| Abstract: | Reviews the book "The work of the counselor" by Leona E. Tyler (see record 1954-05997-000). As the title indicates, Tyler has attempted not to describe a theory of counseling, but to write of the peculiar work of the counselor, marshalling ideas from experience and from research to throw light on how counseling may most successfully be done. It is therefore an eclectic book in its approach, predominantly nondirective in its philosophy and techniques, but making use of the contributions of testing, occupational information, and environmental resources in a manner more commonly associated with other points of view. Tyler makes her own synthesis of these approaches. The result is a very readable text, suitable for relatively unsophisticated students, in which each chapter concludes with a concise critical summary of relevant research which makes the text appropriate for students with more background and for practitioners. The functions of the counselor in modern society are effectively dealt with in Chapter I, thus starting out by putting the counselor's work in good social and psychological perspective. Chapter II discusses interviewing, stressing the perceptual skills of the counselor and reflection of feeling as a tool but pointing out that these are procedures used by a warm person communicating with another, not tricks of the trade. Chapter III deals with records in a manner that is refreshing among texts of this type: instead of discussing the construction of cumulative records, Tyler treats them as aids to counseling, as sources of hypotheses to explore in counseling, as a means of orientation to a client rather than as bases for diagnosis. The chapter on diagnosis therefore recommends that counseling not be organized around this activity, as it typically is in non-Rogerian settings, but that diagnostic activities be relied upon for initial screening and particularly as means of helping the client to understand himself. Chapters V and VI deal with tests, leaving data on the construction and validation of specific tests to other textbooks, and concentrating on what tests can contribute to the self-understanding of the client and how the counselor can use them for this purpose. The chapter on occupational information also stresses the use of such information in counseling, although brief attention is paid to sources in passing. Chapter VIII deals with psychotherapy, and Chapter IX with decision-making interviews, thereby putting this text practically in a class by itself for comprehensiveness and balance in coverage. In Chapter IX the school counselor is placed in the context of the school as one personnel worker, with the peculiar function of trying not to decide things for the student. A chapter on the selection and training of counselors, and one on evaluation, bring the book to a close. Three appendices include an intake form, notes on some interviews, and selected readings. Although it seems to this reviewer that the book shows an as yet incomplete recovery from the impact of the nondirectivists, it is an extremely valuable text which many of us active counseling psychologists would be glad to have written ourselves! (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
