Ratings by Counselors Without Teaching Experience And Their Principals Regarding Performance of Guidance Functions

This study compared principal and self ratings of performance of guidance functions for practicing counselors who did not have teaching experience. The sample consisted of 43 counselors and their principals from throughout the United States. The ratings indicate better-than-average initial counselor acceptance by administrators, teachers, students, and parents with the degree of acceptance being greater after they had counseled for a while. Principal and self ratings differed significantly on initial acceptance by students and present acceptance by other counselors. Ratings of acceptance by both school psychologists and social workers were below average. There was no significant difference in counselor and principal ratings of counselor understanding of various school procedures and policies or of their ability to perform basic guidance activities. A majority of the principals who had worked with the counselors with non-teaching backgrounds indicated they would recommend the hiring of such a person to their school board.     

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.     

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.     

Counselor Self-Awareness and Counseling Effectiveness

It has been assumed that counselor self-awareness is important to counseling effectiveness. The purpose of the present study was to determine if there were differences in perceived effectiveness between counselors who said they related self-awareness to their counseling role and counselors who believed self-awareness was unrelated to their role. Those counselors who did not relate self-awareness to counseling received higher client ratings of effectiveness than did counselors who related self-awareness.     

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.     

Expectations and Perceptions of the Role of the Guidance Counselor as Described by Students and Parents

This study compared the students' and parents' views with respect to both the perceived and the ideal role of the secondary school counselor. It was found that parents assigned higher ratings to both perceptions and expectations of counselors than did students, and both parents and students held higher expectations than perceptions of counselors. Apparently irreconcilable conflicts among idealized roles were found, which suggested implications for counselor training programs.     

Principals' Perceptions of the Effectiveness of School Counselors With and Without Teaching Experience

The effect of teaching experience on school counselor performance was examined by comparing principals' ratings of counselors with previous teaching experience to counselors certified without classroom teaching experience.     

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.     

Human Sexuality: A Survey of What Counselors Need to Know

A nationwide sample of counselor educators and practicing counselors responded to a survey questionnaire containing 20 items about human sexuality. Their ratings of the items' importance to a new, master's degree counselor about to begin practicing led to conclusions about the sexual information that counselors may need to have and priorities for instruction in sex counseling.     

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 of Counselor Self-Disclosure to Counselor Effectiveness

Counselor self-disclosure was investigated as a dimension of counselor effectiveness with a sample of forty-one graduate students in a counseling and guidance practicum. Effectiveness was measured by ratings from clients and practicum supervisors. Clients rated the counselors in three aspects of the counseling interview and supervisors rated counselors in eight areas. Counselor self-disclosure scores were correlated significantly with all the criterion scores of counselor effectiveness (p <. 05). It was suggested that the concept of psychological disclosure may have important implications for counselor selection and training.     

Perceptions of Counselor Performance: A Comparative Study

Videotaped excerpts of actual counseling interviews were rated using the criteria of empathy, unconditional positive regard, congruence, depth of self-exploration, and counselor effectiveness. Analysis-of-variance techniques indicated no significant differences among the ratings of counselors, counselor educators, and graduate students; there were significant differences among ratings of graduate students in different programs.     

Correlates of Counselor Self-Actualization and Client-Perceived Facilitativeness

Client ratings of the abilities of 33 school counselors to communicate the core facilitative conditions of empathy, regard, congruence, and trust were compared to the counselors' scores on a measure of self-actualization. The results supported the contention that there exists a strong relationship between self-actualization and counselor effectiveness as perceived by clients. The potential usefulness of the Personal Orientation Inventory (POl) in the screening and selection of counselor candidates is indicated.     

Counselor competencies and personality traits at secondary schools in Kuwait

The aim of this research is to study the effective competencies and personality traits of secondary school counselers. A questionnaire was designed to measure counselor competencies, and a simple one way analysis of variance was used for each major competency area to test the differences between counselors who were rated high or low by their supervisors. The 16 Personality Factor Test was also administered to measure differences in personality traits between the two counselor groups. The results are consistent with previous research. It was also found that there are differences between high and low rated counselors in several personality traits.     

Preservice Occupational Information and Vocational Guidance Curriculum: An Evaluation

This study was designed to identify the areas of strength and weakness in the occupational information and vocational guidance preservice counselor education curriculum. Interviews were conducted with 197 counselors and 21 counselor educators concerning the extent of coverage actually and ideally devoted to 22 content areas. Arranging the ratings for the 22 content areas from highest to lowest suggests a hierarchial emphasis for these topics in curriculum planning. In addition, within group and between group comparisons provide bases for discerning the types of curriculum that are seen as most advantageous by both counseling practitioners and counseling professors.     

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.     

British and Commonwealth Counselors: An Investigation of Counselor Characteristics and Theoretical Views

This study investigated personal characteristics, espoused theoretical orientation, counseling response style, and tendency toward variety as related to general guidance, and counseling competence, and to home or overseas origin of 32 (16 males and 16 females) students enrolled in the Guidance Unit at the University of Reading, England. Subjects were drawn from the United Kingdom (Home students) and from 11 overseas countries (Overseas students). Instruments administered were the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), the Porter Counseling Inventory (PCI), and the Similies Preference Inventory (SPI). The subjects' theoretical orientation was determined by the ratings of six theories of counseling. These ratings were given weighted scores for Insight and Action orientation, i.e., London's Insight-Action dichotomy. Guidance and counseling competency was based upon ratings by three professors using a 5-point scale. Results showed large differences between the groups on the EPPS and PCI, but EPPS and PCI scores were unrelated to the subjects' theoretical orientations. Competency ratings were related to theoretical preference, with Home students espousing Action approaches receiving lower ratings and Overseas students espousing Insight approaches receiving lower ratings. Results were discussed in terms of different cultural demands on counselors and with relevance to the use of the Insight-Action dichotomy in research with American counselor samples.     

Counselor Characteristics and Effectiveness in Serving Economically Disadvantaged and Advantaged Males

This study compared the personality characteristics, determined by the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF), of practicing junior and senior high school counselors serving economically disadvantaged and economically advantaged males. A Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) composite client-rating score, derived from seven male clients and determined for each counselor, was the effectiveness criterion. Male clients from both economic populations perceived as effective those male counselors who expressed characteristics associated with the popular American masculine stereotype and those female counselors who showed characteristics associated with the popular American feminine stereotype. The IPAT specification equations, one for each sex applied to the results of the 16 PF, provide a practical screening device for predicting counselor effectiveness with both economically disadvantaged and advantaged male clients.     

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.     

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.