EFFICACY OF THE HOME SETTING FOR CONDUCTING ADLERIAN FAMILY COUNSELING

Abstract

This study was designed to investigate the suitability of conducting Adlerian Family Counseling in a home setting. Research hypotheses and corresponding null hypotheses were formulated and additional information was collected through the use of several subjective forms. The subjects of this study were 20 families who requested counseling from Counseling Information and Resource Center for Adults (C.I.R.C.A.) during the 1981 spring semester at The University of Arizona. The counselors were graduate students seeking either a masters or doctorate degree in the Department ofCounseling and Guidance at The University of Arizona. The study consisted of a two-group pretest-posttest experimental design which was used to compare the effectiveness of Adlerian Family Counseling conducted in the home or clinic setting. The subjects were randomly divided into a clinic group and a home group. Each of the ten families in both groups was administered the Adlerian Parental Assessment of Child Behavior Scale (APACBS) during the initial interview and then again after the third, fourth, or fifth counseling session. The pretest score was eventually subtracted from the posttest score to yield a gain score which was used as indication of counseling success. The following subjective evaluation forms were completed after the posttest: Client Satisfaction Scale, Setting Evaluation Form, Counselor Agreement with Literature Form. The correlated t-test was utilized to verify the efficacy of Adlerian Family Counseling when conducted in either setting. The results indicated a significant improvement in the families of both groups. An analysis of covariance was conducted to determine if the home setting yielded better results than the clinic setting and finding no significance the null hypothesis of no difference was retained. An analysis of the additional information revealed that: (1) The clients of both settings were equally satisified with the counseling they received. (2) The counselors expressed an overwhelming preference for the clinic setting. (3) The counselors reported more disadvantages than advantages in the home setting. (4) The counselors generally disagreed with the pro-home-setting arguments found in the literature.