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The effects of using escalation cycles to conceptualize client difficulties
Abstract
This research explores whether conceptualization of client difficulties using escalation cycles is associated with a reduction in counselor pathologizing of clients. This research also explores whether the use of escalation in conceptualization interacts with counselor experience level to affect the amount of counselor pathologizing of clients. To further evaluate the effectiveness of the use of escalation cycles, this research explores whether use of escalation in conceptualization increases counselors' abilities to generate solutions for clients. Participants in this study were divided into four groups based on their counseling experience and their use of escalation cycles to conceptualize client difficulties. Each group watched a family counseling video and then wrote descriptions of the family and listed interventions for the family. Participants' responses were content-analyzed for number of pathologizing words, the equality in the number of times family members were mentioned, and number of interventions. It was hypothesized that users of escalation cycles would use fewer pathologizing words, mention family members a more equal number of times, and generate more interventions. It was also hypothesized that use of escalation cycles would modify the effect of counselor experience on amount of pathologizing of clients. Findings indicated that users of escalation cycles used more pathologizing words to describe clients than did nonusers of escalation cycles. In addition, use of escalation cycles did not impact the equality with which family members were mentioned. Experience level had no impact on either the number of pathologizing words or the equality with which family members were mentioned. Users of escalation theory did, however, increase their number of interventions more as experience level rose than did nonusers. This last finding suggests that use of escalation cycles allows for continued growth in developing interventions as counselors gain clinical experience. Implications of the findings are discussed in terms of the study of pathologizing of clients and the strength of escalation theory in general.
Subject Area
Academic guidance counseling|Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
Mitchell, Annie M, "The effects of using escalation cycles to conceptualize client difficulties" (1997). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9815902.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9815902