Influence of nonprofessional counselors' physical attractiveness and sex on perceptions of counselor behavior.

Previous research has suggested that the physical attractiveness of male counselors differentially affects observers' reactions to brief counselor self-introductions. 96 female undergraduates were exposed to audiotaped counseling interviews conducted by nonprofessional counselors of both sexes who were physically anonymous or were identified photographically as physically attractive or unattractive. Dependent measures including the Relationship Inventory were selected on the basis of their relevance to current counseling theory and research and included counselor trait attributions, perceived facilitative conditions, motivations for continuing counseling, and counseling outcome expectations for a variety of presenting problems. Multivariate analysis of the data produced consistent findings which were unmitigated by counselor sex. The counseling behaviors of unattractive counselors were judged to reflect less desirable traits and conditions and engendered weaker commitment and less optimistic expectations than did identical behaviors attributed to physically attractive or anonymous counselors. Conclusions are discussed in terms of counseling conditions which might potentiate or eliminate these initial effects of counselor physical attractiveness. (39 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Conceptual systems functioning as a mediating factor in the development of counseling skills.

Investigated the relationship between counseling systems stages and counselor effectiveness as measured by the Carkhuff Empathy Scale. 97 advanced undergraduate and graduate students taking their 1st interview skills course were rated for stage of conceptual functioning with the This I Believe Test. At the completion of training, audiotapes of actual counseling interviews were rated for level of empathic responding. Conceptual theory predicts that individuals at lower stages of conceptual functioning will not be as effective in responding empathically as those at higher levels of conceptional functioning after experiencing similar training programs. Results conform to theoretical expectations in that there were markedly significant differences between and among conceptual stage groups. (21 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship between scores on the Omnibus Personality Inventory and counselor trainee effectiveness.

Compared the scores obtained on the Omnibus Personality Inventory by groups of relatively effective and relatively ineffective counselor trainees. The trainees (61 students in their 1st yr of a counseling psychology program) completed the tests prior to their 1st practicum experience and were evaluated by their practicum supervisors (PhD or master's-level counselors with more than 5 yrs of experience at supervision) at the end of each of their practica. Ss were classified as relatively effective, relatively ineffective, or indeterminant (ns?=?32, 30, and 12, respectively) 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. Data revealed significant differences in the personality characteristics 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)     

Perception of a physically disabled counselor in a counseling session.

Conducted a counseling-analog study to determine whether an apparently physically disabled counselor compared with an able-bodied counselor would be perceived as exhibiting higher levels of 4 therapeutic ingredients. Ss were 189 undergraduates who were randomly divided into 2 groups. 1 group viewed a videotaped counseling session (role-played) with the counselor in a wheelchair. The comparison group viewed the same counseling dyad except the counselor was seated in a chair. Both groups rated their respective counseling tape sessions on the Barrett-Leonard Relationship Inventory. The disabled counselor was rated significantly higher on all therapeutic variables compared with the same counselor when viewed as nondisabled. (21 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)     

Assessing paraprofessional competence with the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory.

This article reports the development and validation of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, a self-administered questionnaire designed to assess the paraprofessional's ability to select an appropriate response to the self-destructive client. The Suicide Intervention Response Inventory demonstrated the ability to discriminate among three groups of 28 respondents known to differ in suicide counseling skills, and it detected enhancement of such skills in 127 volunteers over the course of crisis intervention training. As predicted, the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory also showed moderate convergence with the Counseling Skills Evaluation technique, an instrument devised to tap more general capacities for facilitative responding. These preliminary indications of the validity of the Suicide Intervention Response Inventory, coupled with its high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, suggest that it may be a useful adjunct to more general indices of counseling effectiveness in screening, evaluating, and researching paraprofessionals who deal with potentially suicidal clients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Sensitivity-oriented versus didactically oriented in-service counselor training.

