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Xerox University Microfilm s 300 North Zoob Rood Ann Arbor, Michigan 48106 1 I 74-27,415 GOLSETH, Anne Elizabeth, 1937AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-SUPPORTED, EDUCATIONALVOCATIONAL COUNSELING PROGRAM FOR NONSTUDENT ADULTS SPONSORED BY THE CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICE AND THE COUNSELING CENTER OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY. Michigan State University, Ph.D., 1974 Education, higher U n iversity M icrofilm s, A XEROX Com pany , A nn A rbor, M ich ig an AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-SUPPORTED, EDUCATIONALVOCATIONAL COUNSELING PROGRAM FOR NONSTUDENT ADULTS SPONSORED BY THE CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICE AND THE COUNSELING CENTER OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY By Anne E lizabeth Golseth A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity in p a r tia l f u lf illm e n t o f the requirements fo r the degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f A dm inistration and Higher Education 1974 AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-SUPPORTED, EDUCATIONALVOCATIONAL COUNSELING PROGRAM FOR NONSTUDENT ADULTS SPONSORED BY THE CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICE AND THE COUNSELING CENTER OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY By Anne E liza b eth Golseth AN ABSTRACT OF A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan S tate U n iversity in p a r tia l f u lf illm e n t o f the requirements fo r the degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Department o f A dm inistration and Higher Education 1974 ABSTRACT AN ASSESSMENT OF THE SELF-SUPPORTED, EDUCATIONALVOCATIONAL COUNSELING PROGRAM FOR NONSTUDENT ADULTS SPONSORED BY THE CONTINUING EDUCATION SERVICE AND THE COUNSELING CENTER OF MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY By Anne E lizab eth Golseth At Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , an ed u catio nal-vo catio nal coun­ selin g program fo r nonstudent adults has been in formal operation since 1966. This program, known as the A dult Counseling S e rv ic e , as sis ts c lie n ts in id e n tify in g choices and making decisions regarding educa­ tio n a l plans; career development, change, and goals; and use o f le is u re tim e. The purpose o f th is study is to provide an assessment o f th is Service through in v e s tig a tio n o f i t s development, i t s program, and char­ a c te r is tic s o f i t s c lie n t s . Methods involved in carryin g out th is study included h is to r ic a l in v e s tig a tio n ; review o f a r t ic le s , re p o rts , and documents; in te rv ie w s ; and a survey study o f former c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling S ervice. H is to ric a l in v e s tig a tio n concerns the development o f The Service and the c h a ra c te ris tic s and purposes o f c lie n ts who sought assistance from The S ervice. Background inform ation fo r c lie n ts o f The Service from i t s formal beginnings in January, 1966 through December, 1972 (N=214) Anne E liz a b e th G o lseth is presented and discussed w ith regard to ty p ic a l and d iff e r e n tia tin g c h a ra c te ris tic s and changes over tim e. A re p o rt o f in terview s w ith counselors o f The S ervice adds t h e ir views about c lie n ts o f The Ser­ vice and about the v i a b i l i t y o f and p ro jectio n s fo r The S ervice. A review o f a r t ic le s , re p o rts , and documents re la te s inform ation about the counseling o f ad u lts w ith regard to higher education s e rv ic e s , ad u lt education programs, and life lo n g lea rn in g proposals. The follow -u p survey was developed to e l i c i t responses regard­ ing several aspects o f the c lie n t s ' counseling and post-counseling ex­ periences. Analysis o f survey responses is d ire c te d to those who were c lie n ts o f The Service during the period from J u ly , 1969 through Decem­ ber, 1972 (N=104). cent o f 104. The to ta l survey response is 76 persons or 73 per­ Data are reported in raw numbers and re le v a n t percentages by sex and age groupings, since special needs and concerns o f c lie n ts according to these groupings became apparent in both background and survey response in fo rm atio n . Of survey respondents, 62 percent (47) are men and 38 percent (29) are women. S ix ty -th re e percent (48) were under t h i r t y - f i v e years of age a t the time o f counseling and 37 percent (28) were over t h i r t y fiv e . A pervading c h a ra c te ris tic o f c lie n ts was th e ir fe e lin g s o f gen­ eral d is s a tis fa c tio n w ith career and l i f e which stim ulated a high le v e l of m otivation fo r seeking counseling and p r o fitin g from the experience. The primary reasons fo r c lie n ts ' seeking assistance were career re la te d Other responses concern m atters r e la tin g to support from s ig n ific a n t o thers, assistance from counselors, value o f te s tin g , fin a n c ia l matters and re s u lta n t decisions and plans. Anne E liz a b e th G o lseth m In discussions o f the survey responses and the comments o ffe re d by respondents, a tte n tio n is given to negative responses and comments as they r e la te to ways in which The Service might be improved, changed, o r extended. Special focus is upon needs fo r a tte n tio n to the concerns o f a d u lt women, fo r provision o f inform ation about how to seek fu rth e r education and new employment, and fo r g re a te r support from others fo r change in or confirm ation o f c lie n t s ' career decisions and goals, edu­ catio n al o b je c tiv e s , and l i f e plans. Recommendations are o ffe re d w ith respect to the present A dult Counseling Service program and i t s possible extension as a u n it o f a to ta l "Adult Resources and Development C enter." A ll programs o f such a center would serve a d u lt students and nonstudents and would a c tu a liz e the Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity commitment to life lo n g learn in g through life lo n g guidance, counseling, and educational s e rv ices . ANNE ELIZABETH GOLSETH Candidate fo r the Degree o f DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Oral Examination: May 10, 1974 D is s e rta tio n : An Assessment o f the S elf-S upported, Educational-Vocational Counseling Program fo r Nonstudent Adults Sponsored by the Continuing Education Service and the Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity O utline o f Studies: Major Subject — Higher Education-Student Personnel Minor Subject — Sociology Biographical Inform ation Date and Place o f B irth : February 10, 1937, M inneapolis, Minnesota Parents: Marian N. Golseth o f D a n v ille , I l l i n o i s Graduate o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Minnesota Ralph G. Golseth o f Tucson, Arizona Graduate o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Minnesota S ib lin g s: Robert G. Golseth o f Tucson, Arizona Graduate o f Miami U n iv e rs ity o f Ohio Stephen R. Golseth o f D a n v ille , I l l i n o i s Graduate o f Eastern I l l i n o i s U n iv e rs ity W illiam J. Golseth o f D a n v ille , I l l i n o i s Graduate o f Eastern I l l i n o i s U n iv e rs ity Educational Inform ation High Schools: York High School, Elmhurst, I l l i n o i s D a n v ille High School, D a n v ille , I l l i n o i s - Diploma, 1955 i1 ANNE ELIZABETH GOLSETH Education Inform ation Continued Bachelor o f A rts: The U n iv e rs ity o f Colorado, 1959 English L ite ra tu re and Philosophy Master o f A rts: Cornell U n iv e rs ity o f New York, 1962 Student Personnel A d m inistration and Educational Psychology Educational S p e c ia lis t: Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1968 Guidance and Personnel Services and Sociology A c tiv itie s Inform ation American Association fo r Higher Education American Association o f U n iv e rs ity Women American College Personnel Association Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the S e rvic e, 1970-73 Gamma Phi Beta Mortar Board North Dakota Association o f Personnel Deans, V ice -P re sid e n t, 1970-71 Phi Beta Kappa Travel throughout Europe, Scandinavia, the United States and in the West Indies and Canada USOE In s t it u t e : "Women in Higher Education." Tennessee, June, 1972 U n iv e rs ity o f Workshop: "Emotional Problems o f College Students." G reeley, Colorado, J u ly , 1969 Employment Inform ation Secretary: Counseling Center o f