Deck 7: How Do Counselors Use Research

Question 1

The seminal research by Smith, Glass, and Miller (1980) concluded that at the end of treatment, the average client in therapy _____

A) Was no better or worse then the average person in a control group
B) Was better off than about 80% of the untreated control group
C) Was only slightly improved than the members of the control group
D) Was likely to need more therapy before s/he felt better

Answer 1

Was better off than about 80% of the untreated control group

Question 2

When counselors learn to think like researchers, they _____

A) Adopt an investigative and inquisitive approach about their clients and the best ways to help them
B) Engage exclusively in large-scale studies to understand human nature
C) Spend all of their time in "bench" science and laboratory research
D) Try many strategies with their clients

Answer 2

Adopt an investigative and inquisitive approach about their clients and the best ways to help them

Question 3

Using research to demonstrate to others that a counselor's programs or interventions are effective (responding to external pressures) is an example of _____

A) A proactive approach
B) A reactive approach
C) An inappropriate use of research
D) An impossible task to accomplish

Answer 3

A reactive approach

Question 4

Using research to make informed choices about the effectiveness of a counselor's own practice or program (responding to internal pressure) is an example of _____

A) A proactive approach
B) A reactive approach
C) An inappropriate use of research
D) An impossible task to accomplish

Question 5

Which of the following is/are an appropriate strategy to help a counselor investigate the effectiveness of his/her own counseling? _____

A) A school counselor tracks the number of times students in her anger management group get in fights on the playground before and after an intervention
B) A rehabilitation counselor tracks his clients self-efficacy about finding a job before and after an intervention
C) A mental health counselors tracks her clients self-reported depression level at regular intervals throughout treatment
D) All of the above

Question 6

The Center for School Counseling Outcome Research has identified all of the following as priorities for school counselors EXCEPT _____

A) Identifying best practices
B) Documenting effectiveness
C) Understanding how research can be used to make changes in the field
D) Seeking out other people in the school building to do the research for the counselor

Question 7

The practitioner-scientist model describes counselors who _____

A) Are scientists and researchers first and foremost
B) Are primarily consumers of research who use research to inform practice
C) Are able to complete complex statistical analyses without assistance
D) Can document and publish the results of their own research

Question 8

Academic articles are _____

A) Rigorous, scholarly works that go through an extensive review process
B) Different from popular media, in that academic articles are always more up-to-date
C) Intended for a broad audience, to get the information into the hands of as many people as possible
D) All of the above

Question 9

An article in an academic journal that organizes, integrates, and evaluates previously published material is an example of _____

A) A literature review (position paper)
B) Quantitative research
C) Qualitative research
D) Non-experimental quantitative research design

Question 10

Tracking the effectiveness of his/her own interventions can help a counselor _____

A) Justify the need for additional funds for programming
B) Understand the types of problems or clients with which s/he is most effective
C) Determine whether s/he needs additional training or education to work with certain problems or populations
D) All of the above

Question 11

An article that uses a research methodology with clinical trials and random assignment is an example of a(n) _____

A) Efficacy study
B) Effectiveness study
C) Non-experimental quantitative research design
D) Meta-analysis

Question 12

An article that uses a research methodology that assess treatment outcomes in real-world settings, with no random assignment and with clients with comorbid disorders is an example of a(n) _____

A) Efficacy study
B) Effectiveness study
C) Non-experimental quantitative research design
D) Meta-analysis

Question 13

Qualitative research _____

A) Is used for an in-depth understanding of the "why" of behaviors and people
B) Is inappropriate for the field of counseling
C) Seeks to categorize and label the experiences of participants
D) Is only useful if the results are statistically significant

Question 14

A needs assessment (context evaluation) is used to _____

A) Help organizations make informed choices about the use of resources
B) Help set institutional priorities
C) Help develop appropriate action plans for implementation of counseling programs
D) All of the above

Question 15

Some of the strategies for determining the quality of information on websites include all of the following EXCEPT _____

A) Determine the author's credentials and potential biases
B) Make sure there are lots of links to lots of other websites included
C) Understand the implications of the website's domain designation
D) Look at the timeliness of the information

Question 16

Research results that are statistically significant tell the reader _____

A) That the intervention described in the article will be successful with the readers own clients, too
B) That the findings in the research represent a significant departure from what could be considered by chance alone
C) That the intervention described has practical significance for the field
D) All of the above

Question 17

Which of the following represents the best type of published research for counselors to read in order to improve their practice? _____

A) Effectiveness studies
B) Qualitative research
C) Efficacy studies
D) All of the above can make important contributions to practice decisions

Question 18

One of the important "take home" messages from the examples of how counselors might engage in their own research is _____

A) Because research is complex, it is best to leave it to academics to complete
B) Because research is complex, it is important to have very highly technical statistical skills to conduct one's own outcome research
C) Research into one's own counseling need not be complex, but requires an investigative approach to assessing the outcomes of one's counseling
D) Practitioner-scientists are consumers of research, so engaging in their own research is not appropriate

Question 19

Which of the following were identified in the reading as the most appropriate places to start a web-based search for scholarly research in counseling? _____

A) Ask.com or Ask.Jeeves
B) MSN or Yahoo
C) GoogleScholar or EBSCOHost
D) CNN On-line or online newspapers

Question 20

There is more than 50 years worth of research to support the statement that, in general, counseling work. In other words, when clients go to counseling, most of them improve more than they would have if they were in a placebo or control group.

Question 21

Most counselors are scientists-practitioners (researchers first, practitioners second).

Question 22

Some counselors resist conducting research into their practice because philosophically, they do not believe the process of counseling is quantifiable.

Question 23

Qualitative studies use statistical procedures to determine relationships between variables.

Question 24

In quantitative studies, the effect size helps readers know if the study's results have practical (rather than just statistical) significance.

Question 25

Because the statistical tests and study design in many published articles are so complex, the authors recommend skipping the methodology and results sections of journal articles entirely, relying on the introduction and discussion to give the reader everything s/he needs to know.

Question 26

List and describe some of the external (reactive) and internal (proactive) pressures that counselors might have to conduct their own research into their counseling effectiveness

Question 27

Compare and contrast the relative strengths and limitations, as well as the potential utility of the findings for counselors in practice, of efficacy, effectiveness, and qualitative research studies.

Question 28

Why is it important for counselors to understand not just whether the findings of a study have statistical significance, but why it has practical significance as well? Make up an example of a study that could illustrate this distinction.

Question 29

Compare and contrast the arguments of those who believe counselors should work from a specific theoretical basis with those who believe that counselors should learn many theories and combine aspects of them in their work.

Question 30

There are four major types of program evaluations: context evaluation (needs assessment), input evaluation, process evaluation, and product evaluation. Choose two of these types, describe what is meant by the term, and offer suggestions about how counselors might use this type of evaluation to inform their practice.