Comparison of Client and Counsellor Satisfaction with Treatment Duration

Abstract

After termination of personal counselling at a large urban Canadian university, 72 subjects and their counsellors were asked to rate their satisfaction. The subjects were asked to rate to what extent the counselling had helped with the presenting problem, and with other secondary problems, and to rate their degree of overall satisfaction. Statistical analyses conducted to investigate the relationship among number of sessions attended and client and counsellor satisfaction, led to these results: clients who attended a brief number of sessions (1-3) reported no significant difference in satisfaction with the counselling compared to those who attended more sessions; and the majority of clients who had only one session were satisfied with their counselling; counsellors, however, were less satisfied overall with the briefer counselling process, and the author suggests that they were biased against it. The author recommends more research on this critical topic of counsellor expectations toward briefer treatment.     

Counsellor ethnic differences and perceived counselling effectiveness

The purpose of the present study was to examine how counsellor race influences client evaluation of counselling effectiveness. It was predicted that ethnic minority counsellors would be perceived less favorably than the Caucasian counsellor. Three groups of secondary school students viewed a 10-minute videotaped stimulus interview, with different introductions for the stimulus counsellor's race (Caucasian, Native Indian, and East Indian). The dependent measure, perceived counselling effectiveness, was obtained and compared among counsellor races by analysis of variance. The results showed that the ethnic minority counsellors were perceived more favorably than the Caucasian counsellor. No differential effect was found in client perception of non-verbal behaviors. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Age, Gender, and Ethnicity of Counsellor Trainees and Corresponding Counselling Self-Efficacy: Research Findings and Implications for Counsellor Educators

This study explored the counselling self-efficacy of students in a counsellor education programme, in regard to age, gender, and ethnicity characteristics. To assess counselling self-efficacy, the Counselling Self-Estimate Inventory (COSE) of Larson et al. (Counsellor Education & Supervision 41: 120–130, 1992) was administered at the end of a semester to counselling students engaged in different stages of a counsellor training program. No significant differences were found in regard to gender and age-group categories, but significant differences were found among ethnic groups. It was found that Asian and White students generally had similar and also lower counselling self-efficacy means than the other ethnic groups in the sample in regard to several counselling-specific categories. Implications for counsellor educators in training counselling students of diverse characteristics are discussed.     

Premature termination of conselling at a university Counselling Centre

This study investigated premature termination of counselling at a university Counselling Centre. Twenty (20) premature terminators reported on their experience of counselling by completing a mailed questionnaire containing open- and close-ended items. The following results were obtained: Premature termination was not the result of a negative experience of counselling by the client; nor was premature termination the manifestation of a failed interpersonal relationship between the client and the counsellor; clients who terminated prematurely are likely to seek counselling again at a later stage in their lives; premature terminators would be likely to refer someone for counselling and premature terminators did not consider their participation in the study as violating the counsellor-client confidentiality. Limited support was established for the hypothesis that premature terminators will consider their expectations of counselling as not having been met.     

Economic and social changes in the Pacific Rim: Implications for the counselling profession in Canada and Australia

Economic and social changes within the countries of the Pacific Rim are having a significant impact on Canada and Australia. This paper focuses upon what these changes mean for counsellors and counsellor education in these two countries. In addition, aspects of immigration and counsellor responsibility to newcomers is considered along with projected future scenarios related to counselling services.     

Causal Attributions for Success or Failure of Students in College Algebra

Research in the field of attribution theory and academic achievement suggests a relationship between a student's attributional style and achievement. Theorists and researchers contend that attributions influence individual reactions to success and failure. They also report that individuals use attributions to explain and justify their performance. Studies in mathematics education identify attribution theory as the theoretical orientation most suited to explain academic performance in mathematics. This study focused on the relationship among a high risk course, low success rates, and attribution by examining the difference in the attributions passing and failing students gave for their performance in College Algebra. Students from a large urban community college in South Florida (n = 410) self-reported their performance on an in-class test by providing open-ended attribution statements to explain the cause of their performance. They then attributed their performance along the dimensions of locus of causality, stability, personal controllability, and external controllability using the Causal Dimensions Scale (CDSII). The open-ended attribution statements were coded in relation to ability, effort, task difficulty, and luck and compared using a Pearson chi- square procedure. The quantitative data compared the passing and failing groups and their attributions for performance on the test using One-way ANOVA and Pearson chi-square procedures. The results of the quantitative data comparing passing and failing groups and their attributions along the dimensions measured by the CDSII indicated statistical significance in locus of causality, stability, and personal controllability. The results comparing the open-ended attribution statements indicated statistical significance in the categories of effort and task difficulty.     