Stanford U n iv e rs ity , 1969-60 ANNE ELIZABETH GOLSETH Employment Inform ation Continued Graduate and Head Resident: Residence H alls o f Cornell U n iv e rs ity , 1960-62 A ssistan t to Dean o f Students: M ills C o lleg e, Oakland, C a lifo r n ia , 1962-64 Social Worker: Arizona S tate Mental H o s p ita l, Phoenix, 1965 A ssistan t Dean o f Women: Kent S tate U n iv e rs ity , Kent, Ohio, 1965-67 Graduate A ssistan t: Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1967-68 Dean o f Women and A ssistant Professor o f Counseling and Guidance: The U n iv e rs ity o f North Dakota, 1968-71 4 Graduate A ssistant: Dean o f Students O ffic e and Department o f A dm inistration and Higher Education, Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1971-72 Counselor and A ssistan t In s tru c to r: Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1973 A ssistant D ire c to r fo r Education and Research. O ffic e o f Dean o f Students and In s tru c to r, Department o f A dm inistration and Higher Education: Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1973-74 P ublications "Reactions o f Cornell Women Students to Plans o f Residence H all O rganization and A llo c a tio n ." Unpublished Thesis, Cornell U n iv e rs ity , 1962. "What P rice Freedom?" C o n trib u to r, Journal o f NAWDC, F a l l, 1972. "Evaluation— A M atter o f Importance." The MSU O rie n t, 1972. Various statements and features associated w ith e d ito rs h ip o f The MSU O rie n t, 1973-74. iv This d is s e rta tio n in i t s r e a l i t y and value fo r me and fo r others is dedicated to DOROTHY R. ROSS counselor, pro fesso r, colleague, supporter, co n su ltan t, fr ie n d , and very s ig n ific a n t and b e a u tifu l human being v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS For support and assistance in my struggles and seekings, I wish to thank my parents and many frie n d s and colleagues. Special ap­ p re c ia tio n goes to a l l o f the students who have taught me to s t r iv e to create relevance from the best o f id e a ls and r e a l i t i e s . For in s p ira tio n and encouragement, I wish to express apprecia­ tio n to several o f many s ig n ific a n t women in my professional l i f e : Florence Mason, fo rm erly o f the U n iv e rs ity o f Colorado; Peggy F e rris o f the Stanford U n iv e rs ity Counseling Center; Dr. K. P a tr ic ia Cross and Eleanor Simonds Leonard, form erly o f Cornell U n iv e rs ity ; P a tr ic ia Brauel, fo rm erly o f M ills C ollege; Dorothy P e rra u lt o f the Arizona S tate Hospital S t a f f ; Rena Sanders, form erly o f Kent S tate U n iv e rs ity ; and Dr. Beulah Hedahl o f The U n iv e rs ity o f North Dakota. For serving as members o f my Guidance Committee, I wish to thank Dr. James B. McKee and Dr. W illa N o rris . For t h e ir h elp , f a i t h , and counsel, I wish to express special and warm ap p reciatio n to Dr. M ildred B. Erickson, Dr. W alter F. Johnson, and Dr. Gwendolyn N o rre ll who served as members o f niy Guidance Committee and as caring persons. For her constant support, s e n s it iv it y , and strug g le w ith me, I wish to express enduring thanks to my Guidance Committee Chairperson and D is s e rta tio n D ire c to r, Dr. Laurlne E. F itz g e ra ld . I sh a ll ever hold her in highest esteem as a teach er, a co lleag u e, and a fr ie n d . vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF TABLES........................................................................................................... ix Chapter I. II. III. IV . THE PROBLEM .............................................................................................. 1 In tro d u c tio n .......................................................................................... H isto ry o f the A dult Counseling Service ................................... S ig n ific an ce o f the P ro b le m ............................................................ The Purpose o f the S t u d y ................................................................ D e f i n i t i o n s .............................................................................................. L im ita tio n s o f the S t u d y ................................................................ Overview o f the S t u d y ...................................... 1 3 13 17 19 20 22 REVIEW OF RELATED RESOURCES ANDLITERATURE ................................. 24 In tro d u c tio n .......................................................................................... Counseling Services Dimension .................................................... . Adult Education Dimension ................................................................. L ife lo n g Learning Dimension ............................................................ Summary....................................................................................................... 24 25 40 50 58 DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY......................................................................... 61 Populations fo r Study ......................................................................... Background Inform ation ..................................................................... Survey Design and Procedures ...................................................... Treatment o f Data and In fo r m a tio n ............................................... 61 63 66 73 REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION ...................... 75 In tro d u c tio n .......................................................................................... Total C lie n te le , 1 9 6 6 - 1 9 7 2 ...... ...................................................... Total C lie n te le — S u m m a ry ................................................................ Study Population, J u ly , 1969 - December, 1972 ...................... Survey Response Group ......................................................................... Summary....................................................................................................... 75 76 86 89 94 96 vii Chapter V. Page REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF SURVEY D A T A .......................................... 98 In tro d u c tio n .......................................................................................... 98 F a c ilit a t io n Inform ation ................................................................ 99 ......................................................................... 103 Purposes Inform ation Process Inform ation ............................................................................. 108 Outcome Inform ation ............................................................................. 113 Implementation Inform ation ............................................................ 117 Summary o f Survey D a t a ..........................................................................128 V I. REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF SURVEYCOMMENTS ..................................... 131 Needs and E x p e c t a t io n s ..........................................................................132 Processes and P l a n s .................................................................................. 136 Support and V a l u e ...................................................................................... 140 Special Concerns and Suggestions ............................................... 143 Summary............................................................................................................147 VII. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................. 148 Conclusions o f Summative Assessment ........................................... Recommendations fo r Formative Development ................................. 149 152 LIST OF REFERENCES....................................................................................................... 159 APPENDICES APPENDIX A: APPENDIX B: A dult Counseling Service C lie n t C h a ra c te ris tic s by Year: January, 1966 through December, 1972 Reports, . 164 Forms, and Related M a te ria ls ......................... 168 v iii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Page Number o f C lie n ts by Year and by S e x .....................................62 2a. Background Inform ation fo r Total C lie n te le o f Adult Counseling S e rvic e, 1966 - 1972 77 2b. Background Inform ation fo r Total C lie n te le o f Adult Counseling Service by Two 3 1/2 Year P e r io d s ...............79 3. 