Thus, each counselor in training was exposed to identical client situations and cues. Their behavior and general strategy in reacting to those cues was then what was measured through quantitative analysis. Perceived rapport was then measured by the trained client replicate with a measurable scale of one to five. Such data was recorded with an electronic device which reported levels of rapport minute by minute during the context of the session. Out of the total fifty nine interviews, 2773 minutes were highlighted for analysis. The data collected from this time duration of interviews was then statistically analyzed using MANOVA based on the number of variables within counselor behavior that can affect the rapport with the client. This method effectively provided study designers with a reliable and measurable way to assess therapist behaviors and their effectiveness in building rapport.
What did the research claim to show?
Based on the data analysis, the study came up with several claims on client-counselor rapport and how it is affected by counselor behavior during the sessions. By examining the results of the MANOVA analysis, the study claims that it can help show the effectiveness of generalized counselor behaviors in terms of building a good and strong rapport with the client in need of therapy. From analysis of strength and weaknesses, using the minute by minute reporting of perceived rapport, the study claims it can then be used to help formulate in session strategies that can help build client-counselor rapport and provide greater potential of success within the therapeutic processes. Thus, it attempts to simulate realistic occurrences within the context of therapy in order to help formulate the best rapport building strategies to be used within therapy. However, it does so within a...
Based on the perception of the standardized client, there were conclusions hat could be drawn regarding which behaviors were more likely to correspond with a favorable rapport building status. Its main aim is to determine "the most effective therapist behaviors during counseling interviews," (4). One major conclusion which the results of the study do support was the idea that counselor engagement with a client can help improve rapport within the session. According to the analysis of those results, "counselors who speak with their clients do not run the risk of reducing rapport," (5). There was a correlation seen within minute reports of strong rapport with the likelihood of the counselor exhibiting verbose behaviors, speaking freely and often with the client. This presents the idea that effective counselors use "silence in conjunction with verbal responses" to most effectively build rapport with their clients (11). However, the use of trained client replicas does place some of the strength and validity of the study in jeopardy. Not all real life clients will be able to relate to the systems and strategies used within the standardized behavior used in the context of the study. This could have the potential for discrepancies between the results of the study and the actual practice occurring in real life.
References
Christopher F. Sharpley, Emma Fairnie, E Tabary-Collins, Rebecca Bates, Priscilla Lee. Counseling Psychology Quarterly. Abingdon: Mar 2000. Vol. 13,…
