Date of Award
8-1998
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Suzanne M. Hedstrom
Second Advisor
Dr. Edward L. Trembley
Third Advisor
Dr. Michael Bahr
Abstract
This study measured the impact of an intensive counseling skills training course on levels of cognitive complexity in novice counselors. Graduate level counseling students were assessed at the beginning of a basic counseling skills training course and again at the end of the course by obtaining written responses to a stimulus questionnaire. A control group was recruited consisting of other graduate counseling students who were taking other courses during the same time interval and who were not exposed to the basic counseling skills course. Participants in the control group were tested using the same instrument and their scores were compared to the firs t group’s scores. In dependent reviewers rated the responses from the questionnaire and identified the number of constructs elicited by each participant. The study then examined whether any changes occurred in the participants’ conceptual complexity by identifying quantitative shifts in the number of constructs they used. Results indicated a significant difference in post test scores between the groups, and findings suggest that closely supervised experiential training components in basic counselor skills training are associated with elevated cognitive complexity levels.
Access Setting
Dissertation-Open Access
Recommended Citation
Duys, David K., "The Effects of Counselor Skills Training on Levels of Counselor Cognitive Complexity" (1998). Dissertations. 1565.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1565