An Empirical Investigation of the Efficacy of Multimedia Instruction in Counseling Skill Development

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of multimedia instruction on students' counseling skill development. The participants were 73 beginning‐level counselor education students (20 men and 53 women, ages ranging from 24 to 47 years). Ratings of students' pre‐ and posttest video counseling tapes were used to assess the effects of the multimedia approach. The results found that there was no statistically significant difference among the levels of students' counseling skill development across the 3 (high‐tech multimedia, low‐tech multimedia, and traditional instruction) treatment groups.     

The Relationship of Facilitative Functioning to Effective Peer Supervision

This study was conducted to investigate the process of peer supervision. The criterion used was counselor trainees' growth in facilitative functioning. The study sought to ascertain whether the facilitative counselor trainee was also the effective peer supervisor, to provide information on evaluating the peer-supervisory experience, and to shed light on the most effective techniques of supervision. Peer supervisors were found to be effective in improving the performance of counselor trainees in the core dimensions of empathy, respect, genuineness, and concreteness. A significant positive correlation was found between peer supervisors' level of empathy in the counseling relationship and the trainees' ratings of supervisors on the relationship questionnaire. No significant correlation was found, however, between the trainees' ratings of their supervisors and the improvement demonstrated by the trainees in the core conditions. In addition, no significant correlation was found between the extent of the trainees' improvement and the supervisors' level of functioning as counselors. The relationship between trainees' responses to the supervisor role-analysis form and their improvement in counseling skills suggested that the most effective supervisors were structured, didactic, and more technique oriented.     

Hidden Hypnotic Patterns: Implications for Counseling and Supervision

The purpose of this article is to examine the hypothesis that many subtle hypnotic patterns used by Milton H. Erickson are found in the person-centered approach to counseling espoused by Carl Rogers. The authors point out that counselors and supervisors need not be trained in hypnosis, but that they should be aware of the possible hypnotic elements embedded in seemingly simple suggestions. Examples of counselor-client and supervisor-trainee dialogue are presented to demonstrate the ways in which a counselor's and supervisor's behavior and words can have profound hypnotic influences. Throughout the article the deep respect afforded the client or trainee as a person and views of self and the world held by Erickson and Rogers are cited to demonstrate the similarities of basic philosophical convictions about the facilitative and therapeutic process.     

A Phenomenological Exploration of Bhutanese Counselors’ Experiences with Western Counseling

Bhutan has recently invited the profession of counseling to aid in responding to growing mental health problems, social and family issues, and school and career guidance needs. This study is a phenomenological investigation of the experiences of Bhutanese counselors with Western counseling in order to understand the cultural fit between Bhutan and Western counseling orientations. Eleven participants were interviewed and four themes identified: conceptualization of counseling, Bhutanese culture, Bhutanese counseling, and the relationship between Western counseling and Bhutan. Suggestions are made for a potential model of Bhutanese counseling, counselor training, ongoing Western contributions, and the further development of the counseling profession.     

Deaf clients' perceptions of counseling expertise as a function of counselors' signing skill, gender, and therapy type

The study examined deaf clients' perceptions of counseling expertise as a function of several counseling variables: counselor's signing skill, gender, and therapy type. Twenty undergraduate students at a special college for the deaf who were enrolled in either counseling courses or psychology courses viewed 4 video clips reflecting a mock counseling session. After viewing the clips, the participants were asked to complete the Counselor Rating Form--Short Form (Corrigan & Schmidt, 1983). There was no statistically significant main effect for the sex of the counselor, the match between the counselor's gender and the client's gender, or the mode of communication. While the study demonstrates the utility of the method for future research with deaf clients, further modifications of the method are necessary.     

GSR Feedback as an Aid in Developing Counselor Empathy

The authors evaluated the effectiveness of Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) feedback as an aid in developing empathy in novice counselors. Counseling psychology graduate students were matched and randomly assigned to either an experimental group that received a display of client skin conductance level during counseling sessions or a control group that did not receive physiological feedback. The communicative aspect of empathy was measured by the Counselor Verbal Response Scale (CVRS), and the perceptual aspect was measured by the Affective Sensitivity Scale (ASS). An analysis of gain scores suggested that training with biofeedback is associated with more affective responding by the counselor. This procedure did not facilitate counselor communication of understanding of the clients' specific concerns, nor was a pervasive increase in perceptual sensitivity observed. Qualitative evidence gathered from a postexperimental inquiry augmented the statistical findings.     

The Relationship of Counselor Self-Actualization To Counselor Facilitativeness

After completing the Personal Orientation Inventory, 32 counselors-in-training each conducted a half-hour counseling session with one of 32 volunteer clients. Following the session, clients and counselors filled out the Barrett-Lennard Relationship Inventory, indicating how encouraging the counselor had been. Correlational analyses found that in general, counselor trainees who viewed themselves as more self-actualized were not perceived by clients or by themselves as being more encouraging. Specific elements of self-actualization however (awareness of self, others, and the nature of man) were related to facilitative conditions.     

Counselor Preparation: A Semantic Differential Evaluation

Counselors and superintendents from Tennessee and Indiana were administered a semantic differential to compare their perceptions of counselor programs as reflected by counselor performance in 11 skill areas. Counselors rated their training programs higher than did the superintendents but did agree with the superintendents that the best counselor preparation was in educational counseling, pupil appraisal, public relations, and guidance program coordination. Counselors also agreed with the superintendents that better counselor preparation was needed in parental consulting, vocational counseling, and research. Primary disagreement between counselors and superintendents centered on personal-social counseling, an area in which counselors feel well prepared.     

