Helping counselor trainees learn to respond consistently to anger and depression.

50 graduate students were randomly divided into 5 groups that were exposed to different kinds of videotaped counselor training procedures. The group of main interest was exposed to a training procedure that enabled the Ss 1st to verbally practice responding to client negative affect and then to observe a model counselor's response. When these Ss counseled either angry or depressed role-playing clients, they responded more consistently to client feelings than did Ss exposed to other training procedures. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Teaching counselor trainees how to respond consistently to client negative affect.

Discusses the problem of teaching counselor trainees to respond consistently to client negative affect. A means of measuring the consistency of affective responding is described. 30 counselor trainees at the prepracticum level were randomly divided into 3 groups. The 1st 2 groups were taught how to respond consistently to client negative affect, and the 3rd group served as a control. Modeling and didactic teaching procedures were employed with the 1st 2 groups. When all the Ss counseled an angry role-playing client, the Ss in the 1st 2 groups responded more consistently to the negative affect than those in the control group. There was no difference in the consistency of responding between the modeling and didactic groups. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of a method of self-supervision for counselor trainees.

The authors tested the application of self-regulation and goal theory to self-supervision using a replicated, randomized multiple baseline (MBL) design. Specifically, 4 female novice counselor trainees were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 MBL conditions (self-supervision targeting the use of metaphor first and then empathy, self-supervision targeting empathy and then metaphor, or an attention placebo control) to test the effects of self-supervision on trainees' use of empathy and metaphor across counseling sessions. Although trainees significantly increased their use of metaphor after receiving self-supervision training, no significant effects were found for self-supervision targeting empathy. Tentative conclusions include that self-supervision appears viable with some limitations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Occupational sex role stereotypes and social desirability among counselor trainees.

Reviewers of the literature have concluded that sex bias frequently occurs in career counseling and is operative in both male and female counselors. In order to test whether counselors hold preconceptions about occupations, a study was conducted that incorporated 2 levels of counselor sex with 4 levels of stimulus occupations in a mixed factorial design. The dependent variables were degree and direction of sex role stereotypes and degree of social desirability, as measured by scales of the Bem Sex Role Inventory. 27 male and 27 female graduate students in counselor training completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory for each of the stimulus occupations. ANOVAs and mean comparisons on scores representing the dependent variables led to the following conclusions: (a) Males do not differ from females in degree of occupational stereotypes. (b) Occupations differ in degree of stereotypes elicited. (c) Males do not differ from females in direction of occupational stereotypes. (d) Occupations differ in direction of stereotypes elicited. (e) Males do not differ from females in degree of occupational social desirability perceived. (f) Occupations do not differ in degree of social desirability perceived by counselors. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Client attachment and perceptions of the working alliance with counselor trainees.

The relationships among 3 dimensions of client attachment (depend, anxiety, and close) and client ratings of the working alliance were examined in a sample of first-time clients (N?=?60) seeking services through a university-based counseling clinic. Working alliance ratings were collected from all participants immediately after their 3rd counseling session with a counselor-in-training. A significant association was found between the depend dimension of attachment and client working alliance ratings. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Different needs, interests, and abilities of effective and ineffective counselor trainees: Implications for counselor selection.

Compared the scores obtained on the Minnesota Importance Questionnaire, the SVIB, and the General Aptitude Test Battery by groups of relatively effective and relatively ineffective counselor trainees. The trainees completed the tests prior to their first practicum experience and were evaluated by their practicum supervisors at the end of each of their practica. 32 Ss were classified as relatively effective, 30 as relatively ineffective, and 12 as indeterminant on the basis of their practicum supervisor's evaluations. The scores of the relatively effective and relatively ineffective trainees were compared using 1-way analyses of variance. The data reveal significant differences in the needs, interests, and abilities of the groups. The relevance of these findings for the selection of counselor trainees is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactance in relation to different supervisory environments and counselor development.

The purpose of this study was to examine counselor trainees' preference for structure in supervision as moderated by level of experience, reactance potential, and the content of supervision. Reactions of 78 practicum counselors to two of four audiotaped supervision sessions which varied on (a) amount of supervisor structure and (b) supervision content (suicidal client or client with relationship issues) were assessed. Beginning students preferred the structured supervision. The preference of structure for advanced students was moderated by reactance and content. For the relationship content, advanced students who were high on reactance preferred the low-structure supervision, while those with low reactance preferred the high-structure condition. In suicide content condition, advanced students preferred the structured supervision regardless of their level of reactance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of sex of model and media of model presentation on skill development of counselor trainees.

Examined the effect of written vs videotaped model presentation and the effect of a male vs a female model on beginning counselor trainee's production of counselor tacting response leads (CTRL). 65 beginning master's degree students in counseling were randomly assigned to 1 of 5 treatment conditions—videotaped male model, videotaped female model, written model present, written model not present, and control. Each S's responses to a series of 16 videotaped client vignettes were rated for frequency and quality of CTRLs. As hypothesized, no differences were found between male and female models. Significant differences for the 3 qualitative measures of CTRLs were found for videotaped models over control and for the written models over control. No differences between the videotaped models and written models were obtained. (22 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The relationship between level of training, implicit bias, and multicultural competency among counselor trainees.

The assessment of attitudes toward diversity among counselor trainees has relied on self-report measures. Implicit measures might offer a valuable addition to self-report because they assess biased attitudes indirectly, do not rely on conscious introspection, and often demonstrate bias that contradicts self-reported attitudes. A sample (N = 105) of counselor trainees was assessed with measures of implicit bias toward African Americans and lesbians and gay men and a measure of self-reported multicultural competency. Implicit bias was present among counselor trainees despite high self-reported multicultural competency. In addition, self-reported multicultural competency varied by training level, but implicit bias did not. The results suggest that implicit bias can add to the understanding, assessment, and training of multicultural counselor competency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral cues to counselor expertness.

