A multivariate analysis of client expectation, client satisfaction, and client personality characteristics at the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic

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Authors
Wantz, Richard A.
Advisor
Hutchinson, Roger L.
Issue Date
1976
Keyword
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Thesis (D. Ed.)
Department
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Abstract

This study was an investigation of the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic in terms of client expectation, client satisfaction, and the relationship between client personality characteristics and client satisfaction. Specifically, this study attempted to (1) identify and compare the expectations in the cognitive and affective domains that clients have when they come for counseling within the three clinic counselor assignment groups, (2) determine the extent of satisfaction in the cognitive and affective domains within the three clinic counselor assignment groups as a result of counseling, (3) investigate whether or not there is a significant relationship between client personality characteristics and client satisfaction in the cognitive and affective domains within each of the three clinic counselor assignment groups, (4) analyze the responses of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, and (5) describe client demographic characteristics within the three clinic counselor assignment groups in the cognitive and affective domains.Subjects in this study were volunteer clients seeking psychological counseling at the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic during the Winter Quarter, 1975-1976, and the first five weeks of Spring Quarter, 1976.The data collected for each subject came from the following sources: (1) the Client Expectancy Inventory (CEI), (2) the Inventory of Fulfillment of Client's Expectancy (IFCE), (3) the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), and (4) the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ).The data were treated by one-way multivariate analysis of variance, multiple regression analysis, and descriptive techniques. No differences were detected in either client expectations or client satisfactions within the three clinic counselor assignment groups in the cognitive and affective domains. Also, no significant association between cognitive and affective domain satisfaction scores and group membership was detected nor did any of the CPI scale scores provide a significant amount of additional explained variation in the client satisfaction scores. The clients within the three clinic counselor assignment groups indicated that their counseling experience had been moderately to slightly satisfactory. And, client demographic characteristics did not offer any significant information in predicting client satisfaction.Under the constraints of the study, the following conclusions were drawn.1. There was no significant difference in expectations among the clients in the cognitive and affective domains who were assigned to counselors with various levels of supervised training. 2. No association was found between entering expectations of clients and the extent of client reported satisfaction in the three clinic counselor assignment groups in the cognitive and affective domains.3. Clients of the advanced and post-advanced counselor groups reported the same level of satisfaction in the cognitive and affective domains as did the less severe clients who werecounseled by counselors with less supervised training.4. No association was found between a subset of premeasured personality characteristics and client reported satisfaction in the cognitive and affective domains.5. No association was found between group membership and client reported satisfaction in the cognitive and affective domains.6. Clients reported that their counseling experiences had been from moderately successful to successful. Also clients reported that they were either somewhat satisfied or satisfied with their counseling experience at the Ball State University Counseling Practicum Clinic. The above conclusions hold true irregardless of the (1) sublevel of the demographic characteristic investigated, (2) clinic counselor assignment group, or (3) cognitive or affective domain to which clients were classified.5