Therapist behavior as a determinant for client noncompliance: A paradox for the behavior modifier.

Examined the immediate impact of therapist behavior on client noncompliance in 2 studies involving 12 3.8–13.1 yr old socially aggressive children and their families. One family participated in both studies. Observation systems describing client and therapist behavior were used to code videotaped therapy sessions. In Study 1, the therapist behaviors teach and confront were associated with significant increases in the likelihood of client noncompliant reactions. Therapist behaviors facilitate and support were followed by reliable decreases in client noncompliance. In Study 2, the therapist behaviors teach and confront were manipulated in a series of single-S ABAB reversal designs. Results demonstrate that changes in therapist behaviors produced increases in client noncompliance. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

List of therapist intentions illustrated in a case study and with therapists of varying theoretical orientations.

The Intentions List (IL), a 19-item list of therapist intentions, was developed and examined in 2 studies. In Study 1, the use of intentions was investigated in 20 sessions of time-limited therapy with a young neurotic female; 3 trained judges analyzed each session. Across-treatment decreases occurred in the following intentions: setting limits, getting information, supporting, clarifying, hoping, and catharting; increases occurred in insight, change, and reinforcing change. Within sessions, there were decreases in getting information, clarifying, and catharting. In Study 2, the IL was used by 42 experienced therapists in their sessions of ongoing treatment with a neurotic individual or family. MANOVA showed that 7 intentions predicted differential ratings of theoretical orientations. Univariate correlations indicated that feelings and insight were related to psychoanalytic ratings; change, reinforcing change, and setting limits were related to behavioral ratings; and "therapist needs" was related to humanistic ratings. All Ss followed a similar pattern of decreases in clarifying and getting information and increases in catharting, insight, and change. The quality of sessions was related to more focus and feelings and to less getting information and supporting. It is concluded that the IL is an empirically based, pantheoretical measure of therapists' cognitive behavior. (44 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ethical knowledge exhibited by clients and nonclients.

Two studies were conducted to explore the relation between (a) experience in counseling and psychotherapy and (b) ethical knowledge. In Study 1, 77 college students reported their experience as clients in a variety of settings and then completed a questionnaire concerning their knowledge of ethical issues. The hypothesis that clients (subjects who had counseling experience) would demonstrate ethical knowledge superior to that of nonclients (those with no such experience) was not supported. Ethical knowledge did not differ as a function of counseling experience, the setting in which counseling was received, or the number of sessions. However, though overall ethical knowledge was high across groups, knowledge with respect to each ethical issue was incomplete. In Study 2, following the same procedure, we compared 17 current psychotherapy clients at a Veterans Administration medical center with 15 nonclients, patients in the hypertension clinic who had never received psychological services. These clients demonstrated superior ethical knowledge on specific issues (.008?ps?     

Differential perceptions of counselor behavior: Replication and extension.

Conducted 2 studies with 141 undergraduates in an attempt to replicate and extend the 1976 findings of M. B. LaCrosse and A. Barak (1976). In both studies the Counselor Rating Form was shown to be sensitive to perceived differences among and within counselors of moderate and minimal levels of training/experience. In both studies a significant positive relationship was noted between perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness and willingness to refer oneself to the observed counselor for a variety of counseling problems. The provision of a common baseline for S judgment (Study 2) resulted in expertness ratings more consistent with actual counselor training/experience than those of Study 1. The implications of this latter finding for methodological improvements in counseling analog studies are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Native American college students' preference for counselor race and sex and the likelihood of their use of a counseling center.

39 female and 23 male Native American college students completed questionnaires assessing their preference for counselor race and sex and the likelihood of their using a counseling center. Both females and males demonstrated a strong preference for Native American counselors, regardless of problem situation. Males preferred male counselors, but females expressed a preference for female counselors only if they had a personal problem. Likelihood of using the counseling center increased as counselor preference increased. Likelihood of using the counseling center increased if Ss could be seen by a counselor of the same race regardless of problem situation. Only in the personal-problem situation did likelihood ratings increase if Ss could be seen by a counselor of the preferred sex. Ss were less likely to indicate they would go to the counseling center with a personal problem if they would be seen by either their 3rd- or 4th-choice counselors. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Overcoming opposition and resistance: Differential functions of expertness and attractiveness in career counseling.

