Content area
Abstract
This study examined the effects of parental status (therapists who are parents versus therapists who are not parents) and perceived level of client need (high or low) on various outcomes of a parent training program. These outcomes included pre- and post-ratings of therapist expertness and attractiveness, and an evaluation of participant knowledge of behavioral techniques to be used with children. Other outcomes also considered were based on an evaluation of participant benefit from the program and a comparison of those completing the program versus those who did not.
The participants were 65 parents who initiated a four-session parent training program which presented social learning techniques to be used with children. Forty-three individuals actually completed the program. Participants were initially assigned to one of four groups, each with a different therapist. Two of the therapists were parents, and two were not. The participants were also assigned to a "high" need group and a "low" need group based upon initial self-ratings. Dependent measures included the Expertness and the Attractiveness portions of the Counselor Rating Form, the Knowledge of Behavioral Techniques to be used with Children Test, completion of the program, and a self-report evaluation of participant benefit from the program.
The results indicated that initial ratings of parent therapists were higher than that of non-parent therapists, however, this changed over time to where the non-parent therapists were nearly equivalent to the parent therapists. Second, the study demonstrated that individuals rated as "high need," rated their therapist higher in expertness, if the therapist was a parent, as compared with individuals rated as "low need," rating their therapist as higher in expertness if the therapist was not a parent. Third, the overall content of the workshop was shown to be effective in that significant improvements in ratings of knowledge, expertness, and attractiveness were found from the beginning of the workshop to the end. The results have several implications for social influence in counseling and parent training.
