Counseling-Related Legislation: A Seminar

The complexity of counseling-related legislation has dictated the need for counselor-training programs to develop an organized and systematic approach to this topic. One method to accomplish this goal is through the use of a topical seminar. A graduate-level seminar is described in terms of goals, objectives, structure, and requirements. Significant incident-experience reports were used to learn about the legislative-experiencing levels of the students. From 110 reports received from students, 34 were directed to the awareness level, 39 to the knowledge level, 15 to the skills level, and 22 to the action level. Instructors' observations, student feedback, and recommendations are also provided.     

A Brief Feasibility Report on a Videotaped Test Measuring Carkhuff's Dimensions

An eight-item instrument was constructed to measure the skills represented by four of Carkhuff's dimensions (scales) of facilitative interpersonal functioning. These items consisted of stimulus statements on a color videocassette, introduced by a narrator and performed by actors. Subjects responded by writing what their verbal and nonverbal responses would be in the situation presented. Reliability coefficients (.77 and .80), concurrent validity (.75) and construct validity via factor analysis are presented. Results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach to measuring Carkhuff's dimensions. Suggestions for further research are included.     

Counselor Anxiety During a Counseling Interview

Physiological and subjective measures of counselor anxiety were compared to determine if counselors experienced greater anxiety during a counseling interview than during a conversation, Twenty experienced rehabilitation counselors in a graduate-level practicum course volunteered to participate in a 10-minute conversation and counseling session. Anxiety was assessed by self-report skin conductance and heart-rate measures. Results indicated that there were no significant treatment, period, or interaction effects for heart-rate data; however, there was a significant period effect for conductance data. There were no significant differences for participants' self-report evaluations of the two situations. Baseline autonomic data were highly related to autonomic data during the anticipation and stimulus periods, and preexperimental self-report data were moderately related to postexperimental self-report data. Conclusions were that counselors experience comparable anxiety during counseling and conversing, that expectation accounts for most of the counselors' anxiety, and that baseline physiological and self-report data may prove useful in identifying counselors who would experience anxiety during an interview.     

Impact of National Aquarium in Baltimore on Visitors' Conservation Attitudes,Behavior, and Knowledge

This study at the National Aquarium in Baltimore (NAIB) was conducted to assess four key aspects of the visitor experience: (1) incoming conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of NAIB visitors; (2) patterns of use and interaction with exhibition components throughout the NAIB; (3) exiting conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of visitors; and (4) over time, how the NAIB experience altered or affected individuals' conservation knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. Three hundred six visitors participated in the study, which was conducted from March through July, 1999. The study utilized four data‐collection techniques: (1) face‐to‐face interviews, (2) Personal Meaning Mapping (PMM), (3) tracking, and (4) follow‐up telephone interviews. Participants were a self‐selected population and were generally more knowledgeable about, more concerned about, and more involved in conservation‐related issues than the general public. However, they were far from conservationists. Visitors in this study clearly absorbed the fundamental conservation message at the NAIB. In fact, the NAIB visit appeared to focus visitors' conservation‐related thoughts, while also broadening their understanding of conservation. Changes in visitors' conservation knowledge, understanding, and interests by and large persisted over six to eight weeks after visiting NAIB. The NAIB experience also connected to visitors' lives in a variety of ways following their visit. However, these personal experiences rarely resulted in new conservation actions. In fact, their enthusiasm and emotional commitment to conservation (inspired during the NAIB visit) generally fell back to original levels, presumably in the absence of reinforcing experiences. The findings of this study are guiding subsequent investigations at the NAIB. More generally, the results suggest strategies to enhance current understanding of the impact free‐choice learning institutions have on their visiting public.