Empathic listening test: an instrument for the selection and training of telephone crisis workers

Although telephone crisis centers have been shown to be a viable mode of community service, they are not without problems. Empirically based research upon which to make appropriate clinical and administrative decisions, particularly in the selection and training of volunteers has been lacking. In response to that need, a construct was developed that fused listening, the primary communicative behavior, with empathy, the most important interpersonal function of crisis center workers, to provide a criterion for selection and training. A 60-item situational instrument was developed to measure three dimensions of Empathic Listening, (a) Understanding, (b) Interest, and (c) Response-Ability. This study was designed to establish validity and reliability data for the instrument. The instrument was shown to have potential for selecting and training crisis center workers.