Research in counseling can help improve practices and understanding of effective approaches. There are different types, including outcome research which evaluates counseling effectiveness, and process research which examines how change occurs during sessions. Ethical considerations are important when involving clients to minimize risks and ensure informed consent.
Research in counseling can help improve practices and understanding of effective approaches. There are different types, including outcome research which evaluates counseling effectiveness, and process research which examines how change occurs during sessions. Ethical considerations are important when involving clients to minimize risks and ensure informed consent.
Research in counseling can help improve practices and understanding of effective approaches. There are different types, including outcome research which evaluates counseling effectiveness, and process research which examines how change occurs during sessions. Ethical considerations are important when involving clients to minimize risks and ensure informed consent.
Research in counseling can help improve practices and understanding of effective approaches. There are different types, including outcome research which evaluates counseling effectiveness, and process research which examines how change occurs during sessions. Ethical considerations are important when involving clients to minimize risks and ensure informed consent.
• Outcome & Evaluation Research • Process Research • Ethical Dilemmas in Counselling Research • The Problem of Reactivity • Methods in Research
2 What is Research?
• Research allows the development of a better
understanding of events and processes that are experienced by individual counsellors and clients, and therefore enable practitioners to learn from each other. • Research promotes a critical attitude and helps to improve the quality of service offered to clients. • Research is an international activity; read by world audience.
3 Problem(s) in Research
• Some counsellors believe that the effective
ingredients of counselling are such factors as faith, hope, expectation, … etc. – which cannot be empirically defined/ researched because of their complexity. • Counselling is too abstract.
4 The Art & Science of Research & Evaluation • Counseling research = art (subjective) + science (objective) • Emphasize the science dimension by utilizing experimental/ quantitative research methodology. • It involves = hypothesis testing + statistical analysis
• Emphasize on data collection • Emphasize on awareness and
and statistical analysis sensitivity to diversity and other social forces • Measurement and analysis of variables • Description and interpretation of meanings • Uses tests, rating scales, questionnaire • Uses interviews, participant observation, diaries • Strongest in psychiatry and psychology • Strongest in sociology, social anthropology, theology and the arts
6 The Purposes of Research & Evaluation
• To evaluate the efficacy of a counselling approach
• To provide a means (method) for communicating counsellor accountability* • To contribute to the body of knowledge in the counselling field
* The state of being accountable, liable, or answerable;
responsible to someone or for some actions.
7 Evaluate the efficacy of a counselling approach • Example: The interrelationship between theory, practice and research: • Counselling theory of behaviour therapy develops techniques (assertiveness training). • A counsellor may use this technique in clinical practice and later implement research strategies to evaluate its effectiveness. • The results of this research can provide useful information to refine the theoretical origins of assertiveness training.
8 The Reciprocal Influences of Theory, Research & Practice
Theory
Research Practice
9 Provide a means for communicating counsellor accountability • Counsellors use research strategies > • evaluate their individual clinical skills/counselling program > • serve as a basis for establishing professional accountability > • ongoing accountability program and evaluation
10 The Relationship between Research, Evaluation & Accountability
Research
Accountability Evaluation
11 Contribution of research to the counselling field • Explore issues relating to competence in counselling (what it means to be a good counsellor/ qualities/ values of a good counsellor). • Research priorities should focus on first, determining what are the effective process components of counselling; then, developing and evaluating treatment models that emerge from this basic of research.
12 Types of Research Study • Outcome and evaluation research • Is concerned with whether a particular counselling/ therapy works and the comparisons among various approaches. • Assesses what has occurred as a result of counselling. • Various assessment tools will be used. • The therapists are usually experienced, highly trained, conducting therapy according to treatment manuals. • E.g.: studies indicating results of different approaches used in working with insomnia, depression or other psychosomatic disorder.
13 Types of Research Study
• Process research • Refers to behaviour that occurs within and outside of the counselling session. • Measures how change occurs during counselling as opposed to what results from counselling. • Attempts to uncover how counselling works and what factors are associated with improvement/ change. • Can observe counsellor’s behaviours, client’s behaviours or the interaction between the two. • E.g.: the effects of counsellor self-disclosure at different stages of the counselling process. 14 Types of Research Study
• Case studies • Cases have been debated and reinterpreted by therapists and theorists. • There are many methodological issues occurred: • Impossible to check on the validity of the conclusions and on any bias in the recollection or selection of evidence. • It is hard to find an accurate and unbiased way of observing and analysing individual cases. • It is impossible to generalize from single examples.
15 Ethical Dilemmas In Counselling Research
• May lead to information about clients being
disclosed, painful feelings being re-stimulated or the relationship of trust with the therapist being damaged. • Re-awaken the need for counselling • In the studies of new types of counselling intervention, clients may be exposed to therapy that is harmful. • Put control group as “Waiting list” clients – no counselling intervention provided to them. 16 Ways to Avoid Ethical Dilemma
• Design research with ethical considerations
• Counselling and psychotherapy research studies carried out in government agencies need to be assessed by ethical committees, and prepare detailed documents regarding procedures for dealing with ethical issues. • Research training for counsellors and therapists should emphasize awareness of ethical factors.
17 Ways to Avoid Ethical Dilemma
• Informed consent • A procedure in which research participants are provided with as much information as possible about a research project before deciding whether to participate in it. • Debriefing • Procedure at the conclusion of a research session in which participants are given full information about the nature of the research and hypothesis, and also include an explanation of deception and of why it was necessary to employ it. 18 The Problem of Reactivity • Reactivity – the research impact on the client/counsellor occurs when the research interfere with or change what is happening in the counselling. • The idea that people change their behaviour in reaction to being evaluated, observed, or measured. • Example: • Research influences what kind of therapy I received (e.g. randomized) unhappy, feel threatened & confused (negative reactions) • Research makes sense, help me to reflect more (brings benefits) happy 19 The Problem of Reactivity • Effect on client • Positive reactions (e.g. happy) • Negative reactions (e.g. feel unhappy, threatened, confused) • E.g. being asked to participate in many self-exploration activities, but can’t be considered as part of the actual therapy • Effect on counsellor • May not reveal fully • May not give 100% quality of service • E.g. certain constraints (e.g. standardized procedures) conflict with the counsellor’s professional judgment on how to proceed/ how many sessions the client may need which tend to affect the quality of service
20 Methods in Research • Various types of Research Methodology:
21 Summary of topic • Research is understood as a diligent and systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in or der to discover or revise facts, theories, applications, etc • Outcome and evaluation research- to examine the effectiveness of a specific counselling approach/ model end the end of the counselling process. • Process Research- to measure how changes occurs during the counselling. • Clients volunteer in research may expose to some risks and proper ethical consideration is necessary. • The Problem of Reactivity- the research impacts on the client/counsellor may in return affect the counselling progress. 22
