Clients' perceptions of counsellors: A brief measure for use in counselling research, evaluation, and training

In their review of counsellor rating scales, Ponterotto and Furlong (1985) warned of the problems posed by using instruments too closely tied to any one particular theory of the counselling process. The present study involved developing a brief counsellor rating scale, the Counsellor Perception Measure (CPM), based on Rosenberg's (1977) two-component general evaluative theory of person perception. The CPM comprises two subscales: Counsellor Acceptance and Counsellor Competence. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the construct validity of the measure. The CPM subscales were shown to be internally consistent and to have concurrent validity in field settings. The brevity of the measure makes it potentially suitable for use in a variety of counselling appraisal applications.