Comparison of students who sought help and their expectations of counselors in a university dormitory and counseling center.

Compared students seeking help from counselors in university residence halls (n = 30) and in a university counseling center (n = 24) in terms of their levels of adjustment and the characteristics they expected in their counselors. As predicted, the counseling center Ss showed a poorer adjustment on 10 of the 12 counselee-relevant scales of the Adjective Check List. Contrary to the prediction, resident hall Ss rated their expected counselors as better adjusted on 6 of the 7 counselor-relevant scales. Further analyses suggest that Ss' expectancies with regard to counselors were a function of the Ss' own personal characteristics, i.e., attributive projection. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

International and American students' expectancies about counseling.

Investigated whether students from different backgrounds differ in their expectancies about counseling on a university campus. Ss included 40 American, 39 Chinese, 35 African, and 36 Iranian freshmen and seniors who completed a questionnaire measuring college students' expectancies about counseling. Significant differences among the 4 nationality groups were observed on 12 of the 17 expectancy scales. It was found that American Ss expected the counselor to be less directive and protective and expected themselves to be more responsible for improvement. In contrast, the Chinese, Iranian, and African Ss expected to assume a more passive role and expected that the counselor would be a more directive and nurturing authority figure. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

College students' help-seeking preferences.

136 undergraduates completed a questionnaire indicating the relative likelihood that they would turn to 7 potential helpgivers with 11 personal or 5 career problems. For personal problems, Ss indicated they would be more likely to turn to a close friend for help. For career problems, Ss stated that they would be more likely to seek help from an academic advisor, instructor, close friend, or close relative. A total of 36% and 26% of the Ss said they would seek help from a professional counselor for a personal or career problem, respectively. The extent to which these findings replicate previous research is discussed. (23 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancies for counselors as a function of counselor gender specification and subject sex.

20 male and 20 female undergraduates were randomly selected at each of 2 time periods for inclusion in each of 3 experimental groups: male counseling psychologist (CP), female CP, and gender-unspecified CP. Ss filled out a modified version of the Expectations About Counseling (EAC) questionnaire that included a reference to the sex of the CP for the appropriate groups. An additional sample of 92 Ss was enlisted to aid in a manipulation check; on completion of the EAC, they were queried as to whether the sex of the CP had been mentioned. Results indicate that specification of the counselor's gender had no significant effect on Ss' expectations, but that sex of S was a potent factor. Females expected stronger facilitative conditions, more personal involvement in counseling, and a more positive counseling outcome than did males. The importance of Ss' sex and interpersonal style and the CP's professional role in expectation-setting processes are discussed. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Initial client expectancies in time-limited counseling.

Assessed the effects of (a) whether counseling was time-limited (12 sessions), (b) the interaction of time limits with the chronicity of the client's problem, and (c) the rationale given for time limits (time limits effective/appropriate vs a long waiting list) on the initial expectancies of clients. 80 female college students were asked to place themselves into the role of a client they saw interacting with a counselor on film. Pre- and postfilm written material manipulated the independent variables. Results show that Ss in the chronic (vs acute) problem condition had the most negative expectancies for the counseling relationship and outcome when the counseling was time-limited (vs unlimited). While the rationale for time limits did not affect the primary dependent variables, post hoc analyses of Ss' essay responses indicated that the waiting-list rationale stimulated more negative expectancies than the time-limits-effective/appropriate rationale. Contrary to predictions, time did not affect Ss' expectancies for client activity and responsibility and for counselor activity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counseling expectations as a function of fee for service.

Two studies investigated the hypothesis that counseling on a fee-for-service basis might affect client evaluation of counseling, client motivation to change, and client willingness to seek help. In Study 1, 80 male and 80 female undergraduates completed a questionnaire, which required Ss to estimate the probability of their using university counseling-center services for varied concerns, and an expectations-about-counseling questionnaire. Ss were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental conditions representing fee structures: no fee, a modest fee ($5), a modest fee but knowing others pay more for the same services, and a substantial fee ($25). Results show that fee condition did not affect willingness to seek help or counseling expectancies. Although there were some differences between sexes on expectancies, there was no interaction effect for sex and fee condition. In Study 2, 12 male and 31 female 15–54 yr old former clients of a psychology clinic were asked to compare satisfaction under no-fee and fee ($5 and $25) conditions. Again, fees did not affect Ss' evaluations of, expectations for, or willingness to seek counseling. (15 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Expectancies versus background in the prediction of college drinking patterns.

