Counselor trainee anxiety during the initial counseling interview.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to gain more information concerning the nature and extent of anxiety experienced by beginning practicum students in their initial client interviews. Anxiety was assessed by self-report, skin conductance, and heart rate measures obtained in anticipation of and during stimulus situations of reading an article and counseling a client. The design was a 2 X 2 (Periods X Sessions) within-subjects factorial. Results indicated that subjects were more anxious on physiological and self-report measures of anxiety during the counseling interview than during reading. Although most of the self-report data were not found to be related to autonomic arousal during the interview, baseline autonomic data were highly related to autonomic response during the interview. Also, self-report predictions of anxiety were related to self-report anxiety during the interview. Conclusions were that the counseling interview is an anxiety-evoking situation, that much of the anxiety can be accounted for by subjects' expectations, and that anxiety is most meaningfully discussed within the framework of response dimensions.

The induction and attenuation of state anxiety in helping profession trainees during the initial counseling interview

“…The multiplicity of definitions and their failure to define the subject in a comprehensive manner leads to con fusion and difficulty in understanding conflicting experimental findings (Bowman, Roberts, & Giesen, 1978;Davidson and Schwartz, 1976;Levitt, 1967). However, Patterson (1966) establishes several critical elements which are mandated in theory formulation in general, and the definition of terms and concepts specifically.…”

“…In general a person's predisposition toward anxiety is largely responsible for determining the behavioral and emo tional reactions. These reactions are manifested by the individual in two mode specific ways: 1) somatic or bodily tension and discomfort, and 2) cognitive or mental turmoil (Bowman, Roberts, and Giesen, 1978;Corah, 1964;Davidson and Schwartz, 1976;Eysenck, 1961),…”

“…Anger, hunger, sex, and affiliation are only a few of the many emotional and motivational states. In contrast to these states, evidence suggests the presence of mode specific manifestations of anxiety in different individuals, or in the same individual at different times (Bowman, Roberts, & Giesen, 1978;Corah, 1964;Davidson and Schwartz, 1976;Eysenck, 1961). Thus it is not uncommon for a person who is physically tired and relaxed to lie down, unable to sleep because of a "racing mind."…”

“…While the uses and merits of biofeedback in education (Peper, 1976) and counseling (Danskin and Walters, 1975) have been established, the research in the use of biofeedback in the preparation of helping professionals is still in its early stages. Only recently (Crabbs, Crabbs, and Hopper, 1978) Two recently published studies (Bowman, Roberts, and Giesen, 1978; have contributed sub stantially to the literature of this topic. Although these two studies do not employ biofeedback as a treatment modality, they do use biofeedback assessment procedures in studying anxiety as a variable that may exist within a counselor during a counsel ing interview.…”

“…Although these two studies do not employ biofeedback as a treatment modality, they do use biofeedback assessment procedures in studying anxiety as a variable that may exist within a counselor during a counsel ing interview. In the first of these studies Bowman, Roberts and Giesen (1978) used 21 students enrolled in a counseling program as subjects. Physiological responses of heart rate and skin conductance were monitored and measures of stress, antici patory anxiety and task anxiety was administered on a selfreport basis.…”