Counselor Trainee Effectiveness: More Puzzle Pieces?

Abstract

This study continues the search for meaningful relationships between counselor trainee characteristics and effectiveness. Self-disclosure, dogmatism, locus of control, Machiavellianism, academic aptitude, and sex of counselor trainees were investigated for their relationships to effectiveness during practicum or internship. The nature of these relationships as well as their implications for the counseling profession are discussed.

Counseling Effectiveness and Trainee Helping Qualities: Another View

“…The criterion measure was the trainee's performance during practicum as assessed by the supervisor's ratings on the Counselor Evaluation Rating Scale (CERS). Although their data supported earlier conclusions reported by Rowe, Murphy, and DeCsipkes (1975) regarding the independence of counselor trainee personality characteristics and judgments of their effectiveness, the Loesch et al (1978) article failed to consider another highly important variable; the client's satisfaction with the counseling experience as an index of counseling effectiveness.…”

“…One important aspect of this study was its extension of the Loesch et al (1978) study focusing primarily on the interrelationships between counselor trainees, supervisors, and clients. The researchers suggest that the evaluation of training should be made from a number of perspectives (e.g., trainee, supervisor, client, independent judge) and on several dimensions.…”

“…This study attempts to clarify the research exploring the issue of counseling effectiveness by expanding the model applied by Loesch, Crane, and Rucker (1978) to include client satisfaction with counseling as an outcome variable. The major hypothesis of the study was that a significant positive correlation would emerge between client ratings of satisfaction with counseling and trainee levels of self-acceptance and sociability.…”

Personality characteristics, training methods, and counseling effectiveness

“…Loesch, Crane, and Rucker (1978) attempted to correlate counselor self-disclosure, dogmatism, locus of control, Machiavellianism, academic aptitude, and sex of counselor trainees with counselor evaluation ratings and concluded that "judgments of some aspects of counselor trainee effectiveness are independent of some counselor trainee personality characteristics" (p. 202). They suggested that programs spend more time on counseling-skills development and evaluation and less time on trainee personality Kathleen Yosr Ritter is a professor of counselor education, School of Educarion, California Slate College, Bakersjeld. characteristics.…”

“…Even studies that attempted to assess several personality characteristics by traditional means (Loesch et al, 1978) have found inconclusive results. One "isolated" study (in terms of the number of variables assessed) found numerous significant correlations between POI scores and seven measures of counselor behaviors (Selfridge & Vander Kolk, 1976).…”