A phenomenological study of beginning and experienced counsellors' thought processes and actions during a counselling session
Date
1988
Authors
Hansen, Peggy
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Abstract
This study examined from a phenomenological perspective, beginning and experienced counsellors perceptions of their thought processes and actions during a counselling session. As indicated in the review of the literature there is considerable controversy regarding the influence of counsellor experience level on the process and outcome of counselling. One difficulty, with regard to this controversy, is that most previous research has examined counsellors with considerably less experience (average of 3.5 years) than the present study, which examined counsellors with extensive (up to 20 years) experience. In addition, several recent studies reported that counsellor experience level does have a significant effect on the therapy process. Given the lack of conclusive results regarding the effect of counsellor experience level, as well as the limitations of previous research, there seems to be a need for additional research in this area. Furthermore, there has been a lack of research regarding the skilled performance of highly experienced counsellors.
Previous research has emphasized the use of an experimental methodology, which according to some researchers has precluded our attempt to understand the process of therapy, as well as the practice of skilled counsellors. For this reason, the present study adopted a phenomenological approach in order to examine the perceptions of beginning and experienced counsellors, within the context of an actual counselling session and from the point of view of the counsellors themselves.
For the purpose of this study, counsellors' experiences were considered to include the following aspects: their use of theoretical and clinical knowledge, their perceptual ability to differentiate between relevant and irrelevant information, their interventions and how these were determined, and their involvement with the client. In this study, two beginning counsellors (with less than one year of experience) and three experienced counsellors (with up to 20 years of experience) conducted an individual counselling session with a coach client. A videotape of the counselling session was shown to the counsellor in order to stimulate recall of their experiences during the actual situation. The counsellor was asked to identify significant points on the videotape and these were explored in depth during an interview with the researcher. The interview questions were based on the four aspects of counsellor experience mentioned above. A systematic analysis of interview transcripts was conducted and major themes were determined for each participant individually, as well as for the group as a whole.
The results of this study indicated that, for this group of participants, there were distinguishable, qualitative differences between beginning and experienced counsellors thought processes and actions during a counselling session. Experienced counsellors relied mainly on past counselling experience, while beginning counsellors utilised theoretical guidelines and personal life experience. Beginning counsellors had difficulty differentiating between significant and irrelevant aspects of the client's problem and lacked confidence in the accuracy of their perceptions. In contrast, experienced counsellors indicated a well developed perceptual ability to recognize significant aspects of the client's problem and an ability to intuitively understand the client's situation. In addition, experienced counsellors expressed a developmental shift in their ability to perceive and utilize subtle, non-verbal cues. Experienced counsellors tended to be more directive and confrontative and had access to a wide variety of interventions which they implemented in a fluid, spontaneous manner. On the other hand, beginning counsellors tended to analyze and plan their actions before implementing them and expressed difficulty assessing when and how to intervene. In addition, experienced counsellors placed more importance on their relationship with the client, particularly the degree of emotional intimacy.
In the concluding chapter, the relationship between the findings of the present study and previous research was examined, implications of the present study with regard to counsellor training were discussed, and recommendations for future research were suggested.