Training counseling and problem-solving skills with university students

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Nonprofessionals frequently lack formal training in essential counseling and problem-solving techniques.
• Effective skill acquisition is crucial for improving interpersonal interactions and task completion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To experimentally investigate the impact of specific training procedures on counseling and problem-solving behaviors.
• To assess the generalization of trained skills to real-world client interactions and overall performance quality.

Main Methods:

• University students participated in an experimental training program.
• Training incorporated behavioral specifications, rationales, situational examples, study guides, and practice with feedback.
• Skill acquisition and generalization were measured through behavioral observation and expert ratings.

Main Results:

• Following the training, the occurrence of counseling and problem-solving behaviors increased to an average of 89%.
• Data from sessions with actual clients indicated successful generalization of learned skills.
• Expert evaluations confirmed the high quality of counseling and problem-solving performance post-training.

Conclusions:

• The implemented training procedures are effective in significantly enhancing counseling and problem-solving skills.
• The training demonstrates robust generalization, indicating applicability in diverse settings and contexts.
• This approach offers a viable method for equipping nonprofessionals with critical behavioral competencies.