Client perceptions of the effectiveness and appeal of telephone counseling /
The use of the telephone, other telecommunications technologies, and the Internet have become increasingly popular modes in which to provide psychological services as an alternative to traditional face-to-face counseling. However, little is known about the effectiveness of such modes of treatment....
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| Format: | Thesis Book |
| Language: | English |
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[Place of publication not identified] :
[publisher not identified] ;
2000.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://proxy.library.tamu.edu/login?url=http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=727726391&sid=1&Fmt=2&clientId=2945&RQT=309&VName=PQD |
| Summary: | The use of the telephone, other telecommunications technologies, and the Internet have become increasingly popular modes in which to provide psychological services as an alternative to traditional face-to-face counseling. However, little is known about the effectiveness of such modes of treatment. This study addressed these concerns by conducting an effectiveness outcome study on telephone counseling. One hundred eighty six participants who had received counseling from a telephone counseling service for mental health concerns rated the effectiveness and the appeal of telephone counseling. The sample is primarily composed of individuals of lower SES, who do not possess insurance for mental health. Effectiveness was measured by using the questionnaire from the Consumer Reports (1995, November) study that measured effectiveness based on client perceptions of general improvement, global improvement, and satisfaction. The appeal of telephone counseling was investigated by having participants rate items that were hypothesized in the telephone counseling literature as possible reasons for liking/using telephone counseling. Additionally, clients were asked about the quality of the counseling relationship. There were five major findings. First, the majority of clients believed that telephone counseling was helpful for both global and specific improvement and they were satisfied with the counseling they received. In comparison to the Consumer Reports (1995) face-to-face sample, statistically significant differences and small effect sizes indicated that telephone respondents were more satisfied than their face-to-face counterparts with the help they received. However, telephone respondents reported less help for the issue that led them to counseling. Second, the more sessions telephone respondents received they generally reported more improvement as consistent with the psychotherapy literature. Third, telephone respondents who reported feeling the worst when beginning therapy reported less improvement than the Consumer Reports sample indicating a possible limitation of counseling by telephone. Fourth, respondents rated the counseling relationship and interpersonal influence similarly to face-to-face counseling studies that measured the same attributes. Fifth, telephone respondents reported that convenience was the most important reason for using telephone counseling, and to lesser extent, low costs, anonymity, and feeling more control. |
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| Item Description: | Vita. "Major Subject: Counseling Psychology". |
| Physical Description: | xii, 181 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm. Issued also on microfiche from University Microfilm Inc. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 148-167). |