A Comparison of Experienced Counsellors, Novice Counsellors, and Non-Counsellors in Memory of Client-Presented Information During Therapeutic Interviews

Abstract

This study examined whether counsellors' memory of client-presented information varies qualitatively according to the number of years of counselling experience. This study developed a methodology to measure the amount of counsellors' recall memory obtained from a free recall task after watching videotaped stimulus interviews. Four experienced counsellors, seven novice counsellors, and 12 noncounsellors watched videotaped stimulus interviews and then wrote freely everything they could recall about what the client had said in the interview. Participants' performance was measured using interview transcripts. Independent coders judged the parts of the transcript to which the recalled items corresponded. The results indicated that the experienced counsellor group scored the highest in recalling client-presented information and that recalled contents differed among the participant groups. Implications of the results for the steps to gain counsellor expertise were discussed.Key words: counsellor, expertise, memory, interpersonal perception Counsellors' Understanding of Their ClientsBy listening to and understanding a client, a counsellor establishes a client-therapist relationship and provides professional assessments, suggestions, and treatment designed to enhance the client's ability to make the desired changes in attitudes and behaviour (e.g., Egan, 2007;Rogers, 1957;Teyber & McClure, 2011). Cognitive processing by counsellors that improves the therapeutic outcomes is the result of the accumulated experience of the counsellor. Studies using meta-analyses demonstrate a significant, although weak, positive relationship between therapeutic outcome and counsellor's experience in the field (Crits-Christoph & Mintz, 1991;Stein & Lambert, 1995). Rønnestad and Skovholt (2003), who conducted interviews with 100 counsellors,Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Chika Nagaoka, Faculty of Management, Otemon Gakuin University, 2-1-15 Nishiai, Ibaraki-shi, Osaka, 567-8502, Japan (e-mail: nagaoka@res. otemon.ac.jp).A part of this study was supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 20530569) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. MEMORY OF CLIENT PRESENTED INFORMATION 155described qualitative changes in relation to their level of experience, suggesting that the way in which counsellors understood their clients varied qualitatively in relation to their level of experience. Counsellor expertise is a relatively neglected area in conventional empirical research (Schön, 1983;Skovholt & Jennings, 2004;Wampold, 2001). Findings from this research perspective could be applied to clinical practice and to training programs for novice counsellors.One method used in research on the understanding of discourse (i.e., discourse comprehension) is to investigate the listener's memory (Graesser, Millis, & Zwaan, 1997), which represents the listener's mental representation (e.g., Bartlett, 1932). Examination of counsellor's memory of the discourse between the counsellor and client might provide useful...

Evidence and Narratives in Psychotherapy Research and Practice: Editorial

“…Their results generate further clinical research questions to benefit those patients with thyroid disease in need of appropriate psychotherapy. Nagaoka et al (2013) evaluated the cognitive complexity of experienced counselors as they freely recalled role-played client interviews. The authors suggested that the counselor's cognitive complexity is enhanced by professional training and experience.…”

“…The authors suggested that the counselor's cognitive complexity is enhanced by professional training and experience. Hasegawa et al (2013) and Nagaoka et al (2013) developed ideas for these research projects at Kyoto University's Kokoro Research Center, a multi-disciplinary research center investigating "Kokoro." Kokoro is a Japanese word holistically implying psyche, mind, heart and feelings.…”