Teaching the how for making in-session counselor or self-disclosure decisions : a model for developing procedural knowledge of counselors in training
- UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
- Lindsey M. Grossman (Creator)
- Institution
- The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
- Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
- Advisor
- L. DiAnne Borders
Abstract: Counselor self-disclosure (CSD) is such a nuanced skill that it is pervasively labeled as controversial. Though this controversy is often described as an inconsistency around defining the construct of CSD (Bottrill et al., 2010; Henretty & Levitt, 2010; Jowers et al., 2019; McCarthy Veach, 2011; Newberger, 2015; Somers et al., 2014), generally, authors and scholars tend to use the same operational definition of CSD. The simplest and most often used definition is that counselor self-disclosure is the verbal revelation to the client of personal information unrelated to the therapy (Audet, 2011; Edwards & Murdock, 1994; Knox & Hill, 2003). As many scholars and authors agree on this definition, the real fuzziness is around how counselors can ethically and effectively utilize CSD in session with clients. At the root of the controversy of CSD is a lack of best practices or guidelines for how to teach novice counselors to satisfactorily use this skill. Based on the existing conceptual and empirical CSD literature, I have developed a model for teaching and applying CSD. The Contextual Model of Counselor Self-Disclosure (TCM of CSD) is a four-phase application model that can be used to guide CITs on how to think through CSD decisions in the moment. Accordingly, I have developed a teaching intervention to test the viability of the model with pre-practicum CITs who have not yet started seeing clients. This researcher conducted an embedded mixed methods quasi-experimental intervention study. Sampling first-year master’s students, I collected pretest and posttest data from the intervention group and a control group of comparable first years from neighboring regional counseling programs. The intervention group received the TCM of CSD-based teaching intervention while the control group received “CSD teaching as usual.” This researcher compared participants’ preparedness to think through CSD decisions in session with clients as well as their thought content in response to a vignette that described a possible CSD decision-making situation. I analyzed the differences within each group between pretest and posttest data collection, as well as the differences between groups as a result of receiving the teaching intervention compared to receiving teaching as usual. The results indicate an impact of the TCM of CSD teaching intervention on preparedness, complexity of thought in CSD decision-making, and whether or not participants would utilize CSD. This researcher found a statistically significant increase in preparedness within each group from pretest to posttest. The difference between groups at pretest was insignificant, indicating that the two groups were comparable, and the difference between groups at posttest is approaching significance. Though both groups’ thoughts fell into multiple phases of the TCM of CSD framework, the intervention group demonstrated more complex thinking with thoughts categorized in multiple phases of the model more often than those in the control group. Similarly, the group that received the TCM of CSD teaching intervention was more verbose and complex in response to the Process Questions posed to evaluate how they thought through a CSD decision. Limitations, specifically regarding sample size, implementation, and the challenges of modifying an existing measure are outlined, along with suggestions for future research to continue testing the viability of the model and the teaching intervention. The work contributes to scholarly efforts by beginning to elucidate best practices for teaching CSD and providing insight around how CITs go from learning about CSD to applying it in a nuanced, ethical, and intentional way.
Teaching the how for making in-session counselor or self-disclosure decisions : a model for developing procedural knowledge of counselors in training
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Created on 5/1/2022
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Additional Information
- Publication
- Dissertation
- Language: English
- Date: 2022
- Keywords
- Counselor Education, Counselor Self-Disclosure, Decision-Making, Pedagogy, Procedural Knowledge, The Contextual Model of Counselor Self-Disclosure
- Subjects
- Counselor trainees
- Self-disclosure $x Decision making
- Medical personnel and patient