Relationship between counselor characteristics and client satisfaction

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Authors
Dinsmore, Steven C. (Steven Carroll), 1943-
Advisor
Duckworth, Jane C.
Issue Date
1974
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (D. Ed.)
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Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether counselor personality characteristics as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, (MMPI), influence the extent of client reported satisfaction in the cognitive and affective spheres of the counseling process as measured by the Inventory of Fulfillment of Client Expectancy, (IFCE). The objective of the study was to determine whether the MMPI has adequate discriminatory power to estimate potential counselor effectiveness based on some knowledge of counselor personality features. The underlying question which prompted this study was as follows: What personality characteristics distinguish between counselors who tend to facilitate client reported satisfaction and counselors who tend to achieve less client reported satisfaction in the cognitive and affective spheres of the counseling process?The method whereby this question was investigated included (1) obtaining MMPI profiles from 54 counselors (26 males, 28 females), and (2) acquiring IFCE satisfaction ratings from 173 volunteer clients (63 males, 110 females) who had received therapy from the participating counselors. The data were collected during the Spring quarter, 1974.The counselors in the five groups acquired a near equal combined composite mean score on the counselee reported satisfaction inventory in the cognitive and affective spheres of the counseling process. Consequently, discrimination between groups of counselors on the basis of counselee ratings was impossible.The statistical treatment of the data to determine the relationship between counselor personality features and client reported satisfaction included the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) and the multiple correlation (R). The necessary value of r for significance at the .05 level of confidence was .27, and the necessary value of R for significance at the .05 level was an F ratio of 4.03.The mean score for each of the 24 individual MMPI scales was subjected to exploratory correlation with the mean score for all the cognitive, affective, and composite items reported in the IFCE. An obtained r of .91 between cognitive and affective items resulted in the use of the composite client reported satisfaction ratings for determining correlation significance.The outcomes contained only minimal evidence of any significant relationship between the MMPI and the IFCE. The obtained correlations of significance between the MMPI scale scores and the IFCE composite scores included the ~ scale at .34 (representative of dependency needs within the personality) and the Re scale at -.30 (descriptive of assuming obligations and being dependable and trustworthy). Scale K approached significance with an r of -.25 (purportedly indicative of self-assurance). Multiple regression analysis based on combinations of MMPI scale scores was used for purposes of improving efficiency or accuracy of predicting IFCE composite ratings. The relationship between the Dy scale and IFCE composite ratings accounted for most of the variance in evidence between the two instruments.Two plausible conclusions based on the outcomes of this study with respect to counselor effectiveness may be possible assuming that the significance obtained on the Dy and Re scales, and the near significance on the K scale were not a chance difference.The combined composite mean score on the counselee rating inventory for both male and female counselors was considered relatively high at 3.99 on a five point Likert scale. The significant positive correlation obtained on the Dy scale in which the mean T score was considerablylow for both male and female counselors in the study tentatively suggests that as dependency needs within the personality structure of the counselor increase client reported satisfaction ratings will also increase and vice versa. The significant correlation between the Dy scale and composite IFCE ratings does not represent a wide span, however, as evidenced by the relatively high composite IFCE ratings and the considerably low mean T score on the Dy scale.The significant negative correlation obtained on the Re scale in which the mean T score was slightly elevated and a near significant negative correlation on the K scale in which the mean T score was considered high for both male and female counselors in the study tentatively implies that too ideal a model of personality adjustment on the part of the counselor with respect to handling social obligations or responsibilities, and demonstrating self-assurance within the therapy setting may possibly hinder client reported satisfaction within the counseling process.The MMPI profile findings of the counselor population were quite consistent with the outcomes reported in previous studies. Thus, the counselors participating in this study were considered to be in close approximation to counselors in previous reported research.