4. General Purposes and S p e c ific Reasons in Seeking Assistance from the A dult Counseling Service . . . . . . 85 C h a ra c te ris tic s o f the Survey Study Population and the Survey Return Group a t the Time o f Counseling 91 . . . 5. Response Data Concerning How C lie n ts Found Out About the A dult Counseling Service ........................................................ 101 6. Responses to Purpose Items by Men and Women C lie n ts 7. Responses 8. Responses to Process Items by Men and Women C lie n ts 9. Responses to Process Items by Age-Grouped C lie n ts 10. Responses to Outcome Items by Men and Women C lie n ts 11. Responses to Outcome Items by Age-Grouped C lie n ts 12. Responses to Occupation Items by Men and Women C lien ts . .118 13. Responses to Occupation Items by Age-Grouped C lie n ts . . .119 14. Responses to Education Items by Men and Women C lie n ts 15. Responses 16. Comparison o f Some Employment C h a ra c te ris tic s o f Survey Group C lie n ts a t Time o f Counseling and a t Time o f S u r v e y ...............................................................................................127 to Purpose Items by Age-Grouped C lie n ts to Education Items by Age-Grouped C lie n ts ix . . . 105 . . . .106 . . .110 . . . . Ill . . .114 . . . . 115 . . 120 . . . 121 CHAPTER I THE PROBLEM In tro d u ctio n The present is a time o f strug g le toward renewal in le a rn in g , toward extension o f access to and relevance o f higher education. are attempts to fo rm a lize learn in g and liv in g as synonyms. There There is a seeking to u n ify community and c o lle g e , o ffic e and classroom, fa c to ry and la b o ra to ry , f i e l d and campus. The rh e to ric r e fle c ts both the s in ­ cere and the sensational in life lo n g le a rn in g , u n iv e rs itie s w ithout w a lls , s to re fro n t campuses, outreach programs, and inreach pressures. Today, more a d u lt persons than ever before are facin g the fa c t o f having to make decisions about career changes, educational program?, and l i f e plans. Colleges and u n iv e rs itie s are promising to recycle adults fo r new careers, new advancements, new le is u r e , new l i f e s ty le s , and new l i f e goals. Many a d u lt persons are confronted w ith a "plan or perish" career fo re c a s t. To p la n , nowadays, may mean to r is k , to re ­ t o o l, to re le a rn , to regroup, and to retrench o n eself and o ften others in order to deal w ith new beginnings. For the in d iv id u a l, these kinds o f changes may mean some steps backward in order to take some steps f o r ­ ward. Such steps are often p h y s ic a lly d i f f i c u l t , fin a n c ia lly expensive, m entally ta x in g , and em otionally p a in fu l. 1 2 Educational s e rv ices , including counseling, have ever been d i ­ rected to the ty p ic a l student-aged populations and j u s t if i e d as essen­ t i a l developmental e n te rp ris e s . Few in s titu tio n s have provided s im ila r services fo r a d u lt persons w ith in or beyond the educational In s t it u t io n . E ith e r i t is assumed th a t a d u lt persons do not need assistance w ith ed­ ucational and/or career concerns, or i t is assumed th a t they can fin d assistance elsewhere. Only re c e n tly have educators and o th e r s o c ie ta l leaders acknowl­ edged th a t educational growth and career development are not programs w ith beginnings and endings but processes which are ongoing— life lo n g . In the course o f a lif e t im e , the average person w il l change her or his occupation from th ree to f iv e times ( T o f f le r , 1971, p. 109). Many per­ sons w ill face the p o s s ib ility o f career e x p ira tio n , career combination, career movement, or career re to o lin g . Many w il l seek professional as­ sistance as they face educational and career concerns and the personal pressures, c o n flic ts , and questionings o f the present-shock o f necessary change. Many a d u lt persons have not learned a d a p ta b ility , have not learned to l i v e w ithout c e r ta in ty , have not learned to deal w ith d is s a tis fic a tio n s or to recognize o p p o rtu n itie s fo r e ffe c tiv e n e s s , c r e a t iv it y , and renewal. Such persons often seek assistance from counseling s e r­ vices such as the Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . If they are not fu lltim e students, they may be turned away or re fe rre d to an expensive p riv a te agency. At some u n iv e rs ity counseling centers they are re fe rre d to an a d u lt workshop or provided a s in g le in te rv ie w o r re tain ed on a w aitin g l i s t or re fe rre d to one o f the counselors as 3 a p riv a te c l ie n t . A dult persons who are fu lltim e students may use the counseling services o f t h e ir in s titu tio n s ; those who are nonstudents have few sources o f assistance. While many co lleg e and u n iv e rs ity coun­ selin g cen ter provide some services to a lim ite d number o f nonstudents, few have formal programs fo r extending t h e ir services to nonstudent adults (In te rn a tio n a l Association o f Counseling Services D ire c to ry , 1973. At Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , several agencies and persons pro­ vide assistance to ad u lts who are students, p o te n tia l students, or non­ students. A s p e c ific ed u catio nal-vo catio nal counseling program fo r non­ student adults is provided on a fee basis by the Counseling Center. This program, c a lle d the Adult Counseling S e rv ic e , w il l be the focus o f th is study. H is to ry o f the A dult Counseling Service The A dult Counseling Service o f the Counseling Center o f M ich i­ gan S tate U n iv e rs ity developed through the coming together o f th ree pro­ grammatic needs r e la tin g to nonstudent counseling services. The f i r s t was the need to fo rm a lize the career-educational te s tin g and counseling services which had been provided by the Counseling students fo r over f if t e e n years. Center to a few non­ This service had developed in fo rm a lly to meet the requests o f some fa c u lty , s t a f f , and alumni fo r such s e r­ vices f o r themselves or t h e ir re la tiv e s and frie n d s . charged to cover costs o f te s ts . U sually a fee was C le ric a l work, te s t in te r p r e ta tio n , and counseling were often provided w ithout cost as a pub lic re la tio n s gesture. As the number o f these kinds o f requests increased and re g u lar counseling and te s tin g loads increased as w e ll, i t became apparent th a t such services could no longer be provided in fo rm a lly nor w ithout fe e . 4 A second need fo r a program o f service beyond the re g u la r s tu ­ dent services became apparent from an increase in in q u irie s and re ­ quests fo r assistance from the general p u b lic . Persons would telephone to the U n iv e rs ity asking whether th ere existed any source o f assistance w ith career and educational planning. Local community people knew about the Counseling Center and would in q u ire d ir e c t ly about whether they could pay a fee and receive assistance from the C enter. Sometimes parents and o th er r e la tiv e s o f students heard about counseling a s s is ­ tance from students who had used the counseling serv ices . re c a lle d counseling assistance from t h e ir student years. Often alumni In any case, these persons looked to Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity fo r the provision o f career-ed ucation al counseling assistance. The t h ir d and most s ig n ific a n t need was id e n tifie d through the Continuing Education S ervice a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . With an ex­ tensive Evening College program on the main campus and w ith course o f­ fe rin g s in several centers throughout the s ta te , Continuing Education became The U n iv e rs ity to many a d u lt persons— both student and nonstu­ dent. As people in communities faced necessary decision-making about career and educational p lan s, they o ften searched fo r a source o f coun­ selin g assistance. While there were a few counselors working w ith schools and churches, the kind o f services which many a d u lt persons sought was, fo r the most p a r t, not a v a ila b le . Many, th e re fo re , turned to the lan d -g ra n t public service u n iv e rs ity as the lo g ic a l place fo r such a source o f assistance. Some talk ed w ith fa c u lty in t h e ir c o n tin ­ uing education classes and many more talk ed w