Effects of counsellor training: Further findings

The 1972/73 class of the University of Aston's Diploma in Counselling course were measured one year after training on their ability to respond empathically and on their ability to discriminate the quality of other counsellors' responses. The same group was also administered the Counsellor Attitude Scale six months and one year after their training. Differences from the administration at the end of the course were not significant on any measures, indicating that skills and attitudes persisted after training. Additionally, during the 1973/74 academic year, the Counsellor Attitude Scale was administered both at five different stages on the Aston course and also to other counsellor training courses. Results of the various CAS administrations are reported, and reasons are suggested for the different outcomes which seem – inter alia – to indicate the value of starting long courses with an intensive client-centred workshop.     

Choice therapy

Choice therapy offers a promising new integrative approach to helping. It attempts to bridge the gap between the respect for the uniqueness of the individual of existential-humanistic approaches and the specificity of behavioural and cognitive psychology. Key terms are defined. The practice of choice therapy is described focusing on skills used in initial and subsequent sessions. Case material is integrated into the text to illustrate points. Within the context of a supportive relationship, choice therapy involves helping clients confront the deficient choices they make that sustain their problems and then educating them in how to make different and better choices.     

Eclecticism, integration and comprehensiveness in counselling theory and practice

A trend toward eclecticism and integration amongst counsellors and others is described. This is mainly prompted by the demands of practice. Eclecticism emphasises 'borrowing freely from various sources' while integration emphasises 'combining parts into a whole'. Integration can be either horizontal, within a theoretical position, or vertical, between theoretical positions. Four models of eclecticism and integration are presented: single theoretical position; supermarket eclectic; eclectic theory-integrative practice; and integrative theory and practice. Neither eclecticism nor integration guarantees comprehensiveness. Some dimensions of a comprehensive theoretical position are described. The lack of a sound, comprehensive and integrative theoretical position, focused on the developmental needs and problems of living of the vast majority of people, has negative implications for both counselling and counsellor training.     

Some thoughts on counsellor training

The main object of counsellor training is to help trainees to offer an effective counselling relationship. It is suggested that this requires three main training elements: personal, practical, and academic. Ways in which the personal development of trainees may be fostered include individual support counselling and a weekly encounter group session. While constructive feedback is necessary, a minimum of evaluation is suggested so that the trainee can feel safe and free to explore himself. Pre-placement training focused on empathic understanding is considered essential before the trainee is allowed to embark upon supervised placement, and a programme of practical work training is outlined. Reasons for including academic work are also discussed, and appropriate academic content is suggested. Finally, the problem of obtaining suitably qualified trainers is considered, along with the desirability of trainers continuing to counsel, and the need for adequate administrative support for training programmes.     

Relationship Skills Training in Schools: Some Fieldwork Observations

The importance of training in relationship skills is emphasised. Following a review of the British and American literature on relationship skills training in schools, a year-long relationship skills course with a group of Australian secondary-school students of low academic achievement is described. The course had mixed success. Issues and problems pertaining to the course and to doing this kind of work in schools are discussed. These issues include: theoretical assumptions, content of course, size of group, composition of group, training methods, facilitating motivation and participation, and assessment. Though its difficulty should not be underestimated, relationship skills training in schools represents an exciting challenge.     

A factor analysis of the counsellor attitude scale

A factor analysis was carried out on the pre-training Counsellor Attitude Scale responses of 107 persons. The first seven factors, which accounted for just over two-fifths of the variance, were: counsellor direction, unconditional acceptance, moral responsibility, diagnosis and interpretation, prior information and case history, reliance on client's ability to solve problems, and allowance of self-derogation and of self-pity. These factors are briefly discussed, and some implications of the findings are suggested both, for the scale itself and for counselling practice.     

Assistance with learning competence and decision-making in schools and further education

721 first-year university students were asked about the amount of help they had received or might have received at their pre-tertiary institutions in developing their learning competence and in course/university/career decision-making. Over all items, nearly 30% felt they had been helped minimally, 40-45% slightly to moderately, and nearly 30% moderately to very much. They felt they had been helped most with learning competence concerns, less with their career and educational decision-making, and least of all with handling distracting personal worries. There were no significant differences by sex or by type of institution previously attended. The correlation between perceived amount of help and A-level scores was not significant. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the possible contribution of learning competence to attainment and the need for realistic educational and career decision-making.     

Goals for counselling, psychotherapy and psychological education: Responsibility as an integrating concept

Responsibility may be viewed as a central integrating concept in counselling, psychotherapy, and psychological education. A distinction is made between responsibility to and responsibility for. The ultimate goal of counselling is to help clients towards taking effective responsibility for their own self-realising. Four mediating goals toward higher levels of self-realising are described: realism, relatedness, rewarding activity, and right-and-wrong (an ongoing process of ethical living). Some central sub-goals are suggested for these four areas, in each of which responsibility may be avoided or assumed.     

Some effects of counsellor training

The first two classes of the University of Aston's Diploma in Counselling course (1971/72, N = 5; 1972/73, N = 11) were measured on their ability to respond empathically and on their ability to discriminate the quality of other counsellors' responses at the beginning and the end of an academic year of full-time graduate study. Additionally, the 1972/73 group were administered a counsellor attitude scale. Significant differences were found between pre-and post-test means on all three measures for the 1972/73 group and on the communication of empathy for the 1971/72 group. The findings for the two Aston groups are discussed in relation both to each other and also to comparable American data.