Effects of counselor touch on counseling outcome.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop a methodology that would control counselor behavior in a naturalistic counseling interview to examine the effect(s) of counselor touch on client evaluation of counseling and level of selfexploration. A 2 X 2 X 2 factorial design was utilized in which nonverbal condition (touch, no touch), sex of counselor, and sex of client were the factors. Each client participated in a single individualized vocational counseling session. All 50-minute counseling sessions were similarly structured to include six clusters of verbal and nonverbal procedures that were administered by counselors at predetermined periods of time. Dependent variable data were collected by means of questionnaires and audiotapes that were submitted to independent raters for analysis. Analyses of the data did not indicate clearly significant results. Experimental findings are discussed in light of the relevant literature.