ith frie n d s who were en­ ro lle d in such classes. Faculty and frien d s had l i t t l e inform ation 5 from which to respond and brought the questions back to the Continuing Education d ire c to rs and the Counseling Center s t a f f . Thus, expressions of need fo r a career-ed ucation al counseling service fo r nonstudent a d u lt persons came from campus, from community, and from o u ts ta te . in 1964 these c a l l s fo r a service o f counseling assistance were louder than ever before and were heard by a c tio n -o rie n te d educators and coun­ selo rs. In October o f 1964, the Evening College conducted an informa­ tio n a l survey seeking to id e n tify c h a ra c te ris tic s o f and obtain sugges­ tions from persons en ro lle d in Evening College classes. Of a to ta l o f 1082 persons in noncredit classes, 777 completed the survey. The la s t item o f the survey asked, "Do you have a suggestion fo r d e s ira b le ad­ d itio n a l s e rv ic e s , such as counseling o f a d u lt learners?" twenty-one d if f e r e n t responses to th is item . There were The response most f r e ­ quently reported (by 30 persons) was a need fo r "counseling and a p t i­ tude te s tin g " (Evening C o llege, 1964). In the Spring o f 1965, Dr. Armand Hunter, D ire c to r o f the Con­ tin u in g Education S e rv ic e , approached Dr. Donald Grummon, D ire c to r o f the Counseling Center about e s ta b lis h in g a counseling program fo r ad u lts under the coordinate sponsorship o f the Counseling Center and the Con­ tin u in g Education Service ("Counseling Center S t a f f B u lle tin ," May 11, 1965). The Counseling Center Executive Committee reacted favorab ly to the proposal and appointed a committee o f three senior s t a f f persons to study the p o s s ib ility fo r such a program and re p o rt by the f i r s t s t a f f meeting of F a l l , 1965. The Committee, chaired by Ms. Dorothy Ross, studied stated and perceived counseling needs o f a d u lt persons in general and o f those en­ ro lle d in continuing education courses. The committee also in v es tig ate d other sources o f assistance to meet counseling needs o f a d u lts . In 1965, th ere were seven services which would provide career and educa­ tio n a l counseling which were lis te d in the D ire c to ry o f Approved Coun­ seling Services (American Board on Counseling S ervices, 1965). Five o f these were u n iv e rs ity counseling services which o ffe re d lim ite d service to nonstudents on a fee basis. One service was sponsored by a r e l i ­ gious group and another was a p riv a te agency. fo r the se rv ices . A ll seven charged fees Four out o f the seven were located in D e tr o it, and the other th ree were located in u n iv e rs ity communities. I t is obvious th a t counseling services fo r a d u lt persons were lim ite d and were con­ fined to m etropolitan areas. The re p o rt o f the committee to study a possible program fo r the counseling o f ad u lts was presented in proposal form in October, 1965 to the s ta ffs o f the Counseling Center and the Continuing Education Ser­ v ic e . The proposed service was designed to be a cooperative o ffe rin g o f the two service d iv is io n s . I t s primary purpose was stated as f o l ­ lows: Assistance to a d u lt c lie n ts by p ro fe s s io n a lly tra in e d counselors in making choices and decisions regarding educational plans, con­ s tru c tiv e use o f le is u re time or preparation fo r any s o c ia lly use­ fu l endeavor ap p ro priate fo r the personal c h a ra c te ris tic s and a b i l ­ i t i e s o f the person seeking the s e rv ic e , g ivin g consideration to re le v a n t socioeconomic fa c to rs and to the concept o f education as a lif e t im e process. The proposal provided recommendations fo r the I n i t i a l program and p ro je ctio n s fo r the fu tu re w ith regard to e l i g i b i l i t y fo r the 7 se rv ic e , lo c a tio n o f centers fo r the s e rv ic e , s t a f f , te s tin g , space and equipment, and r e fe r r a l resources. in Appendix B. A copy o f the proposal is included Of p a rtic u la r in te re s t is th a t w hile the i n i t i a l pro­ gram was intended fo r those persons en ro lle d in one course (Evening C o lle g e ), the p ro je c tio n was fo r service to the to ta l community served by the U n iv e rs ity main campus and any o f i t s teaching centers through­ out the s ta te . The p ro je ctio n o f a fu lltim e ad m in is tra to r fo r the s e r­ vice and o f a special in te rn program fo r the counseling o f adults was f u t u r is t ic and p re d ic tiv e th in k in g . Of special import was the fa c t th a t the proposal included emphasis upon coordination w ith U n iv e rs ity services o f admissions, academic a d v is in g , placement, extension, and co lleg e advisin g . Again, th is emphasis was p re d ic tiv e o f proposals w ith in a life lo n g learn in g re p o rt which was developed e ig h t years la t e r by a special U n iv e rs ity task fo rce ( L ifelo n g U n iv e rs ity , 1973). The proposal o f the committee was accepted by the Continuing Education Ser­ vice and the Counseling Center, and the service was begun on a p il o t basis in January, 1966. The only announcement o f sig n ific a n c e appeared in the "Evening College B u lle tin " fo r the W inter term , 1966. appointments were a v a ila b le only during the evening hours. Counselor Testing was a v a ila b le during the reg u lar workday and by special arrangement on Sat­ urday morning. Counselors were paid on an hourly basis during nonregu­ la r working hours. The service was to be se lf-s u p p o rtin g . The Counsel­ ing Center would provide the s t a f f , a d m in is tra to r, and o ffic e space and f a c i l i t i e s ; the Continuing Education Service would provide fin a n c ia l processes, p u b lic it y , and a d m in is tra tiv e co n su lta tio n . I t was empha­ sized from the very beginning th a t the service o ffe re d would be 8 educational or vocational (assistance w ith planning or decision-m aking) and not personal or social therapy. During the f i r s t s ix months o f o p e ra tio n , the p ilo t p erio d , there were f i f t y in q u irie s about The Service and nineteen persons who came as c lie n ts . men. Of the nin eteen , seventeen were men and two were wo­ Two came from out o f s ta te , and several came from a distance o f 50 miles or more. Ten o f the nineteen were in the 25 to 29 year age range, and twelve were m arried. career planning. Ten stated t h e ir purpose as help w ith Twelve already held bachelors degrees. represented were v a rie d . Occupations A ll who came expressed d is s a tis fa c tio n w ith t h e ir present s itu a tio n s (Ross, 1966-1967). The p ilo t period fo r the A dult Counseling Service was considered by s t a f f as successful. tio n . Those who used The Service expressed s a tis fa c ­ Operations were smooth due to the e f fo r ts o f the co o rd in ato r, Dorothy Ross. S t a f f 'd id discover th a t a d m in is tra tiv e chores and prepa­ ra tio n time were g re a te r than p red icte d . From th a t time and to the present, e f f o r t s , tim e, and m a teria ls r e la tin g to the ad m in is tra tio n o f the program to pre-counseling p rep aratio n s, and to c le r ic a l work are provided by the Counseling Center and the in d iv id u a l counselors. The repo rt o f the p ilo t program ind icated th a t i f the demand fo r The Service were to increase, more s t a f f would have to become involved w ith The Ser­ vice in order to meet c lie n t needs. There were no proposals fo r any fu rth e r p u b lic ity , since th ere were no resources to meet any g reat de­ mand. During the F a ll o f 1966, the Extension D iv is io n o f the Continu­ ing Education Service conducted a "Survey o f Counseling Needs" in 9 classes in ten Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity teaching centers throughout the S ta te o f Michigan. A to ta l o f 967 persons completed the survey. The survey included the question o f whether the persons would lik e to — have a counseling service o ffe re d in t h e ir communities and whether or not they would use such a service i f i t were fre e or i f i t were to cost them from $25 to $75. F ifty -s e v e n percent o f respondents in d icated th a t they would l i k e to have the service nearby; fo r ty percent r e ­ sponded th a t they would use the service i f i t were fr e e ; ten percent responded th a t they would use the service even though there might be a fee o f up to $75. I