Factor analysis of the domain of client expectancies about counseling.

446 college students completed a questionnaire measuring 20 expectancies regarding counseling. After item analysis, the instrument was reduced to 135 items comprising 17 expectancy scales. Scale scores were calculated for each S, and data analyzed using principal-components analysis with varimax rotation. Evidence of 4 expectancy factors was obtained: Personal Commitment, Facilitative Conditions, Counselor Expertise, and Nurturance. To clarify interpretation, scores on the 4 factors were correlated with Ss' responses to 13 items measuring how realistic respondents' expectancies were. (48 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interviewer style, client satisfaction, and premature termination following the initial counseling contact.

57 female and 38 male clients at a university counseling center were interviewed by 1 of 4 interviewers (3 male and 1 female) to test 2 alternative explanations for early defection of female counseling clients. One explanation proposes that the dependent, self-disclosing female is frustrated by nondirective, initial interviews which fail to provide the structure she needs to formulate her problems. Dissatisfaction leads her to leave counseling. The 2nd alternative is that nondirective, initial interviews are satisfying because they provide the dependent, self-disclosing female with the opportunity for cathartic relief. She subsequently terminates because she feels better. Likeliness to defect was measured by Adjective Check List scores prior to the interview, and evaluations of interviewer directiveness and interview satisfaction were obtained from clients immediately following the initial interview. Greater satisfaction with nondirective interviewing by females more likely to defect was found, which favored the catharsis alternative. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A metalanguage analysis of counselor and client verb usage in counseling.

Examined the verb type and noun case role usages of a counselor and client from the 1st, 11th, and 25th interviews in a single counseling case, using the rationale from a computer-assisted language analysis system and a case grammar approach. The analysis indicated that the participants were remarkably similar in the frequency with which they used (a) specific verb types and (b) case roles of particular noun phrases within each interview. Moreover, Ss were similar in their changes to higher or lower frequencies of these units of linguistic structure over the 3 interviews. The counselor and client appear to be "tracking" each other in their use of given verb types as methods for relating named things to each other. In the beginning of the series, the majority of verbs that both participants used identified the client member of the pair as the agent of some action. By the end of the series, a majority of verbs that both participants were using identified the client as the object of some inner state, or as the experiencer of a psychological process of feeling, sensing, or knowing. (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)     

Racial similarity of client and counselor and client satisfaction with counseling.

Client evaluations of a precollege counseling interview were obtained for 13 black and 13 white students counseled by 3 experienced black counselors and 8 experienced white counselors. Black students tended to react more favorably to black and to white counselors than did white students. In general, racial similarity of client and counselor was not an important factor in these counseling interviews. The hypothesis that counselors are differentially effective in counseling students of a different racial background than their own lacks support. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Templates of client change in short-term counseling.

A qualitalive analysis was performed of the change process experienced by 10 female clients engaged in short-term counseling (8–21 sessions). At the end of each session, clients completed the Important Events Questionnaire in which they described the most important event in the session, the reason for its importance, their thoughts during the event, their thoughts between sessions, and any change they were experiencing. These written responses were examined by 4 judges who attempted to map change processes over time. Three different patterns of change were identified: consistent change, interrupted change, and minimal change. The implications of these results for the understanding of change processes in short-term counseling are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Influence of client pretesting on counseling outcome.

Tested 27 college students in 2 groups, 1 prior to and both after counseling. The hypothesis that pretesting would "reactively influence counseling" was partially upheld in that "pretesting was significantly associated with measured adjustment of clients after counseling." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of time-limited counseling on client change.

24 college-student clients seeking help from a counseling center for emotional or personal-social problems were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 treatment conditions: time-limited or undetermined-time counseling. Pre- and postcounseling measures were obtained relating to client status and problems. These included the Personal Orientation Inventory and Strupp's therapist questionnaire. Findings indicate significant improvement in terms of self-acceptance and increased independence as well as on various other self-report statements for clients in the time-limited group over a period of 8 wks. In addition, assessment by clients and the 15 counselors of improvement in both groups was significantly related. Implications of findings in terms of use of time-limited counseling in a time-limited environment, e.g., college counseling centers, are discussed. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Differential client attractiveness in a counseling analogue.

Investigated the effects of variations in conceptual complexity level of counselor and client on counselor attraction to the client. 40 counselor trainees (characterized as having either high or low conceptual level—Paragraph Completion Test) in 2 groups rated the attractiveness of clients following each of 2 counseling analog tasks in which the client was depicted as exhibiting high or low conceptual level. Results of a 2?×?2 analysis of variance (Counseling Complexity?×?Analog Complexity) indicated only that the more complex clients were more attractive across both levels of counselor complexity. Results are discussed in terms of 2 models of interpersonal attraction and the implication for socioeconomic status, as it relates to conceptual level, as a factor in counselor–client role constraints. (19 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceived counselor characteristics, client expectations, and client satisfaction with counseling.