Compared the effectiveness of 2 different in-service training workshops for counselors. 18 male and 15 female secondary school counselors with a mean age of 37.3 yrs and mean counseling experience of 6.3 yrs served as Ss. 22 Ss were given a 16-hr Carkhuff-type refresher in facilitative interpersonal process plus 8 hrs either of sensitivity experiences or traditional didactic learning. 11 volunteers whose schedules could not be accommodated served as controls. Pre-post criteria of relationship skill were assessed in actual and simulated interviews. Results demonstrate the usefulness of Carkhuff-based training supplemented by group encounter as a professional-skills enhancer, and underscored the transferability of sensitivity training gains to counseling. It is concluded that the interpersonal learning that occurs in a sensitivity context may be a more valuable resource in real-life counseling situations than the learning effected by didactic materials. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A laboratory study of the effects of varying levels of counselor eye contact on client-focused and problem-focused counseling styles.

Studied the effects of varying durations of counselor eye contact over 2 counseling conditions: (a) client-focused counseling style, defined as the counselor focusing on the client's thoughts and feelings about the presenting problem; and (b) problem-focused counseling style, defined as the counselor focusing on the problems themselves. 60 female undergraduates observed videotaped segments of counseling interviews depicting 1 of 6 conditions involving either client-focused or problem-focused counseling styles and either low, medium, or high counselor eye contact. Ss then rated the counselor on 3 dimensions of counselor effectiveness: genuineness, competence, and self-confidence. Results show that counselors using both counseling styles were rated progressively higher on all 3 dimensions from the low- to the medium- to the high-gaze condition. In the problem-focused condition, the counselor was rated lower on the genuineness factor than either competence or self-confidence. When broken down by gaze levels, these differences did not hold up for the high level of eye contact. There were no significant differences between counselor ratings on the 3 dimensions of counselor effectiveness for the client-focused condition. Results are discussed with respect to related research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of counselor gender and gender-role orientation on client career choice traditionality.

The purpose of this study was to test common assumptions about the effects of counselors' gender and gender-role orientation on clients' career choice traditionality. A sample of 240 career counseling clients (120 women and 120 men) were counseled by a male or female counselor, who were further classified as possessing a masculine, feminine, or androgynous gender-role orientation as determined by the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. The clients' career choice traditionality was measured on three occasions: during the counseling sessions, at the conclusion of counseling, and with respect to clients' actual career choices 6 months after completion of the counseling process. Results showed that counselor gender and gender-role orientation had no effects on any of the three measures of client career choice traditionality. Client gender emerged as the only significant determinant of client career choice traditionality. We discuss the implications of these findings for counseling research and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Training in experiential therapy.

Literature on training in the core facilitative conditions is reviewed to highlight issues that have emerged from this research tradition. A reconceptualization of the way in which empathic responding is conceptualized is called for, and suggestions are made about features that need to be addressed in empathy training. Four methods of training therapists (didactic, skill training, experiential, and personal growth) are examined, and a combination of these methods is proposed as the best means of training experiential therapists. Current developments in manualization and adherence measurement in experiential approaches are reviewed. The advantages of context-sensitive, process diagnostic manuals are discussed. These manuals specify not only what the therapist does but also when and in what sequence interventions are made. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effect of sex role orientation and gender on counseling skills training.

34 female and 13 male 21–46 yr old postgraduate counselor education students, enrolled in 1 semester of counseling skills training, completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory, taped pre- and posttraining quasi-counseling sessions, and took a videotape counseling skills exam. Factorial ANOVAS indicated that sex-role orientation had a significant effect on counseling skills scores and counselor response effectiveness before and after training. Gender had no significant effect. The masculine sex-role-oriented Ss were rated less effective than the undifferentiated sex-role-oriented Ss on counseling skills. All Ss improved over time; those in the androgynous orientation group, significantly more effective prior to training, were not more effective after training. Results suggest that counseling skills training should consider trainee sources of variation in learning. (25 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Duration, satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of cross-cultural counseling.

The relationship between cultural dissimilarity and the duration, satisfaction, and perceived effectiveness of counseling was studied in the context of 70 actual treatment dyads that varied as to the race of the counselor and the client (White or non-White). White counselors provided fewer sessions than non-White counselors, and non-White clients expressed lower levels of overall satisfaction with counseling, regardless of counselor race. No differences in counseling effectiveness were observed as measured by counselor and client ratings of perceived relief, understanding, and coping. Relative to other treatment dyads, however, White clients seeing White counselors attributed their change more to counseling than to other, outside factors. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Verbal interaction and supervisor perception in counselor supervision.