t appeared th a t those who in d icated w illin g n e s s to pay a fee fo r such a service were expressing a d e f in ite need fo r the s e rv ic e . Comments from persons who comprised the ten percent concerned t h e ir needs fo r help w ith decision-making about career change* fo r assistance with choice o f f i e l d fo r fu rth e r education, fo r assessment o f aptitudes and in te r e s ts , fo r inform ation about academic d is c ip lin e s , courses, and procedures, and fo r inform ation about career p o s s ib ilitie s (Extension S ervice, 1966). These responses confirmed the ch aracter and emphases of the services to ad u lts provided by the coordinate program o f the Continuing Education Service and the Counseling Service o f Michigan State U n iv e rs ity . The name "Adult Counseling Service" was used f i r s t on forms fo r a p p lic a tio n fo r the service and in the f i r s t re p o rt included in the An­ nual Reports o f the Continuing Education Service and the Counseling Center. The primary ta rg e t group fo r The Service was a d u lt men and wo­ men who were seeking assistance in making decisions regarding educational 10 plans, career g o als, and purposeful uses o f le is u re tim e. The service was a v a ila b le to any person who was not c u rre n tly a student a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity main campus or a student in high school. Young adults who were working, between educational experiences, or attending other colleges could apply fo r use o f The Service on the same basis as o ther ad u lt persons. The Service was not open to re g u la r Michigan S tate Uni­ v e rs ity a d u lt students, since these persons could a v a il themselves o f the re g u lar counseling services provided to students. In a d d itio n , The Service was not an academic advising or curriculum planning se rv ic e . Academic advising services existed in a l l c o lle g e s , and in recent y e ars, the U n iv e rs ity College has provided some special advising services to a d u lt students. In s p ite o f the possible confusions o r m is in te rp re ta ­ tions which may be promoted by the t i t l e "Adult Counseling S e rv ic e ," th a t name remains as the one used by c lie n t s , by in q u ire rs , by s t a f f , and on the o f f ic a l forms and documents o f the Continuing Education Ser­ vice and the Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . By 1967, the program o f services fo r ad u lts in career and l i f e planning was running smoothly and accepted as an in te g ra l p a rt o f the several services o ffe re d through Continuing Education and by the Coun­ selin g Center. D ire cto rs o f these two service areas met p e rio d ic a lly to discuss any changes in The S e rvic e, re v is io n o f fe e s , and operation m atters. A d m in is tra to r-c o o rd in a to r fo r the program was Dorothy Ross, Senior Counselor w ith the Counseling Center. In 1967 i t was again d i s ­ cussed and agreed by both d ire c to rs th a t need had not been established fo r o ffe rin g the program in the o u ts ta te cen ters. C lie n ts continued to be w illin g to come to the main campus fo r the s e rv ic e . 11 Each year since the beginning o f the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, the coordinator has prepared an annual re p o rt to be included w ith the to ta l annual reports o f the Continuing Education Service and the Coun­ seling Center. This re p o rt provided an overview o f use o f the s e rv ic e , some c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n t s , some comparisons w ith the previous y e a r, fin a n c ia l statem ent, and recommendations (Ross, 1966). An e la b ­ orated re p o rt o f c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n ts is included in Chapter I I I . A fte r the f i r s t year o f o p e ra tio n , the A dult Conseling Service tended to s t a b iliz e in terms o f procedures, s t a f f tim e, and c lie n t load. The opportunity to work w ith The Service has to date been open only to sen­ io r s t a f f o f the Counseling Center. I t was decided th a t the experience and e x p ertis e o f senior s t a f f were es s e n tia l fo r a s s is tin g a d u lt c lie n ts w ith varied backgrounds and concerns. Each year fo u r to s ix s t a f f per­ sons have been involved in Adult Counseling Service work. In the beginning o f The S e rv ic e , the fee fo r the program o f te s tin g and counseling (th re e to ta l in te rv ie w s ) was $50.00 paid by the c lie n t . W ithin th is amount was $15,00 fo r an assessment in te rv ie w and $10.00 fo r te s tin g . The c lie n t paid fo r the assessment in te rv ie w f i r s t and then paid the balance o f the fee i f th ere were a mutual decision to continue w ith the counseling and te s tin g program. Each counselor was paid $12.50 per in te rv ie w , since counseling time was on an overload basis. In February o f 1968, the amount paid to counselors was increased to $15.00 per in te rv ie w . The Service finances balanced only because ad­ m in is tra tiv e and support services were absorbed by the Counseling Center. To meet the requirements as a Continuing Education program, The Service had to be s e lf-s u p p o rtin g . 12 Every e f f o r t was made to m aintain low fees and expenses. Not u n til January, 1972 did fin a n c ia l pressures lead to recommendation fo r and agreement upon a fee increase to a to ta l o f $70.00 fo r the te s tin g and counseling program. The assessment in te rv ie w increased to $20.00, but the te s tin g fee remained a t $10.00. creased to $18.50 per in te rv ie w . Payment to counselors was in ­ While these fees and payments remain in e f f e c t , recent and continuing economic pressures may lead to a nec­ essary fee increase in the near fu tu re . Recommendations from the annual repo rts o f the A dult Counseling Service concerned needs fo r increases in s t a f f and fin a n c ia l resources, increased communication w ith other U n iv e rs ity agencies, matters r e l a t ­ ing to a proposed o u t-s ta te program, and matters re la tin g to any possi­ ble expansion o f the s e rv ic e . For the most p a r t, the service was f u l ­ f i l l i n g the stated purposes e ffe c t iv e ly and e f f i c i e n t l y and somewhat ro u tin e ly . Numbers o f c lie n ts per year ranged from 23 to 38 w ith the mean number o f c lie n ts per year as 31. While no c lie n ts were turned away, n e ith e r was any p u b lic ity about the service increased. To th is day, the only p rin te d announcement o f the service is through the "Even­ ing College B u lle t in ." More actio n is needed r e la t iv e to evalu atio n o f the A dult Counseling S ervice and the p o s s ib ilitie s fo r Increasing fin a n c ia l resources. stab le program. At present The Service seems to be a v ia b le but This provision fo r counseling fo r career d e c is io n , educational planning, and use o f le is u re time fo r nonstudent persons who cannot fin d assistance elsewhere is a service which is meeting a need. Yet, one may w ell ask, " I s the A dult Counseling Service doing enough?" " Is The S ervice making a d iffe re n c e fo r c lie n ts ? " " Is The 13 Service increasing in i t s value to i t s c lie n t e le and to the U niversity?" Today, the m aintaining o f v ia b le s t a b i l i t y is not enough. In a l l o f higher education, services compete fo r resources and must provide ju s ­ t i f ic a t i o n fo r existence. The A dult Counseling Service is a p u b lic ser­ v ic e—a service o f providing ra th e r than promoting. There a r e , however, questions which concern whether The Service should be changed, expanded, or even replaced. The Adult Counseling Service was developed as a re ­ sponsive se rv ic e . Today, one might ask whether the program should be­ come an i n i t i a t i n g s e rv ic e —a service th a t a c tiv e ly reaches out from the campus to the community and the s ta te in ways th a t are both provid­ ing and promoting. S ig n ific a n c e o f the Problem In the 1970-71 Annual Report o f the Continuing Education Ser­ vice o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , Dr. Armand Hunter re s ta te s the pur­ poses and goals upon which the programs o f th a t Service are based. As a coordinate program w ith the Continuing Education S e rvic e, the A dult Counseling Service is one o f the special educational resources extended to the people o f Michigan so th a t they might pursue and obtain: 1. an education fo r a meaningful l i f e ; 2. an education fo r vocational development and techn ical change; 3. an education fo r professional development and career advance­ ment; 4. an education fo r in t e lle c tu a l f u lf illm e n t and c u ltu ra l appre­ c ia tio n ; and 5. an education fo r community involvement and s o c ie ta l s e rv ic e . 