Counselor Training Level and the Formation of the Psychotherapeutic Working Alliance

To investigate the relation of training level to working alliance, 50 counselor--client dyads from three counseling agencies were surveyed. Counselors were grouped into three training levels: (a) novices, in their first practicum; (b) advanced trainees, in their second practicum through predoctoral internship; and (c) experienced counselors, postdoctoral staff at the agencies. After the third session, counselors and clients completed the Working Alliance Inventory to provide ratings of the bond, task, and goal dimensions of their alliances. Multivariate analyses yielded significant main effects for training level. Univariate analyses indicated no difference for bond but significantly higher ratings in the higher training levels for task and goal. Clients' ratings were highest at higher counselor training levels. However, advanced trainees' self-ratings were numerically lower than those of either novice or experienced counselors.