A Review of Consultation: Practice and Practitioner

This article is a review of Consultation: Practice and Practitioner, by Jonell Kirby, who is both editor of the book and a contributing author. In the preface of the book Kirby states that, “Consultation is replacing referrals for comprehensive treatment and services” (Kirby, 1985, p. vii). Kirby proposes that consultation will fill the gap between the general practitioner helper and the specialized expert. In the past, when a client required help outside of the specialist's expertise, the client was referred to another practitioner, creating a situation that often confused the client and caused the original service provider to worry about the client's welfare. This book is based on the beliefs and experiences of seven contributors. In the first two chapters the authors discuss the general nature of consultation; the remaining chapters focus on specific settings such as schools, hospitals, business settings, mental health centers, and police departments.     

Enhancing the Effects of Modeling Through Role-Play Practice

The effects of yoking role-play practice to modeling treatments designed to teach the rudimentary counseling skill of reflection of feeling were investigated. Twenty-eight novice counselors-in-training were randomly assigned to one of the four treatment conditions: written model, videotape model, written model plus role-play practice, and videotape model plus role-play practice. Effectiveness was measured by ratings of students' oral responses to 16 videotaped client vignettes. The multivariate analyses revealed that although there were no significant differences between the two modeling conditions without role-play practice, there were significant differences between students who received an opportunity to role-play practice and those who did not. From the results of the analyses, it was concluded that role-play practice significantly enhanced the effectiveness of the written model but not the video model. These results are discussed in terms of counselor skills training.     

Self-Instructional Modules: Comparison of Modeling and Feedback Media

This study addressed the effectiveness and efficiency issues in a self-instructional learning activity in counselor training. The study specifically examined three media (written, audio, and video) of model and of self-generated performance feedback presentation. There were no differences in trainee production of counselor tacting response leads because of media of model or media of performance feedback presentation. Results, however, did indicate that learning is significantly enhanced when a written performance feedback component is added to a written modeling component. The same did not hold true for audio and video presentations. The implications of these cost- and labor-efficient instructional packages are discussed.     

Ethical Issues in Supervising Counseling Practitioners

Major ethical issues related to training and supervising counseling practitioners are discussed including transference, dependency, and power in the supervisory relationship, dual relationships, stereotyping, and the imposition of the supervisor's beliefs on the supervisee. Suggestions for lessening the threat of ethical violations are identified.     

Self-Generated Performance Feedback in Interviewing Training

The present study examined the effect of self-generated performance feedback, of expert performance feedback, and of no performance feedback on novice counselor trainee's production of counselor tacting response leads (CTRLs). Self-generated performance feedback consisted of the participants responding to a video-taped client and then orally evaluating their own response on the basis of a performance standard. Expert performance feedback consisted of verbal feedback from a designated expert given over a bug-in-the-ear apparatus. Analysis of four measures of CTRLs revealed no differences resulting from either source of feedback—self or expert—however, those who received feedback outperformed the controls. These differences were maintained over a short time span.     

A Two-Study Comparison of Written and Video Modeling and of Written and Oral Assessment

This article presents the findings from two research studies. In Study I, 21 counseling students were given either a written standard model, written serial model, or a videotape model of how to ask tacting questions. While there were no differences between the written and video models, significant multivariate differences were found between the two forms of the written models. In Study II, 24 counseling students received either the written or video model and then were assessed either by orally responding or by writing reflections of feeling responses to a series of client vignettes. Once again, no differences were found for mode of model presentation. Students who responded in writing, however, outperformed those who responded orally. The discussion focuses on the implications these two studies have for counselor education.