Examined the alcohol expectancies of 321 17–40 yr old undergraduates as a function of Ss' drinking patterns and Ss' expectancies to demographic/background variables for their ability to predict problematic and nonproblematic drinking patterns. Ss completed a demographic data sheet, alcohol expectancy questionnaire, and customary drinking record. Factor analysis of Ss' self-reported drinking yielded 3 drinking styles: nonproblematic social drinking, frequent drinking with alcohol-related problems, and contextually determined alcohol consumption. Optimal alcohol expectancy and demographic/background predictors of each drinking style were selected and compared via multiple regression procedures. Predictor equation efficiency was then examined in a new cross-validation sample of 176 Ss. Results indicate that alcohol expectancies increased the predictability of college drinking patterns and that alcohol expectancies were differentially related to problematic and nonproblematic features of college drinking. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

When counselors are heard but not seen: Initial impact of physical attractiveness.

Out of a total of 72 undergraduates, 24 males and 24 females viewed the videotaped professional self-presentation of a presumed counselor who was either physically attractive or unattractive. Ss then indicated their impressions of the counselor on 12 traits and their expectancies of the counselor's helpfulness for 15 personal problems. Relative to the physically unattractive counselor, the attractive counselor generally was perceived more favorably by both sexes, especially with regard to his intelligence, friendliness, assertiveness, trustworthiness, competence, warmth, and likeability. The attractive counselor also elicited more favorable counseling outcome expectancies for 8 of the specific personal problems. 2 control groups who listened to the tapes but were unaware of the counselor's appearance did not differ from each other in their ratings of the counselors. Results are discussed in the context of previous and further research on the physical attractiveness variable and in the context of their implications for counseling. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of trainee expectancies and specific instructions on counselling skill acquisition.

Examined the acquisition of counseling skill by 31 inexperienced undergraduate counselor trainees as a function of (1) brief, specific instructions on how to counsel and (2) Ss' pretraining expectancies pertaining to nondirective vs directive counseling style. The Reisman Direction-Unconscious Motivation Scale was used to identify Ss of high vs low directiveness expectancy, and Ss of these 2 groups were randomly assigned to training or control conditions. The training group showed significant training gains on 2 microcounseling criteria, while the directiveness-expectancy variable had no significant effect. Findings vis-à-vis the brief instructions illustrate that a significant training gain can be induced simply by alerting trainees to the evaluative criteria. It is concluded that such instructions could be used both as highly efficient means of instituting initial counseling skill in paraprofessional workers and as an apt control in assessing the effect of relatively more extensive counselor training programs. (French abstract) (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The effects of goal setting and group size on performance in a social dilemma.

Examined the effect of self-set personal and assigned group goal setting on an individual's behavior in 3- and 7-person groups confronted with a social dilemma. 274 Ss earned between $1.82 and $4.94 by investing money in either a personal account or a group account. Self-set personal goals that were compatible with an assigned group goal led to higher group performance than self-set incompatibly high ("greedy") personal goals. Collective-efficacy in making money, outcome expectancies that cooperation with others leads to the attainment of the group's goal, and group goal commitment correlated positively with group performance. Ss in 7-person groups (N?=?28) were less cooperative than those in 3-person groups (N?=?26). Ss in 7-person groups had lower collective-efficacy, lower outcome expectancies, and lower commitment to the group goal than did Ss in 3-person groups. Furthermore, individual performance in 7-person groups was significantly lower than individual performance in 3-person groups. A social dilemma appears to be a boundary condition for the normally positive effect of group goal setting on group performance. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of audiorecording and videorecording on client satisfaction and self-expression.

Examined the effects of audiorecording and videorecording for the purpose of counselor supervision on 60 undergraduates with personal or education-vocational problems. Videorecording inhibited the self-exploration of Ss with personal problems and resulted in less satisfaction with counseling. Both recording methods inhibited self-exploration in Ss with educational-vocational problems, but neither method affected their satisfaction. Recording methods also affected Ss' self-reports of the extent to which they felt inhibited by these methods, and the effect was equal across problem types. The effects of recording did not decrease from the 1st-2nd interview. Recording did not affect Ss' responses to, or counselors' ratings of the Ss on, an excitation-inhibition scale. (19 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A controlled study of variables related to counseling center use.

