Maintenance of specific counseling skills over time.

Conducted naturalistic observations of the frequency with which 7 female and 6 male counseling trainees used specifically trained counseling responses across time. Frequency measures were based on the 1st 30 min of audiotaped interviews with clients, taken at the end of prepracticum, during practicum, and at least 3 mo after training. Seven response categories were identified as trained in prepracticum: goal setting, confrontation, reflection/restatement, interpretation/summary, structuring, probe, and minimal verbal. Two more categories arose from the data: self-disclosure and information giving. A 10th category, "other," served for otherwise unclassifiable responses. Responses were classified by 3 trained raters working independently. Data indicate that males make more responses overall than females. All responses occurred in the trainees' repertoire to some degree, but confrontation and goal setting were used with decreasing frequency, and probes increased across trials. Effects of supervisory expectations, as well as the tendency to internal consistency for a single individual across trials, are noted, and training of specific skills is affirmed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)