Quality of counselors' intake evaluations for clients with problems that are primarily vocational versus personal.

Compared the quality of 15 doctoral-level counselors' written evaluations following an initial interview with 113 17–36 yr old college students whose problems were judged to be primarily vocational, personal, or a mixture of the two. Overall, quality of intake evaluations was lower for vocational than for personal problems. Counselors' interest in doing intakes, studying the results of interest inventories, and doing vocational personal counseling related to the quality of their intake evaluations in various ways. (20 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of client race on counselors' assessment of case materials.

Determined whether racial labels contribute to counselors' assessments of clients. 86 graduate students from 6 counseling programs read and assessed 8 intake case summaries. Four summaries were used in the computation of data. For 1 group of counselors, the clients in those 4 summaries were labeled Black, for a 2nd group they were labeled White, and for a 3rd group there were no racial labels. The counselors rated the cases on 11 positive-to-negative dimensions. Analysis of counselors' ratings summed across cases indicated that Black-labeled cases were rated significantly more positive than those labeled White or with no label. A stepwise multiple regression using the no-label condition as a relative reference point indicated that in the final regression equation, Black-labeled cases contributed more to the prediction of counselors' ratings than level of counseling experience, level of physical social distance to minorities, or prior contact with minorities. Counselors seemingly overcompensated to avoid negative professional bias. The reverse biases they demonstrated are discussed as well as the implications for counseling minorities. (8 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of disabled counselors' self-disclosures on client perceptions of the counselor.

In a videotaped counseling analog, 2 male counselors each portrayed (a) an obviously disabled counselor in a wheelchair and (b) a not obviously disabled counselor with visual impairment. Within each condition, counselors did or did not make self-disclosures about their disability. Ss were 169 university students, none of whom was disabled or had close friends or relatives who were disabled. Results indicate that counselors in several of the disability conditions were rated as being significantly more expert and attractive than able-bodied counselors. Counselor self-disclosures did not have a clearly negative or positive effect on Ss' perceptions. The hypothesis that awareness of a counselor's disability may enhance client perceptions of his or her credibility is discussed. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselors' attitudes regarding bisexuality as predictors of counselors' clinical responses: An anlogue study of a female bisexual client.

Ninety-seven counselors read a fictitious intake report about a bisexual woman who was seeking counseling services for several psychological concerns. Counselors then rated the woman's psychological functioning and their own anticipated reactions to having the woman as a client. As the authors hypothesized, counselors with the most negative attitudes regarding bisexuality were more likely than others to have negative reactions to the client, anticipate responding to the client in a biased and judgmental manner, believe the client had problems in areas related to bisexual stereotypes, and rate the client as having a low level of psychosocial functioning. Attitudes regarding bisexuality were significantly related to counselors' clinical judgments and reactions even after controlling for attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Therapist complementarity as a function of experience and client stimuli.

Assessed degree of therapist (TP) complementarity (CMP), an interpersonal communication strategy, in 67 TPs' responses to client statements (CSTs) that varied on 3 dimensions (directness, power, and type of affect as it varied over TP experience level). TPs at all experience levels responded similarly to different types of CSTs. CMP was lowest in response to hostile-dominant CSTs and highest in response to hostile-submissive CSTs. Differences in CMP were found across levels of experience toward direct and indirect CSTs. Professional TPs were significantly more likely to respond to indirect client statements with lower CMP than were student TPs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Degrees of client comfort as a function of dyadic interaction distance.

27 male undergraduates were interviewed by 9 male counseling students using an intake interview. Each student counselor saw 3 Ss, one in each of 3 counselor-client distance conditions: 18, 30, and 48 in. An analysis of variance revealed significant differences between conditions in the degree of comfort reported by Ss on evaluative scales of a posttest semantic differential. As a further indicator of Ss' degree of comfort, the semantic differential scales were compared to observers' ratings on a behavior checklist and found to have a positive correlation. Ss' degree of comfort scores ranged from highest for 30 in to lowest for 18 in, with intermediate scores at 48 in. Results suggest that degree of client comfort is optimized at specific interaction distances during an intake interview. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An investigation of the effects of client sex and presenting problem in referral from intake.