Hypothesized that counselor expertness would be effective in overcoming opposition to the content of counseling, whereas counselor attractiveness would be effective in overcoming resistance to the counseling process. Two studies of career counseling were conducted: a laboratory analog with 36 vocationally undecided undergraduates and a field study with 45 high school sophomores taking a career planning course. In both studies, counselor role (expert or attractive) was crossed with Ss' initial level of resistance in a repeated measures design. Pre- and postmeasures of Ss' attitudes toward vocational exploration (the content of counseling) and attitudes toward counseling were used to assess change in opposition and resistance, respectively. A behavioral compliance measure of opposition was added in Study 2. Study 1 supported only the resistance hypothesis. Study 2 supported both the opposition and resistance hypotheses and thus demonstrated the differential functioning of expertness and attractiveness. Implications for interpersonal influence research and for the practice of career counseling are discussed. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A method for investigating sources of rater bias.

Few studies in counseling and psychotherapy have investigated rater bias. The purpose of this study was to outline a method for studying rater bias. We studied three potential sources of rater bias: (a) characteristics of the rater, client, and therapist; (b) the similarity of characteristics between rater and therapist or client; and (c) perceived similarity between rater and therapist or client. We used a new rater-bias measure. The data for the study were ratings on the Collaborative Study Psychotherapy Rating Scale for 826 sessions of psychotherapy in the Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. High interrater reliability was found for all scales of the measure. We found evidence of rater bias only on the facilitative conditions scale. Rater bias was not found for the other scales, perhaps because of the extensive development of the measure, careful selection of the raters, lengthy rater training, and continued contact with raters throughout the rating period. The rater-bias measure may be useful to other researchers as a means of testing the reactivity of their measures to rater bias. Finally, the method for investigating rater bias can be used by other researchers to evaluate rater bias. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

"Therapist Multicultural Competency: A Study of Therapy Dyads": Correction.

Reports an error in "Therapist Multicultural Competency: A Study of Therapy Dyads" by Jairo N. Fuertes, Thomas I. Stracuzzi, Jennifer Bennett, Jennifer Scheinholtz, A. Mislowack, Mindy Hersh and David Cheng (Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training, 2006[Win], Vol 43[4], 480-490). The fifth author's name should be spelled as follows: Alexa Mislowack. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2006-23019-010.) This study examined the role of therapist multicultural competence (TMC). Fifty-one therapy dyads completed measures of therapist multicultural competency, working alliance, and their satisfaction with therapy. Clients also completed measures of therapist attractiveness, expertness, trustworthiness, and empathy. Results showed strong associations between clients' ratings of TMC and ratings of the working alliance, therapist empathy, and satisfaction. Clients' combined rating of therapist expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness were not associated with their TMC ratings but were significantly associated with therapists' self-appraised TMC ratings. Therapists' ratings of their TMC were associated with their ratings of the working alliance and satisfaction with their work. Results are discussed in the context of the relevant literature, as are implications for training and research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Implementing a time-limited therapy program: Differential effects of training and experience.

Assessed the relationship between level of clinical experience, training format (no training, self-instructional, or intensive training), and therapeutic outcome in time-limited therapy (TLT). Six experienced therapists (aged 40–55 yrs) and 6 therapists-in-training (aged 25–31 yrs) underwent 1 of the 3 training formats prior to conducting 8 TLT sessions with a prescreened homogeneous group of 57 clients at a university counseling center. Clients of experienced therapists had consistently superior outcomes when compared with clients of their less experienced counterparts, with the exception of intake officers' outcome ratings. The more intensely trained therapists realized better outcomes, irrespective of therapist experience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asian-American students' severity of problems and willingness to seek help from university counseling centers: Role of previous counseling experience, gender, and ethnicity.

