The Relationship between the Sequence Units of Counselor Intention-Client Reactions and Session Effectiveness

The Relationship between the Sequence Units of Counselor Intention-Client Reactions and Session Effectiveness

This study examined the relationship between the sequence units of counselor intentions-client reactions and the session effectiveness perceived by counselors and clients in beginning interviews. Participants were 20 volunteer student clients and 7 counselors at a university counseling center. The Interpersonal Process Recall (IPR) procedure and the Lag Sequential Analysis were applied for 20 counseling sessions. According to the results, several sequence units of client reactions-counselor intentions were differentially related to the client-rated session effectiveness. For example, the sequence unit of 'therapeutic works' reaction-'explore' intention was negatively related to client-rated session effectiveness (r = - 39 to - 58). On the other hand, the sequence unit of client's 'challenged' reaction-counselor's 'explore' intention was positively related to client-rated session effectiveness (r = .40 to .50). Some implications of the results and limitations of the study are discussed.