Examined the extent to which client sex and presenting problem were related to the sex of the counselor to whom the client was referred for individual counseling. Data were collected from the files of 142 counseling center clients seen initially by an intake counselor and then referred for individual counseling; the 25 intake counselors, 14 male and 11 female, were the center's professional staff and maintained regular client loads as well as sharing intake responsibilities with other staff members. Results indicate a predominance of same-sex referrals regardless of client sex, sex of the intake counselor, or the client's presenting problem. While intake counselors were more likely to keep clients of their own sex for continued individual counseling, the tendency to make same-sex referrals was most evident when clients were referred to other counselors. The results suggest that sex is a salient factor in the assignment of clients to counselors and that further study of the conditions under which same-sex vs opposite-sex counselor–client pairings lead to differentially effective counseling outcomes is needed. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Client behavior as a function of therapist style and client resources.

Examined the therapy career of 27 males and 21 females from pretherapy characteristics to outcome, focusing on the 3 issues: (a) degree to which each member of the dyad influenced the process level of the client at different stages, (b) interaction effects between therapist style and client personal resources, and (c) relationships between outcome and client process levels at different time points. The effect of client resources on client process level proved significant both early in therapy and at the midpoint. The therapist style effect was significant at the midpoint but not in early therapy. No significant Client * Therapist interactions were found. Client process in the 10th interview correlated significantly with outcome of therapy viewed from 3 perspectives: The client's, the therapist's, and that of a Rorschach diagnostician. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Ratings of client self-disclosure and improvement as a function of sex of client and therapist

This study examined the effects of client and therapist sex on client self-disclosure and improvement from individual psychotherapy. Based upon closing summary data collected at a college psychological counseling center, it was found that clients were more likely to be rated as low disclosers by female than by male therapists. Males viewed more clients as improved than did females (74% vs. 50%).     

Client perceptions of the therapeutic relationship as a function of client and counselor age.

32 women pseudoclients from each of 2 age groups (25–35 and 60–70 yrs) met with a woman crisis counselor from 1 of the 2 age groups for a 50-min face-to-face interview. Results suggest that age of clients and counselors did not exert a significant influence on clients' perceptions of counselor facilitative skills (e.g., empathy, congruence, regard) or client satisfaction with the therapeutic interview. Age similarity between the client and counselor did not necessarily improve the working alliance. Clients of a specific age group view some counselors of a particular age as more facilitative and empathic than other counselors of that same age. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reactions to unfavorable personal evaluations as a function of the evaluator's perceived adjustment.

"Pairs of Ss listened to two… persons… evaluate the personality of one member of the pair. One of the stimulus persons made derogatory remarks about the 'involved' member, the other was… noncommittal… . In one experimental condition the derogator was pre-identified as… maladjusted, the nonderogator as well-adjusted. In another condition the identifications were reversed." The hypothesis was supported that the combined information, maladjustment and derogation, summate for the bystander to produce a negative impression, but that for the involved S there is a tendency to cancel out hostility that would be arounsed by the derogation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor and client ethnicity and counselor intake judgments.

Used archival research to compare intake judgments made by women counselors about women clients seen for an initial intake interview. Sociopsychological variables, which have been shown to influence counselor judgments, were controlled for in the research design. 41 African-American and 41 White female clients (aged 17–38 yrs), matched on demographic and pretreatment variables, were seen by African-American and White female counselors. Chi-square analysis and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) showed no significant differences in counselor judgments for the matched client groups. Results support the need to control for sociopsychological variables that may influence counselor judgments when examining potential bias as a function of ethnicity. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential effectiveness of directive and nondirective group therapies as a function of client internal-external control.

Tested the predictive utility of a Client * Modality interactive model for group psychotherapy outcome. 26 mildly distressed college student clients were assigned randomly to a nondirective or to 1 of 3 directive groups, all led by the same therapist. Belief in personal internal-external control (assessed with Rotter's Internal-External Control Scale) was the individual-difference predictor, and a multivariate personality battery (including the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale) provided the indexes of psychosocial adjustment. As hypothesized, more internally oriented persons were more therapeutically responsive to the nondirective than to the directive approach, whereas the reverse tended to be the case among those more externally oriented. (29 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Factors related to client return rate following intake.