Engaging Reflection: A Training Exercise Using Conversation and Discourse Analysis

The author describes an exercise for counselor trainees that promotes counselor reflection on the counseling process. The exercise, which also supports a social constructionist view of counseling, was introduced before, or concurrent with, skill development and required students to combine conversation and discourse analysis of their interactions with “clients.” Methods of analysis are presented, along with specific instructions for the exercise, trainees' comments, and the author's reflections regarding the exercise. We are seeking to complete and be completed … not to understand and be understood cognitively, not to get it right.     

Heterosexual Bias Among Counselor Trainees

Master's level counselor trainees rated an audiotaped and role-played intake interview of a female client whose sexual orientation was varied. In Condition 1, the client referred to her partner as “Doug,” a man; in Condition 2, the client referred to her partner as “Diane,” a woman; in Condition 3, the client referred to her partner as “Chris,” whose sex was unidentifiable. Subtle forms of heterosexual bias were found through participants' ratings of the unidentifiable client. When responding to the ambiguous condition involving the unidentifiable client, 83% of the participants assumed the client was heterosexual. When they were debriefed, participants expressed concern over the lack of training on issues related to counseling lesbian and gay clients. Use of the ambiguous case example, as in this study, is recommended for training to assess and confront increasingly subtle forms of heterosexual bias.     

Effects of Counselor Supervision on Group Counseling: Client's Perceived Outcomes

Two hundred and fifty Neighborhood Youth Corps participants experienced group counseling over a 10-week period. Approximately half of the groups were conducted by five counselors who were supervised by a practicum instructor, and the remainder of the groups were led by unsupervised counselors. The participants in the supervised counseling groups were more positive toward their experiences than were those in the unsupervised counseling groups. The need for continuing supervisions or consultation of counselors is emphasized.     

School counselor educators: A grounded theory of career interest and satisfaction

Annually, there are school counseling specific counselor educator positions that remain unfilled. There is a need for more counselor educators with school counseling backgrounds. This grounded theory provides a model of the process by which school counselor educators decide to enter academia and what keeps them in their positions, based on focus groups with 32 participants. Results showed the reasons for leaving school counseling, what factors promote entry into school counselor education, and what keeps school counselor educators in that role. Implications for counselor education are provided.     

A Behavioral Model for the Practicum Supervision of Counselor Candidates

This article presents a behavioral model of supervisor behavior for the counseling practicum that involves supervisor, counselor, and client. Five identifiable stages in supervision are presented: (a) the initial session, (b) the development of a facilitative relationship, (c) goal identification and determination of supervisory procedures, (d) the use of supervisory techniques and procedures, and (e) termination and follow-up. This supervisory process between supervisor and counselor is related to the counseling process between counselor and client.     

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.     

Research on client perceptions and expectations: Client Perceptions of Counselors' Nonverbal Behavior: A Reevaluation

The purpose of this audiovisual counseling study was to determine if variations in counselor nonverbal behavior result in enhanced or debilitated perceptions of counselor expertness, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and helpfulness. Three groups of participants rated the perceived expertness, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and helpfulness of a counselor emitting nonverbal behavior at a high, moderate, or low frequency. In addition, a fourth group rated the perceived expertness, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and helpfulness of the counselor role. Results indicate that: (a) low frequency counselor nonverbal behavior results in debilitated perceptions of counselors; (b) the counselor role is perceived as moderately expert, attractive, trustworthy, and helpful; and (c) compared with the counselor role, high frequency counselor nonverbal behavior does not enhance the perceived expertness, attractiveness, trustworthiness, and helpfulness of counselors. Implications for counseling practice, theory, and research are discussed.     

A Structural Model for Identifying Counselor Skills

An analysis of the counseling process and the various clients a counselor might serve has yielded a structural model for identifying the knowledge and skills required of the counselor. The model specifies skill domain, targets of skill, and attained skill level. Developmental in nature, the model is seen as a first step toward providing a base for more systematic assessment, training, and evaluation in counselor education.     

Essential Characteristics of Master's Level Counselors: Perceptions of Agency Administrators

The purpose of this study was to determine to what degree the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) standards represent skills and knowledge that mental health agency employers use to judge candidates for master's level counseling positions. A total of 84 professionals who hired master's level counselors in their agencies rated the likely effect of each CACREP knowledge and skill area on their judgment of a potential candidate. Respondents also checked specific knowledge and skills they considered important and the type(s) of master's degrees typically possessed by counselors hired by their agency. Data suggested that each knowledge and skill area may have a moderate to significant impact on the employers' judgments, although some competencies were clearly seen to be more relevant than others. Family intervention was the most highly endorsed specialization, and candidates with social work degrees were hired far more frequently than was any other single type. Implications for counselor education programs and graduates are discussed.     

The Impact of Performance Feedback on Counseling Self‐Efficacy and Counselor Anxiety

Based on the Social Cognitive Model of Counselor Training (L. M. Larson, 1998), this study explored the effects of bogus performance feedback on counseling self‐efficacy and counselor anxiety. After a 10‐minute mock counseling session, 45 master's‐level trainees received either positive or negative bogus feedback regarding their performance. Results showed that (a) participants altered their counseling self‐efficacy depending on the performance feedback they received, and (b) participants reported changes in anxiety following performance feedback.     

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.