14 Through the provision o f counseling services re la tin g to educational and career decision-making and l i f e p lanning, the A dult Counseling Ser­ vice contributes to these goals. In ad d itio n to a restatem ent o f the goals and purposes o f Con­ tinu in g Education, Hunter, in his 1970-71 Annual R eport, s ta te s eigh­ teen pred iction s r e la tin g to education. Four o f these p red ictio n s are e s p e c ia lly re le v a n t to the programs o f the A dult Counseling S ervice. They are: 1. The need fo r education and re-education throughout l i f e w ill increase. 2. The age fo r re tire m e n t w ill be reduced. 3. The nature and types o f "work" or "labor" w ill change. 4. The necessity f o r improved in te r-p e rs o n a l and in te r-g ro u p re la tio n s h ip s w i l l become e s s e n tia l. Hunter's statements both reemphasize and extend the commitment o f Mich­ igan S tate U n iv e rs ity to serving the people o f Michigan through service programs as w ell as through the tr a d itio n a l c u rr ic u la r and c o -c u rric u la r o ffe rin g s . This commitment was p ow erfully stated by President John Hannah in 1966: The e n tire s ta te o f Michigan is the campus o f Michigan S ta te . In a l l our programs, our goal is to serve the people o f the S tate by increasing th e ir knowledge and helping them to make p ra c tic a l ap­ p lic a tio n s o f th a t knowledge. ( Undergraduate Catalogue, 1966-67, p. ix ) This commitment as i t re la te s to a d u lt persons is becoming a ce n tral focus fo r Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity in the 1970's. 15 In 1971, the Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity Commission on Admissions and Student Body Composition presented a Report to the P re s id e n t. This report sta tes th a t the U n iv e rs ity should provide educational opportun­ it ie s to o ld e r students inclu d in g those who have never attended c o lle g e , those who wish to re -e n te r c o lle g e , graduates who need updated knowl­ edge, p rofessionals who need r e tr a in in g , and those who seek to pursue new in te re s ts (Admissions and . . . , 1971, p. 3 9 ). I t is a d u lt persons from these kinds o f groups who since 1966 have made use o f the A dult Counseling S ervice. The extending o f expanded educational services to persons from these groups can be o f g re a te r value i f the U n iv e rs ity gives a tte n tio n to the special counseling needs o f these persons and the kinds o f services and programs necessary to meet such needs. In f o r ­ mation about the c lie n te le o f the Adult Counseling Service would be o f special value in developing such programs. The Commission on Admis­ sions Report also contained a recommendation th a t the U n iv e rs ity assign a space fo r use as a center fo r advising and counseling the o ld e r, more mature students ( Admissions and . . . , 1971, p. 4 0 ). P rio r to the pos­ s ib le establishm ent o f such a "Center fo r Adult Counseling," the oppor­ tu n ity to consult a re p o rt o f d a ta , e v a lu a tiv e response, and operations inform ation re la tin g to the present service o f counseling fo r nonstu­ dent adults would be o f value to planners and programmers. A t h ir d Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity re p o rt emphasizing services fo r a d u lt persons is the re p o rt o f the Task Force on L ife lo n g Education. The unpublished p relim in ary re p o rt o f 1972 s ta te s , "Data is so rely la c k ­ ing regarding the unique needs and problems o f the groups which w ill comprise the expanded student body ("A B e tte r L if e ," p. 7 0 )." The 16 present A dult Counseling Service is one source o f data about the unique needs and problems o f the kinds o f people to whom the life lo n g learn in g commitment is d ire c te d . The L ife lo n g U n iv e rs ity , f in a l re p o rt o f the Task Force on L ife lo n g Education contains several references to counsel­ ing needs o f the "expanded student body." Two s p e c ific recommendations c a ll fo r ap p ro priate counseling services fo r nonconventional p a r t i c i ­ pants in U n iv e rs ity programs ( L ife lo n g U n iv e rs ity , 1973, pp. 25, 7 3 ). Recommendations from these th ree reports emphasize the r e la t io n ­ ship o f the present and fu tu re o f the A dult Counseling Service to three prominent trends re la tin g to educational planning a t Michigan S tate Uni­ v e rs ity . These are: 1. A renewal o f d edication o f the land gran t U n iv e rs ity to s e r­ vice fo r people o f the S ta te o f Michigan and an increasing demand fo r programs which reach out to the people and coor­ d in a te w ith the community. 2. A commitment o f the U n iv e rs ity to development o f stru c tu re and programs fo r acting upon the concepts o f life lo n g le a rn ­ in g . 3. The increasing demand fo r id e n tific a tio n and evalu atio n o f e ffe c ts o f a l l U n iv e rs ity programs and the meeting o f stan­ dards o f educational and fin a n c ia l a c c o u n ta b ility . By it s very nature the A dult Counseling Service re la te s to the f i r s t and second trends in providing a program which serves people beyond the U n iv e rs ity community and assists them w ith educational plans, career decisions and goals, and l i f e planning. The th ir d trend fo r increasing evaluation o f programs has not y e t a ffe c te d the A dult Counseling Ser­ vic e . While a t present there are no demands fo r evalu ation o f the Adult Counseling Service w ith respect to fin a n c ia l a c c o u n ta b ility , th ere are 17 concerns about the values o f The S ervice to c lie n ts and the fu tu re o f The S ervice as a U n iv e rs ity Program. While annual repo rts about The S ervice have described the c l i ­ ents, the professional s t a f f , the se rv ic e s , and the fin a n c ia l s ta tu s , there have been no reports o f response from c lie n ts concerning e ffe c ts o f the program. To d a te , th ere has been no to ta l re p o rt or assessment o f the A dult Counseling Service and no fo llo w -u p study o f c lie n ts . Given the trends fo r increasing a d u lt involvement in higher education, increasing U n iv e rs ity outreach to the p u b lic , and increasing demands fo r e v a lu a tio n , i t is e s se n tia l th a t the Counseling Center seek assess­ ment o f the A dult Counseling Service w ith inp ut from the c lie n ts who have experienced The S ervice. The importance o f such an assessment is increased by the needs o f U n iv e rs ity planners fo r inform ation about purposes, exp ectatio n s, and needs o f persons who represent those pub­ lic s to whom the U n iv e rs ity is o ffe rin g g re a te r o p p o rtu n itie s fo r learning and educational services. The Purpose o f the Study The purpose o f th is study is to assess the c h a ra c te ris tic s and v i a b i l i t y o f the fee-based, ed u catio n al-vo catio n al counseling service fo r nonstudents (A d u lt Counseling S ervice) provided by Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . The core o f th is assessment is a fo llow -u p survey o f the c lie n t population o f the Service from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. The survey questionnaire is composed o f items concerning former c lie n t s ' purposes in seeking counseling and the impacts o f the 18 counseling experiences as they perceive them. In a d d itio n , there are items r e la tin g to occupation, education, and o th er a c t i v i t ie s o f c l i ­ ents since counseling and items about counseling support and resources. Throughout the survey, comments and suggestions from the former c lie n ts are encouraged. In ad d itio n to inform ation from the survey, the study includes background inform ation about c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Service since i t s beginnings and w ith regard to the survey study pop ulatio n. Inform ation from former c lie n t survey responses and background research is reported w ith regard to the fo llo w in g discussion areas: 1. C lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s and stated needs; 2. Expectations o f the counseling experience; 3. Perception o f the counseling process; 4. Perception o f worth o f the counseling experience; and 5. Suggestions and comments regarding the A dult Counseling Servi c e . In ad d itio n to the primary focus upon an assessment o f the Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity A dult Counseling S e rvic e, the study includes inform a­ tio n concerning the development o f The Service and p ro je ctio n s and rec­ ommendations fo r the fu tu re o f The S ervice. Given the primary and secondary purposes o f the proposed study, major operational in te n tio n s are as fo llo w s : 1. To describe the fee-based, ed u ca tio n a l-vo ca tio n a l counseling service fo r nonstudent ad u lts as provided by the Counseling Center in coordination w ith the Continuing Education Service o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity from 1966 through 1972. 