Attitude Towards Responsibility and Teacher Locus of Control: Further Evidence of Their Validities

In recent years, a growing number of studies have shown that teachers' sense of efficacy is a powerful predictor of teacher effectiveness. The construct of teacher locus of control or perceived teacher efficacy is defined as the teachers' beliefs or conviction that they can influence how well students learn and how they behave (Guskey, 1981; Rose & Medway, 1981; Taylor et al., 1981). It has also been found that teachers who place a high value on teaching tend to take greater personal responsibility for their own actions and their students' performance (Ames, 1982; Brookover & Lezotte, 1979). The concept of personal responsibility for student performance and behaviour may be extended to include responsibility for other aspects of school work and to attitude towards responsibility in general within the school context.     

A cross-cultural comparison of East Indian and Anglo-European expectations of counselling

Conclusion The findings of this paper add support to the view that the expectations of thisminority group appear not to be very different from those of the majority asdominant culture. What is different is the degree to which both adults and adolescentsagree that there should be a family involvement. Further, as the understandingof what minority groups want and how they best can obtain it becomesknown, cross-cultural counselling can become not a separate entity, but one ofshifting attention to the distinct cultural value dimensions which the client bringswith him or her to counselling and utilizing the culturally appropriate methodsrelated to the identified expectations.The noticeable difference between the adolescent groups reflects two differingcultural heritages — the East Indian tendency to see the individual in the contextof the family environment as an explainer of behaviour while the Anglo-Europeanadolescent appearing to not see others (especially the family) as assisting in his/her individual path of decision-making.In being able to adapt our practice of counseling by incorporating culturallyappropriate skills into the counselling process as well as being highly aware of thediffering cultural value systems, we not only help meet the needs of the minorityclient but move another step closer to achieving the cultural expertise to whichIvey has referred. The author urges we move quickly to find out the perceptionsof the many other separate cultural groups in order that we have a solid database of expectations from which the counsellor can work.Cultural diversity continues to become an important reality of the westernworld and it is the counsellor who must change to keep pace with the continuingevolution of society to avoid what Gilbert Wrenn (1961) has defined as the encapsulatedcounsellor.     

Homophobia in Counselling Practice

Current attitudes of counselling practitioners towards sexual and gender differences raise the possibility that minority clients may experience re-traumatisation due to in-session expressions of therapist homophobia. This paper explores these issues through a qualitative study that examines client and counsellor narratives on homophobia in counselling. The results describe specific examples of homophobic behaviour by counsellors. While individual examples might appear mundane on the surface, the frameworks they invoke and their pervasiveness constitutes a considerable threat to the counselling relationship. The paper argues that homophobia in counselling practice is a significant issue that requires sensitive, critical and applied analysis that redirects therapeutic efforts in the future.     

“What do I Share?” Personal and Private Experiences in Educational Psychological Counselling

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study is to explore and develop knowledge about how educational psychological counsellors’ personal and private experiences appear in their counselling practice. We conducted four focus group interviews with twelve counsellors from Educational Psychological Counselling Service. Through Thematic Analysis four themes emerged. The first is that counsellors’ personal and private experiences functioned as a backdrop for their counselling practice. The second theme is the counsellors’ use of different types of stories. The third theme deals with how the counsellors were holding back relevant stories. Finally, the fourth theme comprises the purposes of counsellors’ self-disclosure. The conclusion is that personal experiences form a backdrop for counselling practice and are relevant for how a counsellor makes sense of and understands a situation or a problem. Self-disclosure is in some situations used explicitly in the counselling setting. On the other side the counsellors sometimes consciously hold their experiences back.     

Cross-national perspectives on the role of assessment in counselling: A preliminary report

This preliminary report examines the role of formal assessment in the counselling process from a cross-national perspective. Counsellors and counsellor-educators from twenty countries were surveyed to determine the extent to which they use formal assessment procedures in counselling and the types of assessment instruments being used. Results indicated that many, but not all, counsellors use assessment instruments. In non-North American countries, there is some tendency to use instruments developed in the North American context, with or without modifications to test content and norms. This preliminary study suggests a perceived need for development of culture-specific assessment tools, and the implications for counsellor training of developing counselling and assessment skills with cross-cultural relevance.     

Cognitive distortions and blame attribution in sex offenders against adults and children

OBJECTIVE: Sexual offenders tend to hold attitudes and beliefs which minimize and justify their offending behavior. It was hypothesized that distorted thinking supporting sexual offending and blame attribution would differ depending on the offence characteristics of different groups of sexual offenders. METHOD: Two groups of sexual offenders separated on the basis of the age of their victims (sex offenders against children, 36; sex offenders against adults, 30) were compared on measures of cognitive distortions relating to sex with children and rape and a measure of blame attribution which assesses external, mental element, and guilt feeling attributions. RESULTS: Child sexual offenders endorsed more cognitive distortions relating to sex with children, but there were no group differences in cognitive distortions relating to rape. Those who offended against adults reported more external attributions and child offenders reported more guilt feeling attributions. Mental element attribution related to alcohol intoxication and use of violence in the offence, but was not related to group differences. CONCLUSIONS: Results are interpreted as suggesting that child sex offenders support their offending by more enduring distorted cognitions, while those who offend against adults use blame attributions associated with the particular offence.     

