A Comparison of Self‐Referred Counselees and Non‐Counseled Junior High School Students

Abstract

A population of 315 ninth grade students was separated into two groups consisting of those who had made voluntary counselor appointments during the preceding two years, and those who had not. The two groups were compared in terms of sex, general ability, achievement, and personality ratings. There were no significant differences between the groups except for the sex ratio. All ninth grade students and all incoming seventh graders were also surveyed regarding their preference toward voluntary or required programs of counseling. Both grade levels generally preferred the voluntary approach.

Effective Counseling: Some Proportional Relationships

“…Counseling is far more productive when the client is voluntarily involved in a relationship with a counselor (Brough 1968;Cunningham 1967;Deschenes, Fish & Hislop 1967;Pine & Boy 1966). A voluntary client is cooperative, identifies and sees the need to solve or resolve personal concerns, and is inclined to expend energy in a relationship that was freely chosen.…”