An Investigation of Self-Efficacy and Psychotherapy

The present research was designed to examine the role that self-efficacy plays in psychotherapy. Thirty-one consenting clients of 18 years and older voluntarily receiving psychological services from practicum students at the Kelly Psychological Service Center (KPSC) on the Fort Hays State University (FHSU) campus were the subjects in this study. All the therapists used in the present research were first year graduate students at FHSU enrolled as practicum students at the KPSC. The clients were randomly assigned to a Treatment Group or a Control Group. Prior to beginning therapy, clients in the Treatment Group completed two Self-Efficacy Questionnaires (SEQ) and the Current Adjustment Rating Scale (CARS), while the Control Group completed only the CARS. Therapy was then administered by the assigned therapists in a normal fashion. Prior to the fourth session, clients in the Treatment Group completed the SEQ, CARS, Patient Global Outcome Rating (PGOR), and Client Rating Form-Short (CRF-S). The Control Group completed the same instruments, except for the SEQ. The therapists completed the CARS (as pertains to the client) immediately following the initial session of therapy. Therapy was then administered in the normal fashion. Prior to the fourth session, the therapists completed the CARS, Therapist Global Outcome Rating (TGOR), and CRF-S. A set of analyses comparing the Treatment Group scores on the listed instruments to the Control Group scores were performed to determine the effect that a client's completion of a SEQ prior to therapy has on the outcome of psychotherapy. The results of the t-test comparison between the Self-Efficacy and the Control Group clients' perceptions of change in adjustment were significant, indicating that increasing clients' awareness of self-efficacy prior to therapy increases their perceptions of change in adjustment during therapy. In addition, the results of the t-test comparison between the Self-Efficacy and the Control Group therapists' perceptions of their clients in terms of trustworthiness, expertise, and attractiveness was significant, suggesting that increasing clients' awareness of self-efficacy prior to therapy results in therapists having a more negative view of their clients as compared to clients whose awareness of their self -efficacy is not increased prior to therapy. These significant results in addition to other post-hoc correlational analyses indicate that increasing clients' awareness of self-efficacy prior to therapy has an effect on the psychotherapeutic process and outcome.