Examined the relationship of client sex, intake counselor sex and experience level, and the sex of the counselor to whom the client was referred to the percentages of clients returning for counseling following an intake interview. In addition, the effect on return rate of referral to another counselor vs continuation with the counselor seen at intake was examined. Results from 67 male and 74 female counseling center clients and 25 regular counseling staff indicate that clients of both sexes were significantly less likely to return when initially interviewed by male rather than female intake counselors. Further, clients referred by male intake counselors to other male counselors were significantly less likely to return than were clients seen by and/or referred to female counselors. (12 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Selected process variables as a function of client type and cognitive complexity in beginning counselors.

Investigated the effect on 4 selected counseling process variables by utilizing multiple measures of cognitive complexity and varied counseling tasks. Cognitive complexity was assessed with 5 separate measures (interconcept distance measure of cognitive complexity, intolerance of trait consistency, intolerance of ambiguity, category width, and paragraph completion test), and counseling tasks consisted of 2 counseling sessions with simulated clients. Ss were 33 22–44 yr old 1st-yr counselors grouped according to their cognitive style. The process variables were counselor–client congruency, counselor empathy, counselor verbal mode, and subrole. The principal findings of the study are as follows: (a) Counselor cognitive complexity did not significantly discriminate between measures of the 4 process variables. (b) There was a significant difference in performance on 3 process variables (counselor subrole, verbal mode, and accurate empathy) between the 2 counseling tasks. (c) There was a significant interaction effect between counseling tasks and the low-complexity group on accurate empathy. Within certain restrictions, it is concluded that differences in the simulated clients appear to be more influential on certain process variables than the information processing style of the student counselor. (37 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Impact of intake procedures upon client attrition in a community mental health center.

Assessed 2 evaluation procedures in terms of their impact upon client attrition in a community mental health center. 228 Ss received an intake evaluation and a referral for services at the center during 5 consecutive mo. The behavioral analysis report, an innovative evaluation procedure, led to more treatment contacts than a traditional evaluation method. The most significant differences between the evaluation methods were the manner of defining problems and determining treatment goals. In addition, a comparison of long-term effects of the 2 intake procedures indicated that the behavioral analysis report was associated with remaining in individual therapy more than the traditional method. The professional training of the interviewer had no effect upon client attrition. Possible effective elements within the behavioral analysis report are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Degree of client disclosure as a function of past disclosure, counselor disclosure, and counselor facilitativeness.

Examined the relationship between a client's past disclosure rate, specific situational variables, and client disclosure rate in counseling. College students receiving individual counseling services (36 male and 64 female) served as Ss. Each S received 2 questionnaires that contained 3 forms of the Jourard Self-Disclosure Questionnaire and a revised form of the Relationship Questionnaire. Results do not provide total support for any 1 theory of self-disclosure in counseling. A client's past tendency to self-disclose was significantly related to present tendency to self-disclose in the counseling relationship; however, present disclosure rate was also strongly related to certain situational variables, including client perception of counselor self-disclosure and counselor facilitativeness. The relationship between client perception of counselor facilitativeness and client perception of both client and counselor self-disclosure appears to occur through the client's perception of the counselor as warm and empathic, not through perception of the counselor as genuine. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of counselors' smoking behavior and the intimacy level of clients' presenting concerns on nonsmokers' perceptions of counselors.

Counselor smoking and the interaction between the extent of counselor smoking and the level of intimacy of clients' presenting concerns were hypothesized to influence perceptions of counselors and expectancies for counseling. Nonsmoking female participants (N?=?270) observed a videotaped interview in a design that crossed 3 levels of intensity of counselor smoking, 3 levels of client presenting problem intimacy, and 2 female counselors. No interactions were observed, but counselor smoking exerted a negative impact on participants' impressions of counselors' characteristics and counselors' competence. Fewer differences were related to intimacy levels of clients' presenting problems. The impact of counselor smoking was discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Counselor intake judgments, client characteristics, and number of sessions at a university counseling center.

Conducted a study to investigate the variables used by intake counselors at a university counseling center in estimating the number of interviews a client will attend and to assess the accuracy of those estimates. Data collected from 448 cases indicate that counselors relied most heavily on their judgment of the severity of personal problems in estimating the number of interviews clients would attend. The variables investigated accounted for a relatively small amount of the total variance found in the actual number of counseling sessions held. An unexpected finding was that the judged severity of vocational problem was negatively correlated to both the estimated and actual number of interviews. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)