Contemporary Issues in Reporting Statistical, Practical, and Clinical Significance in Counseling Research

Null hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) represents a primary method of addressing quantitative results in counseling research. The use of NHST and the expression of results are often limited to the populations of interest, and many studies may not be replicable. Furthermore, the communication of results in terms of practical and clinical significance is not simply an extension of NHST but rather a necessary endeavor to communicate accurate and useful results. Communication and elucidation of effect size and confidence intervals, presentation of visual depictions of data, and alternative measures to express clinical significance are highlighted. Limitations of NHST, the necessary results to illuminate findings related to NHST, and heuristic examples for counseling researchers when reporting the results of their studies are provided. Further emphasis on the aforementioned areas will enhance understanding of results to stakeholders and increase the functionality and scholarly utility of counseling research.