counselors, particularly regarding multicultural courses and workshops.     

Comparative Perceptions of Practicum Counselor Behavior

Nineteen counseling interviews were rated by the respective clients, counselors, and supervisors on the Counselor Rating Form; these ratings of perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness were compared in a repeated measures analysis of variance. Results indicated that all three sources of perceptions were similar, although counselors rated their own behavior as significantly less expert than their clients. The article discusses the results in terms of their relevance to counselor supervision and training.     

Counseling Outcome as a Function of Counselor Nationality for American Expatriate Clients

This study tested the proposition that national similarity between counselor and client results in improved counseling outcome. Using a repeated-measures, quasi-experimental design, eight female counselors (four Turkish, four American) saw 16 volunteer, expatriate female American clients for single, individual counseling sessions. Results indicated no differences on (a) clients’ and counselors’ ratings of working alliance and of progress on goals, or (b) clients’ ratings of utilization intent as a function of counselor nationality. Irrespective of nationality, clients’ ratings of working alliance were higher than their counselors. These results echo a trend suggesting that clients’ preferences for cultural/ethnic similarity dissipate as the research methodology approximates actual counseling sessions. Additionally, local mental health service providers may be a viable resource for expatriate Americans.     

Rehabilitation and Non-Rehabilitation Counselor Candidates: Comparison of Interview Behavior and Personality Techniques

This study investigated the hypothesis that conventional role stereotypes of rehabilitation and non-rehabilitation counselors attract counselor candidates who differ in preferred modes of counseling interview behavior and in personality characteristics. Twenty-four rehabilitation counselor candidates and 21 non-rehabilitation counselor candidates enrolled in a beginning counseling course held interviews with a standard client. Candidates' responses were classified employing a content analysis scale. All subjects had taken the 16 PF at the beginning of the course. Results found rehabilitation counselor candidates used informative, questioning, diagnosing, and probing responses more frequently and feeling responses less frequently than did non-rehabilitation candidates. Non-rehabilitation candidates appeared less practical, conservative, and group adherent on the 16 PF than rehabilitation candidates.     

Counselor Comfort,Counseling Climate,and Client Satisfaction: Client Ratings and Academic Improvement

This study examined client perceptions of counselor comfort, counseling climate, and client satisfaction as measured by the CEI relative to counselors described as high-effective or low-effective in terms of changes in client academic performance before and after group counseling. The results indicated that the client's perception of the comfort of the counselor in a group setting is significantly related to counselor effectiveness as measured by GPA change. The overall counseling climate and the client's estimate of his satisfaction were found not to be related to counselor effectiveness.     

Helping Counselors Minimize Client Reluctance

A review of work settings in which counselors are employed suggests that almost all counselors work with a number of reluctant clients. Counselor education, however, is largely directed toward preparing counselors to work with voluntary clients. This article reviews some of the bases of client reluctance, certain motivational principles appropriate to counselor practice, myths associated with counselor preparation, and some suggestions of existing techniques that may be helpful with reluctant clients.     

Coached-Client Effects on Counselor Trainee Response

This study investigated whether or not coached clients modified the verbal responses of counselor trainees. The responses were judged on two dimensions: (a) interpersonal relatedness and (b) portion of total time consumed by the counselor. The subjects of the study were 58 pre-practicum graduate students in counseling at the University of Washington. The coached clients did elicit significantly different responses on both the dimensions of relatedness and speaking time. For example, aggressiveness or intrusiveness on the part of a mother client limited counselor verbalism, while aggressiveness on the part of a boy client stimulated overtalk. The counselor's social responsiveness was significantly related to his tendency to respond with reflected feeling instead of inference of diagnosis.     

Computer-Assisted Counseling: Problems and Prospects

Recent computer-assisted counseling systems have been designed to treat specific types of psychological problems for which clearly articulated treatment strategies are available. Examples of such systems are MORTON, a program designed to treat mild to moderate depression, and PLATO DCS, a program for the treatment of moderately difficult avoidance-avoidance dilemmas. PLATO DCS and MORTON might be valuable for training counselors in treatment strategies for dealing with dilemmas and depression. In addition, counselor trainees can respond to these systems as clients and can use them as consultants. Computerization of other counseling techniques might lead to significant theoretical advances because technique must be clearly and concisely articulated to make computer applications feasible. Possible limitations of computer-assisted counseling are discussed, including client and counselor acceptance of computers as therapists and the limited ability of the computer to understand natural language.     

Effects of Recording on Counselors and Clients

Early research on the effects of audio recording on counselors and clients found no adverse effects, particularly on clients. This research fostered a set of beliefs about recording which is now being extrapolated to the area of video observation. Recent research, however, does suggest that audio and, in particular, video recording has an inhibitory effect on clients and counselors. The nature of these effects on clients has been found to depend on several client characteristics. Although recording is not as inhibitory as clients expect it to be, counselors tend not to be sensitive to the inhibiting effects that do occur in their clients. Implications of recent research for counselors and counselor educators are examined.