Extended previous work conducted to understand the problem concerns and help-seeking likelihood of Asian-American college students. A sample of 596 undergraduate and graduate Asian-American students returned a survey questionnaire (response rate 53.8%). Results indicated that previous counseling experience was related to higher ratings for substance abuse concerns and willingness to seek help from a university counseling center to address academic, interpersonal, and substance abuse concerns. Asian-American women indicated higher severity ratings for substance abuse issues than did Asian-American men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist multicultural competence, Asian American participants' cultural values, and counseling process.

Asian Americans drop out of mental health treatment at a high rate. This problem could be addressed by enhancing therapists' multicultural competence and by examining clients' cultural attitudes that may affect the counseling process. In the present study, we used a video analogue design with a sample of 113 Asian American college students to examine these possibilities. The result from a t test showed that the session containing therapist multicultural competencies received higher ratings than the session without therapist multicultural competence. In addition, correlational analyses showed that participant values acculturation was positively associated with participant ratings of counseling process, while the value of emotional self-control was negatively correlated. The results of a hierarchical multiple regression analysis did not support any interaction effects among the independent variables on counseling process. All of these findings could contribute to the field of multicultural competence research and have implications for therapist practices and training. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Patient-therapist identification in relation to both patient and therapist variables and therapy outcome.

18 patients in a counseling center completed (a) a battery of tests, including scales from the MMPI and Gibson's Acceptance of Self; and (b) rating scales measuring S's identification with and perception of the therapist. Results reveal that S's identification with the therapist significantly correlated with therapy improvement. Degree of identification was associated with both (a) subjective feelings of helplessness and weakness and (b) perception of a stronger therapist during therapy. S's perception of the therapist's strength was incongruent with external judges' ratings of therapist competence, indicating that S's ratings were based on subjective needs. (28 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Moderating effects of client attachment on the counselor experience–working alliance relationship.

The authors predicted that client attachment status would moderate the relationship between counselor experience and client-perceived working alliance. Forty clients from 2 university counseling centers completed measures of attachment and the working alliance. Their counselors were classified according to experience level. Client comfort with intimacy was related to a stronger alliance with the counselors. However, counselor experience was unrelated to client-rated working alliance. Client attachment, specifically comfort with intimacy, moderated the relationship between counselor experience and working alliance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cultural variation in the use of current life satisfaction to predict the future.

Three studies examined cultural and situational influences on the tendency for people to use their current life satisfaction to predict future life events. On the basis of the self-enhancement literature, it was predicted that either writing about a positive personal experience or reading about another's negative experience would lead European Americans to focus their attention on internal attributes and thus would lead them to use their current life satisfaction in predicting the future. Conversely, on the basis of the self-criticism literature, it was predicted that these same conditions would lead Asian Americans to focus their attention on external factors and, therefore, would decrease their likelihood of using their current life satisfaction to predict the future. Studies 1 and 2 supported these hypotheses. Study 3 showed that these patterns could be obtained by subliminally priming concepts associated with individualism and collectivism. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2011 APA, all rights reserved)     

My friend is embarrassing me: Exploring the guilty by association effect.

It is contended that people (known here as associates) erroneously believe that their social standing suffers when people with whom they are associated (offenders) act in socially inappropriate ways. Accordingly, the anticipated evaluations of associates and observers were contrasted in 6 studies. Study 1 participants read a second-person scenario from the perspective of an associate or an observer. Associates anticipated that observers would give them less positive ratings when the offender picked his or her nose (versus control), but observers' ratings were unaffected. In Study 2, associates erroneously anticipated that observers' ratings of them would vary systematically as a function of whether or not they were introduced as friends of an offender who had/had not committed academic misconduct. In Study 3, anticipated ratings of associates were negatively affected by the actions of an offender whom they did not know previously. Study 4 showed that perspective-taking is the key to attenuating the effect and reducing feelings of embarrassment. The last 2 studies clarified the role of physical proximity and felt closeness. Consistent with results of a scenario study (Study 5), Study 6 participants' anticipated ratings were negatively affected by a combination of increased physical proximity and felt closeness. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ratings of helper roles by multicultural psychologists and Asian American students: Initial support for the three-dimensional model of multicultural counseling.

