The Role of Research

in Counseling

Dr Sonia Khodabakhsh

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 Outline of Lecture

• What is Research in counselling

• Outcome & Evaluation Research
• Process Research
• Ethical Dilemmas in Counselling Research
• The Problem of Reactivity
• Methods in Research

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 What is Research?

• Research allows the development of a better

understanding of events and processes that are
experienced by individual counsellors and clients,
and therefore enable practitioners to learn from
each other.
• Research promotes a critical attitude and helps to
improve the quality of service offered to clients.
• Research is an international activity; read by world
audience.

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 Problem(s) in Research

• Some counsellors believe that the effective

ingredients of counselling are such factors as faith,
hope, expectation, … etc. – which cannot be
empirically defined/ researched because of their
complexity.
• Counselling is too abstract.

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 The Art & Science of Research &
Evaluation
• Counseling research = art (subjective) + science
(objective)
• Emphasize the science dimension by utilizing
experimental/ quantitative research methodology.
• It involves = hypothesis testing + statistical analysis

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 Comparisons between Quantitative &
Qualitative Approaches
Quantitative Approaches Qualitative Approaches

• Emphasize on data collection • Emphasize on awareness and

and statistical analysis
• Measurement and analysis of
variables
• Uses tests, rating scales,
questionnaire
• Strongest in psychiatry and
psychology
sensitivity to diversity and other
social forces
• Description and interpretation of
meanings
• Uses interviews, participant
observation, diaries
• Strongest in sociology, social
anthropology, theology and the
arts

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 The Purposes of Research & Evaluation

• To evaluate the efficacy of a counselling approach

• To provide a means (method) for communicating
counsellor accountability*
• To contribute to the body of knowledge in the
counselling field

* The state of being accountable, liable, or answerable;

responsible to someone or for some actions.

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 Evaluate the efficacy of a counselling
approach
• Example: The interrelationship between theory,
practice and research:
• Counselling theory of behaviour therapy develops
techniques (assertiveness training).
• A counsellor may use this technique in clinical practice
and later implement research strategies to evaluate
its effectiveness.
• The results of this research can provide useful
information to refine the theoretical origins of
assertiveness training.

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The Reciprocal Influences of Theory, Research
& Practice

Theory

Research Practice

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 Provide a means for communicating
counsellor accountability
• Counsellors use research strategies >
• evaluate their individual clinical skills/counselling
program >
• serve as a basis for establishing professional
accountability >
• ongoing accountability program and evaluation

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The Relationship between Research,
Evaluation & Accountability

Research

Accountability Evaluation

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 Contribution of research to the
counselling field
• Explore issues relating to competence in counselling
(what it means to be a good counsellor/ qualities/
values of a good counsellor).
• Research priorities should focus on first,
determining what are the effective process
components of counselling; then, developing and
evaluating treatment models that emerge from this
basic of research.

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 Types of Research Study
• Outcome and evaluation research
• Is concerned with whether a particular counselling/
therapy works and the comparisons among various
approaches.
• Assesses what has occurred as a result of counselling.
• Various assessment tools will be used.
• The therapists are usually experienced, highly trained,
conducting therapy according to treatment manuals.
• E.g.: studies indicating results of different approaches
used in working with insomnia, depression or other
psychosomatic disorder.

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 Types of Research Study

• Process research
• Refers to behaviour that occurs within and outside of
the counselling session.
• Measures how change occurs during counselling as
opposed to what results from counselling.
• Attempts to uncover how counselling works and what
factors are associated with improvement/ change.
• Can observe counsellor’s behaviours, client’s
behaviours or the interaction between the two.
• E.g.: the effects of counsellor self-disclosure at
different stages of the counselling process.
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 Types of Research Study

• Case studies
• Cases have been debated and reinterpreted by
therapists and theorists.
• There are many methodological issues occurred:
• Impossible to check on the validity of the conclusions
and on any bias in the recollection or selection of
evidence.
• It is hard to find an accurate and unbiased way of
observing and analysing individual cases.
• It is impossible to generalize from single examples.

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Ethical Dilemmas In Counselling Research

• May lead to information about clients being

disclosed, painful feelings being re-stimulated or the
relationship of trust with the therapist being
damaged.
• Re-awaken the need for counselling
• In the studies of new types of counselling
intervention, clients may be exposed to therapy that
is harmful.
• Put control group as “Waiting list” clients – no
counselling intervention provided to them.
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 Ways to Avoid Ethical Dilemma

• Design research with ethical considerations

• Counselling and psychotherapy research studies
carried out in government agencies need to be
assessed by ethical committees, and prepare detailed
documents regarding procedures for dealing with
ethical issues.
• Research training for counsellors and therapists
should emphasize awareness of ethical factors.

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 Ways to Avoid Ethical Dilemma

• Informed consent
• A procedure in which research participants are
provided with as much information as possible about a
research project before deciding whether to
participate in it.
• Debriefing
• Procedure at the conclusion of a research session in
which participants are given full information about the
nature of the research and hypothesis, and also
include an explanation of deception and of why it was
necessary to employ it.
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 The Problem of Reactivity
• Reactivity – the research impact on the client/counsellor
occurs when the research interfere with or change what is
happening in the counselling.
• The idea that people change their behaviour in reaction
to being evaluated, observed, or measured.
• Example:
• Research influences what kind of therapy I received (e.g.
randomized) unhappy, feel threatened & confused
(negative reactions)
• Research makes sense, help me to reflect more (brings
benefits) happy
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 The Problem of Reactivity
• Effect on client
• Positive reactions (e.g. happy)
• Negative reactions (e.g. feel unhappy, threatened, confused)
• E.g. being asked to participate in many self-exploration
activities, but can’t be considered as part of the actual
therapy
• Effect on counsellor
• May not reveal fully
• May not give 100% quality of service
• E.g. certain constraints (e.g. standardized procedures)
conflict with the counsellor’s professional judgment on how
to proceed/ how many sessions the client may need which
tend to affect the quality of service

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 Methods in Research
• Various types of Research Methodology:

• Survey
• Correlation
• Experiment
• Longitudinal
• Qualitative
• Etc.

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 Summary of topic
• Research is understood as a diligent and
systematic inquiry or investigation into a subject in or
der to discover or revise facts,
theories, applications, etc
• Outcome and evaluation research- to examine the
effectiveness of a specific counselling approach/
model end the end of the counselling process.
• Process Research- to measure how changes occurs
during the counselling.
• Clients volunteer in research may expose to some
risks and proper ethical consideration is necessary.
• The Problem of Reactivity- the research impacts on
the client/counsellor may in return affect the
counselling progress.
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