Two male and 2 female counselors at each of 3 levels of training and experience conducted an initial interview with a female confederate client who presented the same role to all counselors. Videotapes of these interviews were viewed by 120 undergraduates who rated the counselors' expertness, indicated counselor behaviors that contributed to their judgments, and rated their willingness to refer close friends to the observed counselors for various concerns. Only individual counselor performance contributed significantly to rated expertness. Data do not support those of L. D. Schmidt and S. R. Strong (see record 1970-09304-001), which show an inverse relationship between training/experience and rated expertness. Willingness to refer was differentially related to rated expertness, depending on the client concern. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of counselor gender and counselor sex role orientation on perceived counselor characteristics.

Assessed the influence of counselor (C) gender (male or female), C sex role orientation (traditional or egalitarian), S's sex role orientation (masculine, feminine, or androgynous), and client problem type (sex role related or not sex role related) on female Ss' judgments of their comfort with disclosing to Cs and their perceptions of the C's attractiveness, expertness, and trustworthiness. Results show that (a) S's ratings of comfort in disclosing was greater with female rather than male and with egalitarian rather than traditional Cs; (b) female egalitarian Cs were perceived as most expert, whereas female traditional Cs were perceived as least expert, and (c) male traditional Cs were perceived as least trustworthy. The presence of C gender and C sex role effects and the absence of effects as a function of problem type and Ss' sex role orientation are discussed. Suggestions are made concerning the need for more consistent definition of sex role orientation and designation of problem type. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An attributional approach to counselor attractiveness.

Two components of counselor attractiveness—perceived similarity and liking—were examined in a comparison of 2 theoretical approaches to attractiveness and influence in counseling. The referent power hypothesis links both similarity and liking to the counselor's ability to influence. An attributional approach specifies instances in which counselor dissimilarity may have more informational value than similarity and thus produce greater influence. 88 undergraduates viewed videotapes of 1 of 2 female counselors purportedly either similar or dissimilar to Ss and displaying either high or low liking in her nonverbal behavior. Effects of counselor agreement or disagreement with S's opinion were assessed on measures of S's subsequent opinion and confidence in that opinion. Results indicate that opinion change was a function of counselor disagreement, and confidence change was a function of counselor dissimilarity. The dissimilar counselor was as influential as the similar counselor but had a greater impact on Ss' confidence. Counselor nonverbal behavior produced differential perceptions but was unrelated to influence. Findings support the attributional approach over the reference power hypothesis. (18 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of counselor self-referent responses and counselor status.

Conducted a study with a 2?×?3 factorial design, the factors being status of counselor (paraprofessional vs professional) and counselor response type (high-intimacy self-disclosing, low-intimacy self-disclosing, and self-involving). Perceptions of and responses to the counselor by 180 female undergraduates were assessed. High self-disclosing and self-involving counselors were rated as more expert and trustworthy than the low self-disclosing counselor. Paraprofessionals were rated as more attractive and trustworthy than professionals. Ss' responses to high self-disclosing and self-involving counselors contained more client self-referents than responses to the low self-disclosing counselors. Responses to the low self-disclosing counselor were more likely to be phrased in the past and future and contained more counselor-focused statements than responses to the high self-disclosing or self-involving counselor. Responses to the high self-disclosing counselor contained more affective words and fewer counselor references than responses to the self-involving or low self-disclosing counselors. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A programmed approach to increased counselor open-mindedness.

Developed and evaluated a prototype of a self-teaching program to increase open-mindedness among counselor trainees. 8 written exercises dealing with school counseling situations were completed by 30 graduate students in counseling. Comparison of this group with a control group of 30 other graduate students showed significant differences on 3 performance measures (Truax's Empathy Scale, Kagan and Krathwohl's Counselor Verbal Response Scale, and Hart's Counselor Response Scale) but no differences on 3 attitude measures (Rokeach Dogmatism Scale, Block and Yuker's Intellectualism-Pragmatism Scale, and Budner's Scale of Tolerance-Intolerance of Ambiguity). Advantages of this program are briefly discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of counselor qualities: Impact of subjects' self-concepts, counselor gender, and counselor introductions.

Examined the extent to which a counselor quality (reputed expertise) and a client quality (self-concept) were interactive with counselor gender and with each other as determinants of Ss' perceptions of the counselor. 105 male undergraduates were split into high- or low-self-concept groups according to their scores on the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale and listened to an audiotape of a male or female counselor who was introduced as an expert counselor or a nonexpert counselor or who was given no introduction. Ss then used the Counselor Rating Form to rate the counselor. Consistent with previous research, the expertness manipulation affected ratings of the counselor, whereas counselor gender alone did not. No interaction between counselor gender and expertness introduction was obtained, although one interaction (for attractiveness) was obtained for S self-concept by expertness introduction. Three-way interactions were obtained for perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. These results suggest that although S self-concept alone does not determine perceptions of the counselor, it is one recipient characteristic that interacts with the counselor characteristics of gender and ascribed expertise. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of counselor gender on reactivity to clients.

Explored the responses of 40 experienced counselors to videotaped clients. Five female and 5 male counselors saw 1 of 4 clients: angry female or male or depressed female or male. During 4 vignette stops, counselors explored their immediate subjective reaction to the clients. Their verbal material was taperecorded and rated by 2 judges on sympathy, identification, defensiveness, and anger. Counselors themselves rated 4 variables: liking, attractiveness for counseling, empathy, and comfort. Multivariate ANOVA produced 2 significant counselor/gender effects. Female counselors rated themselves as more empathic than did males, and females were rated as angrier than were males. Results are discussed in terms of the method developed for the study. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)