Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation of the working alliance with respect to the level of counselor's self-efficacy and state-anxiety, in the early stage of counseling. Counselors completed measures that assessed the level of self-efficacy, state-anxiety and the strength of working alliance, and their clients completed a measure that estimated the strength of working alliance, between 3rd and 6th counseling session. The results of this study examined in 68 counselor-client dyads were as follows: 1. Counselor assessments of the working alliance were positively correlated with the level of self-efficacy, and negatively correlated with the level of state-anxiety. 2. Significant difference was revealed in the counselor assessments of the working alliance, the level of self-efficacy and state-anxiety by the counselor experience level. Skilled counselors showed stronger percepts of counseling self-efficacy, less state-anxiety, and higher counselor rated working alliance, compared with novice counselors. 3. Compared with counselor's state-anxiety, percepts of counseling self-efficacy had more directive influence on counselors' perceptions of the working alliance. 4. Counselors' perceptions of the working alliance were affected by the clients' perspectives on the working alliance. The findings of this study suggest that counselors' feelings and perceptions did interfere with their ability to provide maximally effective counseling. The potential implications of these findings for counselor training are important. The theory of self-efficacy predicts that counselor's behaviors, thoughts, and emotional reactions in client interviews would be in pan determined by her or his percepts of counseling self-efficacy. Although this study was not initially planned to examine the aspect of individual differences, it was found that the trainees may have been at very different levels of expertise and self-efficacy and, therefore, may have had very different training needs. From the present study, it cannot be definitively said that differences were due to experience level, personal style, or other variables. However, the study does raise possible considerations for counselor training in terms of figuring out how to best meet the needs of trainees at very different levels of experience. Relatively inexperienced trainees may need more basic skills training as well as techniques to help them deal with their negative perceptions and anxiety, whereas more experienced trainees may need more help with confidence building.