Anxiety and counseling self-efficacy among counseling students

199 Pages·2009·0.71 MB·English

HALL, KAREN E., Ph.D. Anxiety and Counseling Self-Efficacy among Counseling
Students: The Moderating Role of Mindfulness and Alexithymia. (2009)
Directed by Dr. Craig S. Cashwell. 199 pp.

This study explored the relationship between anxiety and counseling self-efficacy
and the moderating effects of mindfulness and alexithymia. One hundred and fifty two
pre-internship counseling trainees from CACREP programs across the country were
surveyed to determine their levels of anxiety, mindfulness, alexithymia and counseling
self-efficacy using the Trimodal Anxiety Questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness
Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale and the Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy
Scales.
Pearson Product Moment Coefficients revealed significant pairwise relationships
among the variables of interest in the expected directions. In a linear regression, somatic
and behavioral anxiety (but not cognitive anxiety) emerged as significant predictors of
counseling self-efficacy. In a Stepwise regression, the observe, describe, and nonreact
facets of mindfulness also emerged as significant predictors of counseling self-efficacy,
although the nonjudge and acting with awareness facets did not. The hypotheses that
mindfulness and alexithymia served to moderate the relationship between anxiety and
counseling self-efficacy were not supported, but instead mindfulness, and to a lesser
extent alexithymia may be more direct predictors of counseling self-efficacy.
The results suggest that mindfulness and emotional skills training may be
important variables to consider in supporting counselor trainee’s self-efficacy. The
findings have implications for counselor education and supervision and provide direction
for future research in counselor development.
ANXIETY AND COUNSELING SELF-EFFICACY AMONG COUNSELING
STUDENTS: THE MODERATING ROLE OF
MINDFULNESS AND ALEXITHYMIA

by

Karen E. Hall

A Dissertation Submitted to
the Faculty of the Graduate School at
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Philosophy

Greensboro
2009

Approved by
___________________________________
Committee Chair
© 2009 by Karen E. Hall
APPROVAL PAGE
This dissertation has been approved by the following committee and Faculty of
the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Committee Chair _________________________
Committee Members _________________________
_________________________
_________________________

_____________________________
Date of Acceptance by Committee

_____________________________
Date of Final Oral Examination
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

When I began this process I thought I was just writing a document. As it has
turned out, the process of writing was only one small piece of my experience. Over the
course of the time that I have been engaging with this piece of work I have had a
tremendous amount of internal shifting. I have been faced with my fears about evaluation
and sharing something of mine in a more public way. I have watched the play of my
attachment to doing something really great and then the relaxing in to being in the
process. I have felt the pull to hurry and be done out of desire for what lies on the other
side of finishing, and felt the settling into being with the process. It is for these reasons I
am exceptionally grateful for the people that have shepherded me through this process
and been willing to sit with me through the unfolding of more than a document.
First, I want to thank the faculty and my fellow students and cohort at UNC-
Greensboro. The gift of having such great minds and nurturing support around me has
truly been an inspiration. Also, I would like to thank my entire dissertation committee:
Dr. Craig Cashwell, Dr. Todd Lewis, Dr. Diane Gill and Dr. Terry Ackerman for the
time, energy and caring they brought to supporting the development and execution of this
study and document. I would like to extend special thanks to Dr. Craig Cashwell, my
dissertation chair , for being a model of mindful presence in academia, for getting that
this was about more than creating an external document for me ,and for the hours spent
helping me improve the quality of my writing while also attending to how I was doing as
a person. This has truly shaped the type of educator I hope to become.
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I also want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Chip and my family who were
supportive of me even when I had little to give in return. I would like to extend a special
thanks to my mom and dad for their encouragement and steady belief in me, and coming
through with a phone call, a visit, or a meal when I most needed it. Finally, I would like
to thank Durga and my spiritual community for continually reminding me to orient
toward praise and gratitude.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
CHAPTER
I. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1
Measuring Perceived Readiness: Counseling Self-Efficacy .......................4
Anxiety as a Challenge to Counseling Self-Efficacy ..................................5
Identifying Internal Skills and Skills Deficits that may Moderate
Trainee Anxiety .........................................................................................6
Mindfulness ...........................................................................................7
Alexithymia ...........................................................................................9
Purpose of the Study .................................................................................10
Statement of the Problem ..........................................................................11
Research Questions ...................................................................................12
Need for the Study ....................................................................................14
Definition of Terms ...................................................................................15
Brief Overview ..........................................................................................16

II. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ......................................................................18
Self-Efficacy .............................................................................................18
Counseling Self-Efficacy ....................................................................22
Counseling self-efficacy defined ..................................................22
Performance accomplishments and counseling self-efficacy .......23
Vicarious experience and counseling self-efficacy .......................26
Verbal persuasion and counseling self-efficacy ...........................28
Emotional arousal and counseling self-efficacy ...........................32
Summary of self-efficacy and counseling self-efficacy
literature ......................................................................................33
Anxiety ......................................................................................................34
Counselor Trainee Anxiety .................................................................35
Counselor trainee anxiety and its proposed origins ......................36
The impact of anxiety on counselor trainee cognitive and overall
development ................................................................................42
Reducing trainee anxiety ...............................................................48
Summary of the anxiety and counselor trainee literature .............52
Emotional Deficits among Counselor Trainees ........................................53
Alexithymia..........................................................................................55
Alexithymia defined ......................................................................56
Alexithymia among clients ...........................................................57
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Alexithymia among counselor trainees .........................................58
Mindfulness as a Potential Internal Asset for Counselor Trainees ...........61
Mindfulness .........................................................................................61
Mindfulness and mental health .....................................................63
Mindfulness and the counselor .....................................................63
Summary .............................................................................................70

III. METHODOLOGY ..............................................................................................71
Research Questions and Hypotheses ........................................................71
Participants ................................................................................................73
Procedures .................................................................................................73
Instrumentation ...................................................................................74
Counseling Self-Efficacy- Counselor Activity Self-Efficacy
Scales (CASES) ..........................................................................74
Anxiety- Trimodal Anxiety Questionnaire (TAQ) .......................77
Alexithymia- The Twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia
Scale (TAS-20) ...........................................................................81
Mindfulness- The Five Facet Mindfulness
Questionnaire (FFMQ) ................................................................85
Demographic Questionnaire .........................................................89
Data Analysis ......................................................................................90
Pilot Study ...........................................................................................93
Integrated feedback .......................................................................93
Other feedback ..............................................................................94
Summary .............................................................................................95

IV. RESULTS ........................................................................................................96
Description of the Sample .........................................................................96
Descriptive Statistics for Instrumentation .................................................99
Research Questions and Hypotheses ......................................................102
Research Question 1/ Hypothesis 1a-c .............................................102
Research Question 2/ Hypothesis 2a and b .......................................106
Research Question 3/ Hypothesis 3a and b .......................................107
Research Question 4/ Hypothesis 4a and b .......................................109
Summary .................................................................................................111

V. DISCUSSION .....................................................................................................113
Overview of the Study .............................................................................113
Discussion of the Results ........................................................................115
Hypothesis 1a-c .................................................................................115
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Hypothesis 2a and b ..........................................................................122
Hypothesis 3a and b ..........................................................................123
Hypothesis 4a and b ..........................................................................127
Limitations ..............................................................................................128
Implications .............................................................................................130
Counselor Education and Supervision ..............................................131
Future Research ......................................................................................132
Conclusion ..............................................................................................135
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................137
APPENDIX A: INSTRUCTIONS AND CONSENT FORMS ......................................168
APPENDIX B: INSTRUMENT PERMISSIONS, DEMOGRAPHIC FORM ..............172
APPENDIX C: PILOT STUDY METHOD AND RESULTS .......................................178
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