19 2. To re p o rt the c h a ra c te ris tic s and stated needs o f those p er­ sons who have received assistance from the A dult Counseling S ervice. 3. To assess c e rta in aspects o f The Service through inform ation and response from a fo llo w -u p survey d ire c te d to the popula­ tio n o f c lie n ts who used The Service from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. 4. To review recent re la te d lit e r a t u r e in order to id e n tify and discuss needs and p ro jectio n s fo r s im ila r counseling ser­ v ic e s , issues r e la tin g to such s e rv ic e s , and commitments o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity fo r provision o f counseling ser­ vices to nonstudent a d u lts . 5. To develop recommendations r e la tin g to the co n tin u a tio n , a l ­ te r a tio n , and/or expansion o f the A dult Counseling Service as p re s e n tly provided by the Counseling Center o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . D e fin i tions Few o f the terms used in th is study req u ire d e fin itio n . Many, however, re q u ire d e s c rip tio n and e la b o ra tio n w ith in the context o f the re p o rt. Two la b e ls which are used throughout the re p o rt are "Adult Counseling Service" and " C lie n t." These two re fe re n ts are defined in the fo llo w in g paragraphs. A dult Counseling Service is the lab el by which s t a f f , c lie n t s , and others know the fee-based, ed u catio n al-vo catio n al counseling ser­ vice fo r nonstudent ad u lts provided by the Counseling Center in coordi­ nation with, the Continuing Education Service a t Michigan S tate Univer­ s it y . This special service was fo rm a lly established in January, 1966 to provide counseling and te s tin g to a s s is t nonstudent a d u lt persons in making choices and decisions regarding educational plans, career goals, and/or purposeful uses o f le is u re tim e. Further inform ation 20 about the development o f The Service and i t s t i t l e is included in the discussion o f the h is to ry o f the program. In th is re p o rt the Adult Counseling S ervice may be re fe rre d to in shortened form as The S ervice. S im ila r ly , Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity may be re fe rre d to as the U n iv e rs ity , and the Counseling Center as the Center. The term " c lie n t" is used to r e fe r to any person who has made use o f the Adult Counseling S ervice. While the survey responses w ill be obtained from "former" c lie n t s , i t seems unnecessary to repeat the term "former" w ith every referen ce. C lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Service are persons who are not c u rre n tly e n ro lle d as high-school stu ­ dents or as students a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . They are fu rth e r defined by t h e ir a b i l i t y to pay fo r counseling assistance. L im ita tio n s o f the Study Population Most o f the c lie n ts o f the Adult Counseling Service have no contact w ith The Service a f t e r t h e ir counseling experience. What brought them to seek assistance is l ik e l y to combine w ith counseling e ffe c ts in such a way as to r e s u lt in change o f lo c a tio n , jo b , and/or l i f e s ty le . c lie n t s . These changes l im it the p o s s ib ilit ie s o f fin d in g former There are several fac to rs which make the counseling e x p e ri­ ence unique fo r each c lie n t . fe r e n tia te d , others cannot. While some o f these fa c to rs can be d i f ­ Some c lie n ts choose not to respond to a survey; some are s e le c tiv e in response; some not only respond but o f fe r comments. I t was assumed but not determ inable th a t c lie n ts who were 21 motivated to seek counseling assistance also would be motivated to com­ p le te and re tu rn the survey. Survey and Coding While survey items were developed to meet purposes o f the study and to p a r a lle l c e rta in items on the a p p lic a tio n fo r counseling, many of the survey items are open in form and subject to c lie n t in te rp re ta ­ tio n . The seeking o f in d iv id u a liz e d responses and comments lim its the tid in e ss o f c a te g o riza tio n o f responses and increases a rb itra rin e s s in in te rp re tin g and coding responses. While c a te g o riza tio n makes possible a r tic u la tio n o f grouped responses, i t lim its consideration o f in d iv id ­ ual shades o f meaning and personal reactions to the counseling e x p e ri­ ence. I t should be noted th a t the survey and the to ta l study in no way purport to evalu ate the q u a lity or " re s u lts " o f counseling. Con­ s id eratio n o f counseling e ffe c ts sh a ll be w ith regard to describing re ­ sponses o f c lie n ts to the survey item s. These responses are stim ulated by the survey items and are based upon re c a lle d and cu rren t perceptions and fe e lin g s about the counseling experience. Treatment o f Survey Responses That conclusions may be drawn and recommendations developed from survey inform ation which is not subjected to s t a t is t ic a l sc ru tin y may be a lim it a tio n i f viewed ap art from the d e s c rip tiv e purpose o f the study. The o v e rrid in g in te n t o f the survey is to " lis te n to" and to report what the former c lie n ts are saying about t h e ir counseling 22 experiences, t h e ir needs, and th e ir liv e s . I t is intended th a t the bases fo r developing recommendations concerning the A dult Counseling Service w il l include c lie n t comments as w ell as categorized responses. Overview o f the Study This study o f the A dult Counseling Service o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity includes in Chapter I I a review o f recent l it e r a t u r e r e l a t ­ ing to the provision by colleges and u n iv e rs itie s o f counseling ser­ vice programs fo r ad u lts w ith in and beyond the campus. Most l it e r a t u r e concerns the broader topics o f a d u lt education programs and life lo n g learn in g proposals. In Chapter I I I , an overview o f the c lie n t popula­ tio n o f the Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity Adult Counseling Service leads to a d es crip tio n o f the design and methodology fo r in v e s tig a tio n o f background inform ation and fo r implementation o f the survey study o f the c lie n t population from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. Reports and discussion o f inform ation about c lie n t background c h a ra c te ris tic s w ith regard to the to ta l c lie n t e le , the study p o p u latio n , and the sur­ vey response group are presented in Chapter IV . Chapter V focuses upon the re p o rt and discussion o f survey r e ­ sponse data from c lie n ts who used The Service from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. In Chapter V I, comments from c lie n ts about The Service are presented as complementary to survey response data and as e s se n tia l to the purpose o f seeking feedback about The Service from those who ex­ perienced the counseling and te s tin g assistance. The to ta l study is summarized in Chapter V II w ith the c o lla tin g o f conclusions from the survey study and re la te d in v e s tig a tio n . Recommendations concerning the 23 Adult Counseling Service are proposed and im p lic a tio n s fo r fu rth e r r e ­ search are presented. While the study has several dimensions in terms o f in v e s tig a ­ tio n o f program development, records in fo rm a tio n , re p o rt in fo rm atio n , and survey d a ta , the primary focus is upon inform ation about and from the persons who have experienced the A dult Counseling Service provided by Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . In order to provide a background fo r th is