Examined (a) the relationship between perceived counselor expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness and client satisfaction; (b) the relationships between specific client expectations on perceived counselor characteristics and client satisfaction; and (c) the effects of actual counselor experience level on perceived counselor characteristics and client satisfaction. The 55 counselors who participated in the study were either beginning or advancing practicum students, doctoral-level interns, or PhD counselors; clients were 72 students who sought help at a university counseling center. Clients completed an Expectations About Counseling (EAC) questionnaire before entering counseling, as well as the Counseling Evaluation Inventory (CEI) and Counselor Rating Form (CRF) after several weeks of counseling. CRF and CEI were correlated, but EAC scores were not strongly related to the CEI or CRF scores. Actual counselor experience level did not differentially affect CEI or CRF scores. Findings are discussed in terms of several variables (e.g., legitimate power, source variables, and client satisfaction) that may differentially affect the influence process over time. (32 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Improved detection of the early defecting counseling client.

Research into the factors predisposing clients to terminate prematurely from counseling often requires the ability to measure and predict defection or continuation, the readiness variable. This study attempted to improve upon the Counseling Readiness Scales by the empirical development of correction keys using the remaining items from the Adjective Check List. Ss were 186 female and 243 male undergraduate counseling clients. This effort was successful as far as improved discrimination between both male and female true negatives (clients predicted to drop who actually drop) and false negatives (clients predicted to drop who actually stay). However, similar efforts to improve the discrimination between true positives (clients predicted to stay who actually stay) and false positives (clients predicted to stay who actually drop) were unsuccessful. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Changes in counseling center client problems across 13 years.

Are perceived increases in symptom severity in college counseling center clients real or imagined? Counseling center staff, retrospectively, reported that client problems are more severe now than in the past. Yet studies examining client distress levels at intake have found no significant increases. This study examined counseling center client problems across 13 years from the perspective of the treating therapist at the time of case closure. Increases were found for 14 of 19 client problem areas, whereas other areas retained stable levels, and 2 problem areas had a quadratic trend over time. These changes directly affect counseling service practices. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Behavioral medicine: St. Louis style.

Describes a unique multidisciplinary division in which 8 clinical programs are all administered by psychologists working in a university medical center setting. The increasingly complex environment of a university medical center is discussed in terms of academic mission, competitiveness of health care, and professional roles. The development of this division is reviewed in relation to a number of critical issues, such as organizational structure, academic vs clinical demands, business operations, and 1 version of a scientist–practitioner model in practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Perceptions of client needs and counseling center staff roles and functions.

Used a national sample of 205 university and college counseling center staff members to obtain ratings of Ss' perceptions of changes in client presenting problems, changes in agency expectations with regard to 9 service-related tasks, and their comfort and skill in performing these tasks. Ratings were obtained from past and present time perspectives to aid in assessing perceived changes in these areas. Results indicate that Ss perceived client problems to be changing from more informational/educational to more serious emotional/behavioral problem areas. At the same time, staff members across all experience levels reported an increased pressure to perform in 7 of the 9 tasks listed. Staff members generally rated themselves as able to meet current service demands. Implications for counseling training programs indicate that an emphasis on acquiring traditional therapy and assessment skills may become increasingly important and that opportunities for specialty training should be expanded. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of briefing upon client satisfaction with the initial counseling contact.

Administered the Counseling Readiness scale of the Adjective Check List to 44 male and 41 female student naive clients at a counseling center. Half of the Ss were then provided relevant information about therapist directive-nondirective behavior prior to initial contact. Results show female Ss who had been briefed and were high in counseling readiness were most satisfied with initial contacts, and able to elicit more directive interviewer behavior. While briefing failed to influence the initial subjective satisfaction of male and female clients with low-counseling readiness, it did significantly reduce the incidence of early termination in this group. (20 ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Personality processes reflected in client vocal style and Rorschach performance.

Proposed vocal style as a useful variable with which to classify groups of clients in order to study the differential effects of various therapeutic maneuvers. Relationships between voice quality ratings in early psychotherapy interviews and pretherapy Rorschach and MMPI scores were investigated in order to explore the nature and generality of this variable. For 52 clients in time-limited, client-centered psychotherapy, significant relationships were found between 3 of the vocal styles and Rorschach variables developed to measure qualities commonly observed in creative individuals. Vocal styles were substantially unrelated to MMPI scores. Implications for differential prognosis are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Matching addiction outpatient counseling to client readiness for change: The role of structured relapse prevention counseling.

The clinical importance of matching counseling procedures to the client's readiness for change is gaining increased recognition in the addictions treatment field. This article describes a comprehensive cognitive-behavioral outpatient counseling program for substance abusers that consists of 5 components (i.e., assessment, motivational interviewing, preparation of an individualized treatment plan, 'initiation of change" counseling procedures, and "maintenance of change" counseling procedures). The relationship of these treatment components to 5 client stages of change (i.e., precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) is discussed. A simple assessment tool for determining the client's stage of change, the Commitment to Change Algorithm, is described. Finally, the difference between initiation and maintenance of change homework assignments in structured relapse prevention counseling is highlighted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A comparison of client and counselor expectancies regarding the duration of counseling.

Asked 594 college students seeking counseling at a university counseling center to indicate duration expectancies in the form of estimates of the number of sessions needed to resolve the problem(s) they were presenting. Following the initial interview, 40 counselors who saw the clients gave their own duration expectancies for 434 of the clients. The results of a comparison of estimates showed that clients consistently gave significantly lower mean estimates than counselors. No significant correlations were obtained between client or counselor duration expectancies and the number of weeks remaining in the school term or year. Clients with career development concerns and counselors of clients with these concerns gave the smallest mean estimates. Large mean and modal discrepancies occurred between client and counselor estimates for personal/social problems. (21 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)