20 dyads of masters-level counseling practicum students (aged 23–52 yrs) and their supervisors (aged 28–51 yrs) were audiotaped during 1 supervisory session. The counselor trainee's and supervisor's verbal interaction in supervision was rated using a 15-category system for analyzing supervisor–teacher interaction. These scores were correlated with the trainee's perceptions of the supervisor on the interpersonal influence characteristics of expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness, as measured by a supervisor rating form. 45 Pearson correlations between measures were calculated, with 8 comparisons reaching the .05 level of significance. Significant relationships were found between some categories of verbal behavior and 1 or more perceived supervisor characteristics. It is concluded that a moderate relationship exists between the nature of the interaction in supervision and perceptions the counselor forms about the supervisor. (14 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Effects of subject self-esteem, test performance feedback, and counselor attractiveness on influence in counseling.

Hypothesized that (a) changes in the achievement orientation of 60 male undergraduates, as measured by the Achievement scale of the Survey of Personal Values, would be greater for Ss interviewed by a counselor performing an attractive rather an unattractive role; (b) change scores would be greater for Ss who were told they had failed an experimental test than those who were told they had succeeded; (c) change scores would be negatively related to S's self-esteem (measured by the Class 1 scale scores on the California Psychological Inventory); and (d) there would be a Counselor Attractiveness * Success or Failure * Self-Esteem interaction effect. No relationships between the independent variables and counselor influence were found, although the experimental induction of attractiveness was successful. Implications for a theory of counseling influence and future research are noted. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Relationship of counselor self-talk and hypothesis formulation to performance level.

25 female and 15 male counselors across a range of skill levels (14 students in graduate-level counseling laboratory classes, 13 doctoral or advanced master's degree students who had completed at least 1 practicum experience, and 13 professional counselors working as therapists in community agencies) conducted 25-min counseling interviews with 1 of 4 female undergraduate clients and then completed instruments measuring the frequency of task-facilitative and task-distractive self-talk and the quality of clinical hypothesis formulation. It is hypothesized that these measures of counselor internal dialog would be predictive of counselor performance (clients' and trained raters' evaluations) once the effects of counselor gender, education level, and years of experience were accounted for. Cognitive variables were assessed, using standard multiple regression techniques, for their combined and unique contributions to the overall prediction equation. A positive relationship between higher quality clinical hypothesis formulation and higher levels of facilitative performance during counseling sessions was found. (24 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Self-actualization level as a predictor of practicum supervision effectiveness.

20 counseling students at high and low levels of self-actualization (as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory) were randomly assigned to high or low self-actualizing supervisors to assess the effects of such assignment on change in self-actualization during the course of the beginning practicum semester. A control group of 5 counseling students not enrolled in the practicum were also pre- and posttested to assess their change in self-actualization during the same semester. It was assumed that counselor growth in self-actualization would be affected by the level of self-actualization of the supervisor. Results do not support this assumption. Counseling students tended to gain in self-actualization whether or not they were enrolled in a practicum and regardless of the level of self-actualization of the supervisors to whom they were assigned. Evidence linking counseling effectiveness and self-actualization is advanced; speculation about supervision effectiveness and self-actualization requires further testing. (17 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facilitative training: Acquisition, retention, and modes of assessment.

Examined 10 hr. of didactic-experiential training in facilitative functioning for acquisition, retention, and equivalence of modes of assessing levels of facilitative functioning. 20 prerated moderate-level and 20 low-level functioning counselors-in-training were assigned to treatment and control groups according to a randomized block design. Results confirm previous research indicating that levels of facilitation can be increased, whether assessed from written or oral modes of responding. Prerated moderate Ss appeared more able to use the training for formulating higher facilitative oral responses in a counseling interview than low-level Ss. Posttraining levels of functioning were maintained throughout the 4-wk latency period by both prerated moderate- and low-level Ss. Equivalence in levels of facilitative functioning between written and oral modes of responding was not found for any of the prerated subgroups. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)