The results of 2 surveys investigating support for psychologists' roles advocated by the three-dimensional (3-D) model of multicultural counseling are reported. Eight vignettes were developed depicting an ethnic minority person with high or low acculturation experiencing or about to experience a problem with an internal or external etiology. Psychologists interested and experienced in multicultural issues (Study 1) rated 6 of the 8 helper roles recommended by the 3-D model for conditions depicted in the 8 vignettes higher on average than they did nonrecommended helper roles. Asian American university students (Study 2) also gave higher mean ratings to 3 of the recommended roles than they did the nonrecommended roles. Examination of the Asian American students' helpfulness ratings revealed a consistent preference for 2 roles: facilitator of indigenous support systems and consultation. Implications for the 3-D model, direct service, future research, and training of counseling psychologists are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Social Corroboration and Opinion Extremity

Four studies found that social corroboration of one's (pro/con) attitudinal position leads to increases in attitude extremity. Study 1 focused on attraction ratings made by college women. This study demonstrated both increases in opinion extremity following corroboration and decreases in opinion extremity following contradiction. Study 2 focused on dental chair comfort ratings made by dental patients and found greater opinion extremity following corroboration from either fellow patients or the dentist. Study 3 reported greater charity donation amounts as well as heightened opinion confidence following corroboration. Study 4 replicated Study 1 varying duration of stimulus exposure and found that, as predicted, confidence scores were affected more by the corroboration/contradiction manipulation when initial exposures were brief. Unexpectedly, however, the affect of corroboration on attraction ratings, was not moderated by initial exposure time. Rather, across both long and short exposure times, attraction scores were most extreme following corroboration and least extreme following contradiction. Path analyses in Study 4 supported the view that this association between corroboration and extremity was mediated by confidence. This research indicates that the relationship between corroboration and opinion extremity appears to be respectably robust across populations and target variables, and is not specific to sensitive within subject designs. Moreover, Study 3 indicates that social corroboration is capable of increasing the extremity of behavior having real consequences for participants. The data are discussed in terms of possible moderator variables, as well as theories of group polarization and opinion extremity.     

Alcohol counseling: physicians will do it

OBJECTIVE: To assess the use of a brief provider-delivered alcohol counseling intervention of 5 to 10 minutes with high-risk drinking patients by primary care provider* trained in the counseling intervention and provided with an office support system. DESIGN: A group randomized study design was used. Office sites were randomized to either a usual care or special intervention condition, within which physicians and patients were nested. The unit of analysis was the patient. SETTING: Primary care internal medicine practices affiliated with an academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-nine providers were randomized by practice site to receive training and an office support system to provide an alcohol counseling special intervention or to continue to provide usual care. INTERVENTION: Special intervention providers received 2 1/2 hours of training in a brief alcohol-counseling intervention and were then supported by an office system that screened patients, cued providers to intervene, and made patient education materials available as tip sheets. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Implementation of the counseling steps was measured by patient exit interviews (PEI) immediately following the patient visit. The interval between the date of training and the date of the PEI ranged from 6 to 32 months. Special intervention providers were twice as likely as usual care providers to discuss alcohol use with their patients. They carried out every step of the counseling sequence significantly more often than did usual care providers (p < .001). This intervention effect persisted over the 32 months of follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians and other health-care providers trained in a brief provider-delivered alcohol intervention will counsel their high-risk drinking patients when cued to do so and supported by a primary care office system.     

How clients perceive therapist empathy: A content analysis of "received" empathy.

Examined the structure and phenomenology of 52 undergraduates' perceptions of empathy. Ss, 27 of which were in therapy, completed self-reports on situations in which a therapist (if they had received counseling) or someone else had demonstrated empathy toward them. Analysis of Ss' self-reports revealed 4 types of client-perceived empathy: therapist (facilitative), therapist affective, therapist sharing, and therapist nurturant empathy. Findings suggest that empathy is not a global, unidimensional concept. Results are discussed in terms of previous studies, which have concentrated mainly on the therapist's and not the client's experience of therapy. The therapeutic efficacy and measurement of received empathy are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)