Abstract: | The comparability of written and oral measures in evaluating counselor effectiveness was examined for trained and untrained participants. The responses were rated on use of reflective skills, verbal following, and general quality. A multivariate analysis of variance indicated that written responses were significantly higher on verbal following and general quality. Correlations among the written and oral measures were high and positive, especially when corrected for attenuation as a result of the reliabilities of ratings. Correlations were higher for trained than untrained participants. In general, the results support the comparability of written and oral assessments of counselor effectiveness, especially for trained participants. Implications for the evaluation of training programs and areas for future research are discussed. |