Results of this study suggest that ascertaining and meeting client preference may not be relevant to the quality of the interpersonal process. There was no evidence that failure to meet client preference adversely affected interview process. Clients of high-directive counselors did express greater satisfaction with the client-counselor…

Examined model of therapeutic control, which posited that control indices can be described by 3 independent dimensions, through audio-recorded meetings of 26 clients. Rated audiotapes with 5 different control-coding schemes, and aggregated resulting sequential ratings with 3 different methods, yielding 15 different behavioral-control indices.…

Therapeutic outcome as a function of a transition from relational incongruence to congruence, and the association of relational congruence and control with qualitative aspects of the therapy relationship and outcome are studied. Therapist/client interactions within and across seven psychotherapy cases are described. Methods of study and results…

Using data from a computer-assisted language analysis system and excerpts from the film series "Three Approaches to Psychotherapy," stylistic complexity of the language of counselor and client was compared. Counselors were significantly different on: (a) number of sentences, (b) sentence length, (c) block length, and (d) clause depth.…

The Impact Message Inventory assesses momentary emotional and other engagements of one person by another during transactions in counseling/psychotherapy and other dyads. This study supports circumplex ordering of the inventory's 15 interpersonal subscales. Impact messages do not consistently occupy a two-factor space around axes of status and…

Several attitude scales administered to both groups reveal that although pastoral counseling students had stronger Christian religious beliefs and less nondogmatic openness and flexibility of belief, they responded at a higher level of client acceptance than secular counseling students. (Author)

Hypothesized that some degree of physiological response correlation should be observable in a setting involving development of an empathic relationship. Finger skin temperature and skin conductance were monitored in 21 counselor-client pairs during counseling interviews. Results showed that matching of phasic responding was correlated with…

Determined effects of client sex and counselor sex and sex role on the counseling relationship. Results indicate males were more satisfied with the counseling process than females. Males indicated greater satisfaction and a higher level of counselor regard with feminine counselors. Females indicated greater satisfaction with masculine counselors.…

Examined the relation between counselor intention use and client-rated working alliance. Analyzed ratings of client interpersonal attitudes, client-rated working alliance, and counselor intention use. Major finding was that counselor intention use accounted for moderate proportion of variance in client-rated working alliance. Specific counselor…

University students (n=90) presented vocational or personal concerns to intake counselors (n=12) at 3 university counseling centers. Intakes of vocational cases were less lengthy, less useful or adequate, and less comprehensive than were intakes of personal cases. There was no difference in clients' ratings of the counseling relationship or the…

Investigates the effect of counselor similarity self-disclosures to general client/counselor attraction and relationship. (Author)

Examined the relationship of male counselor trainees' (N=20) empathic ability to measures of countertransference behavior and countertransference feelings. Indicated empathy was negatively related to countertransference behavior and was positively related to counselor reports of openness to countertransference feelings. (Author)

Tested assumptions about behavioral cues that clients use to infer what helpers intend. Questions and acknowledgments were best predictors of client perceptions. Guiding was perceived more often than advisement actually occurred. Intention of communicating understanding of message shifted from reflection in the analogue to acknowledgment in the…

Examined effects of training method and supervisor experience upon the learning of empathy. Analysis indicated that individually supervised subjects achieved a higher level of empathy than the controls. Subjects receiving programed training were intermediate in learning between individually supervised and control subjects. Supervisor experience…