Mediation methods as an adjunct to counselling couples

Couples involved in counselling frequently present situations in which the participants have assumed opposing and antagonistic positions on an issue; problem-solving has reached a deadlock. In these situations, counsellors may find it useful to employ techniques of mediation as an adjunct to traditional methods of counselling and psychotherapy. This paper describes six stages of mediation used with couples to resolve conflict. The six stages of mediation are: a) introduction; b) problem identification; c) identifying and ordering critical problems; d) generating and evaluating problem-solving options; e) evaluating and selecting mutually acceptable, problem-solving options; and f) making an agreement. The discussion also provides procedural suggestions for implementing each stage, methods for coping with commonly occurring problems, and examples of counsellor dialogue at each stage. The paper also discussed several cross-cultural considerations related to communication, counselling and mediation.     

Mediation methods as an adjunct to counselling couples

Couples involved in counselling frequently present situations in which the participants have assumed opposing and antagonistic positions on an issue; problem-solving has reached a deadlock. In these situations, counsellors may find it useful to employ techniques of mediation as an adjunct to traditional methods of counselling and psychotherapy. This paper describes six stages of mediation used with couples to resolve conflict. The six stages of mediation are: a) introduction; b) problem identification; c) identifying and ordering critical problems; d) generating and evaluating problem-solving options; e) evaluating and selecting mutually acceptable, problem-solving options; and f) making an agreement. The discussion also provides procedural suggestions for implementing each stage, methods for coping with commonly occurring problems, and examples of counsellor dialogue at each stage. The paper also discussed several cross-cultural considerations related to communication, counselling and mediation.     

RELIGION AS THE BASIS FOR COUNSELLING

The efficiency and the success of counselling can be frustrated by the fact that far more clients than counsellors attach importance to and profess a belief in religion. Thus it is difficult if not impossible for the counsellor to work within the spiritual/religious framework of the client to achieve a satisfactory resolution of the problem which moved the client to seek counselling in the first place. Psychological theories of religion as well as interpretations of religious experiences are explored, an example being the use of the cosmology of the Toba Batak of Indonesia as a healing resource. The way the Toba Batak have responded to modernization and Christianization might offer certain lessons as to how modern Europeans and Americans might combine spiritualism and secularism in order to remain mentally and ethically healthy.     

Counseling Services for Malaysian Gifted Students: An Initial Study

This is a preliminary study that was conducted in regard to 180 gifted students who attended the ‘Malaysian Gifted Centre’s School Holiday Camp’ in 2011. Data indicated that only about 7 % of the respondents had a tendency to seek a counsellor’s help to solve their problems, and the need for counselling services was higher among female than male students. It was also found that career counselling was the most preferred type of counselling service needed by the Malaysian gifted students. Findings from the study reveal five different elements that need consideration when providing counselling services for gifted students: counsellor personality, student issues, the therapeutic environment, approaches used by the counsellor, and the counsellor’s role.     

STRESS,COPING METHODS,AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENT NURSES

Nursing is a profession which emphasizes health teaching and counseling. Although nurses have a special responsibility to promote health behavior in clients, they have been somewhat slew in involving themselves in personal fitness practices (Macnamara, 1980).

Commitment to the concept of personal health is crucial since those professionals with better personal health habits tend to discuss with clients more health related topics and counsel them more aggressively in regard to personal health habits (Wells, 1984). This paper describes new graduate nurses’ perceived stress level, personal health status, and their methods of coping with stress. The value of physical activity in coping with students’ stress is of particular interest as part of the development of their future client counseling role.     

Personal therapy: An essential aspect of counsellor training,or a distraction from focussing on the client?

As part of a research project investigating therapist/counsellor orientation and the therapeutic alliance with anorexic or bulimic clients, data was collected not only on therapist orientation but also on training, supervision and personal therapy of the counsellors. While no significant correlation was found between length of training or supervision and the therapeutic alliance score, there was a significant negative correlation between the amount of personal therapy the counsellors had had and the measure of the therapeutic alliance achieved with their clients. Further investigation produced other studies on personal therapy and effectiveness of counselling, in which at best no positive correlation was found between personal therapy and outcome, and at worst, personal therapy was negatively correlated with outcome.These research findings challenge the assumption often made that personal therapy is a desirable if not essential aspect of counsellor training. The arguments for and against personal therapy being included in the training of counsellors are discussed.     

An Holistic Approach for Counsellors: Embracing Multiple Intelligences

This paper explores a range of therapeutic modalities used by counsellors of children and positions those modalities within Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences. Research by O’Brien (Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence and its implications for the counselling of children. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia, 1999) revealed that by drawing on a combination of preferred intelligences, children were able to enhance the dialogue between the unconscious and conscious, while strengthening the relationship between the counsellor and client. A number of useful counselling approaches are highlighted in working with children, particularly younger children who have not yet developed language sufficient for more formal counselling sessions. Suggestions that assist counsellors to operate across settings are explored.