Investigated the utility of several variables in discriminating between students who sought help at a university counseling center (seekers) and those who did not (nonseekers), when level of personal adjustment was controlled. Interactions between Ss' level of personal adjustment and help-seeking status were also examined. 40 female undergraduates who reported no previous history of formal counseling or psychotherapy were administered several tests including the College Maladjustment Scale. Three variables—alternate sources of help, counseling usefulness, and perceived severity of help-seeker pathology—significantly discriminated seeker from nonseeker Ss. It is suggested that level of Ss' adjustment is an important variable to control in research on the decision to seek help. Attitudinal variables were not powerful predictors of help-seeking behavior. Implications for the delivery of mental health services on the university campus are discussed. (33 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

What are friends for? Students' expectations of the friendship encounter.

Examined possible factors contributing to a client's desire to talk to a friend about personal and/or emotional problems. The Expectations About Counseling questionnaire was administered to undergraduates to assess their expectations about a counseling session with a friend (167 Ss) and with a counselor (411 Ss). Results suggest that Ss highly valued genuine, accepting, confrontive friends whom they could trust. Less importance was placed on a friend being empathic, expert, and directive. Ss indicated a willingness to take responsibility for what occurs during the session and for being open with their friend. Females valued genuineness, trust, attractiveness, acceptance, openness, concreteness, and nurturance significantly more than males; 3rd-yr students reported a greater expectancy to be liked by their friends than did students at other class levels. Comparison of these data with Ss' expectations for counselors revealed several similarities and differences. (4 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Premature termination at a university counseling center.

Predicted that 3 sets of variables would discriminate between clients who returned for scheduled appointments following intake and clients who did not: (a) client perception of the intake counselor as expert, attractive, and trustworthy; (b) agreement of client and counselor on the presenting problem; and (c) client satisfaction with the intake interview. To test this prediction, 134 university students (mean age 22.9 yrs) completed the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, a counselor rating form, and a client problem identification questionnaire after an intake interview. 30 of these Ss dropped out of counseling and 104 continued. It was found that client satisfaction and perceptions of trustworthiness and expertness were related to Ss' returning for scheduled appointments. No differences between continuers and dropouts were found with respect to client perceptions of counselor attractiveness or client–counselor agreement on problem identification. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effects of self-disclosing versus self-involving counselor statements.

Studied 107 female undergraduates who listened to 1 of 2 audiotaped recordings of a counseling interview between an experienced male counselor and a female client. Half of the Ss heard a tape containing counselor self-disclosure (S-D) statements; the other half heard a tape containing counselor self-involving (S-I) statements. Ss rated the counselor's expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness (Counselor Rating Form) and generated written responses to each S-D or S-I counselor statement. The S-I counselor was rated as significantly more expert and trustworthy than was the S-D counselor. Further, Ss' responses to the S-D counselor statements contained significantly more questions about and references to the counselor, whereas responses to S-I counselor statements contained significantly more self-referents. Ss' responses to the S-I counselor were significantly more likely to be phrased in the present, rather than the past or future, tense. Implications for the practice of counseling and for further research on self-disclosure are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Married student concerns: Who counsels the married population?

Sampled 1,098 students and spouses on a university campus by a mailed questionnaire. Married Ss reported their greatest concerns were child-rearing problems, personal and vocational concerns, communication and incompatibility problems, and financial concerns. Lesser concerns were in-law conflicts, sexual adjustment, housing, social and recreational activities, and religious or philosophical differences. Wives reported more difficulties and a greater desire to talk to a counselor than their husbands. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A survey of students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university.

A questionnaire survey of 377 students' attitudes toward counseling at a predominantly Black university produced results similar to those reported for predominantly White campuses. The predisposition to seek out counseling services depended on the type of problem. Most Ss were willing to discuss with the counselor matters related to vocational and educational concerns; however, for personal adjustment problems there was significant decline in the frequency with which the counselor's help was sought. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)