Self‐Understanding Seminars: The Effects of Group Psychotherapy in Counselor Training

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine whether significant benefits would be derived from providing counselor trainees with psychoanalytically oriented group psychotherapy. Twenty trainees were divided into 2 therapy groups that met for 30 1.5‐hour weekly sessions. Each experimental trainee was matched with a control (no treatment) trainee counterpart on the basis of sex, number of graduate credits, and counseling specialty. The instruments administered were: the Tennessee Self Concept Scale, the Elmore Psychological Anomie Scale, the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, and the Porter Counseling Inventory. There were no significant differences on the Tennessee Self Concept Scale. On the Elmore Psychological Anomie Scale, the control subjects had an increase on Valuelessness (p = .181). On the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule, the experimental subjects had an increase on Deference (p = .033) and a decrease on Exhibition (p = .190) and Change (p = .091). On the Porter Counseling Inventory, the experimental subjects achieved an increase in Evaluative (p = .112) and Interpretive (p = .034) responses and a decrease in Understanding (p = .083) responses. The relevance to training of both the lack of definitive differences on some of the variables and the significant findings were discussed. The data were interpreted as providing support for the value of a psychotherapeutic experience as part of training programs, particularly those that accept a psychoanalytic orientation.