focus, i t is im portant to give a tte n tio n to any re la te d s tu d ie s , services, re p o rts , and selected lit e r a t u r e from the areas o f a d u lt ed­ ucation and life lo n g learn in g which concern the provision o f educa­ t io n a l, c a re e r, and life -p la n n in g counseling and te s tin g programs. CHAPTER I I REVIEW OF RELATED RESOURCES AND LITERATURE Intro d u ctio n The seeking o f lit e r a t u r e d ir e c t ly r e la tin g to the provision o f counseling services fo r nonstudent adults by colleges and u n iv e rs i­ tie s proves a f r u it le s s tas k. While i t can be determined th a t several colleges and u n iv e r s itie s , public and p r iv a te , do provide some counsel­ ing programs fo r nonstudent a d u lts , th ere seem to be few d e s c rip tiv e p u b lic a tio n s , service re p o rts , or research presentations concerning these programs. A r tic le s emphasizing v a rie ty in higher education counseling service programs ra r e ly mention outreach services to nonstu­ dent a d u lts . While numbers o f nonstudent ad u lts served are o fte n sm all, so are numbers o f persons served by programs fo r eth n ic groups, the phy­ s ic a lly handicapped, vocational in te re s t or academic major groups, and s im ila r "sp ecial" populations. Perhaps higher education counseling services do not wish to p u b lic iz e services fo r nonstudent a d u lts , to include such services in reports w ith student s e rv ices , to w rite about the fa c t o f fee-based se rv ices , or to deal w ith the problems o f try in g to fo llo w -u p a d u lt c lie n ts and evaluate the services provided to them. Whatever the rea­ sons, th ere appear to be no a r t ic le s or reports which deal d ir e c tly 24 25 with the p rovision o f fee-based counseling fo r nonstudent a d u lt per­ sons by colleges and u n iv e r s itie s . There do e x is t , however, several categories o f lit e r a t u r e and resources from which to s e le c t m a teria l fo r background and breadth w ith regard to the subject o f the fee-based counseling service fo r nonstu­ dent a d u lts . These categ o ries o f educational lit e r a t u r e include coun­ seling se rv ic e s , a d u lt education, and life lo n g le a rn in g . In a d d itio n , other re la te d w ritin g s and resources include some o f the f u t u r is t ic ed­ ucational l it e r a t u r e , c u rren t and h is to r ic a l m a te ria ls located in the Counseling Center o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , o ther Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity repo rts and documents, d ire c to rie s o f counseling s e rv ices , and notes from in terview s w ith counselors o f the Counseling Center o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . This review o f re la te d resources and lit e r a t u r e w il l f i r t con­ cern an overview o f p rin te d m a teria ls and in te rv ie w notes which re la te to the Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity A dult Counseling Service and a discus­ sion o f inform ation from a counseling services d ire c to ry and some gen­ eral counseling services lit e r a t u r e . A second dimension fo r discussion w ill include selected m a teria l from the lit e r a t u r e o f a d u lt education. A th ir d aspect w il l concern selected m a te ria ls from w ritin g s regarding life lo n g learn in g and f u t u r i s t ic education. Counseling Services Dimension Resources and l it e r a t u r e selected and reviewed to provide an understanding o f counseling services aspects o f a program fo r the as­ sistance o f nonstudent ad u lts w ith educational and career concerns 26 include m a te ria ls re la tin g d ir e c t ly to Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , d i ­ recto ry inform ation and surveys o f s e rv ices , and inform ation about career counseling fo r a d u lt persons. Resources Concerning Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity While a service fo r the ed u ca tio n a l-caree r counseling o f non­ student adults has fo rm a lly existed a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity fo r over seven y e ars, only re c e n tly have U n iv e rs ity reports in d ica te d a t ­ ten tio n to such a se rv ic e . The present A dult Counseling Service as a coordinate program o f the Continuing Education Service and Counseling Center is defined w ith many other educational programs w ith in the statement o f purpose o f the Continuing Education Service: "Coordi­ nates, ad m in isters, and provides educational o p p o rtu n itie s to adults not en ro lle d in on-campus degree programs" C atalog, 1973 -74 ). ( Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity Continuing Education provides " a c t iv itie s (which) r e f le c t the basic philosophy th a t the s ta te u n iv e rs ity should serve a l l the people." I t s o b jec tiv es are " . . . to help people lea rn to do t h e ir jobs b e tte r , to lead more useful liv e s , to challenge a c tiv e minds, to employ t h e ir le is u re time more w isely and to become b e tte r c itiz e n s . . . ." Thus, i t appears th a t a t p resen t, the U n iv e rs ity presents the A dult Counseling Service as one o f the many educational o p p o rtu n itie s , a c t i v i t i e s , and sources o f help fo r people o f the com­ munity and the s ta te . Two recent special "Reports to the President" a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity have included recommendations r e la tin g to counseling programs 27 fo r a d u lt persons. These repo rts are: Admissions and Student Body Composition, completed in 1971, and The L ife lo n g U n iv e rs ity , completed in 1973. Both reports are the re s u lts o f special task fo rce in v e s ti­ gations. The f i r s t re p o rt is concerned w ith the needs o f actual and p o te n tia l student populations. The re p o rt presents recommendations r e ­ la tin g to increasing educational o p p o rtu n itie s fo r several groups o f "older" students. These include o ld e r persons who are beginning or r e ­ entering c o lle g e , those who need updated knowledge o r c re d e n tia ls , those who need r e tr a in in g , those who seek new o p p o rtu n itie s , and those who have in te rru p te d educations (such as women). What is not contained in the re p o rt is consideration o f how the U n iv e rs ity might extend s e r­ vices to these "older" populations o f p o te n tia l students and evidence concern fo r t h e ir special needs w ith inform ation about programs, w ith assistance in planning, and w ith formal educational o ffe rin g s . The U n iv e rs ity must provide assistance to the o ld er person before th a t in ­ d ivid u al is a student in order th a t the person might become a student. The Admissions Report (p . 40) does in d ic a te reco g nitio n o f some o f the concerns o f o ld er students and provides the fo llo w in g recommen­ dations: a. assign space fo r use as a center fo r advising and counseling the o ld e r, more mature students; b. examine the procedures and c r i t e r i a fo r admission and read­ mission o f the o ld e r student in order to f a c i l i t a t e his en try in to the U n iv e rs ity ; c. examine the course o ffe rin g s a v a ila b le to those who are un­ able to attend the U n iv e rs ity during the day; and d. delegate to the Provost re s p o n s ib ility fo r th is area. 28 In a d d itio n , The Admissions Report includes a c a ll fo r a tte n tio n to the U n iv e rs ity 's re s p o n s ib ility in the area o f life lo n g learn in g and the recommendation th a t a study be made regarding th is m atter. The Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity Task Force on L ife lo n g Education d is trib u te d I t s p relim in ary re p o rt in the F a ll o f 1972 and i t s fin a l rep o rt in the Spring o f 1973 ("A B e tte r L ife " and L ife lo n g U n iv e rs ity ) . The d e f in itio n o f life lo n g education included both academic in s tru c ­ tio n and the provision o f "educational service to In d iv id u a ls and in ­ s titu tio n s a t many le v e ls o f need ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 5 ) ." This pro­ cess o f life lo n g service to a heterogeneous population would necessar­ i l y re q u ire special counseling, tu to rin g , and other a u x ilia r y services ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 1 7 ). In recommendations concerning such support services, the Task Force c a lle d fo r the extension o f personal counsel­ ing services to nonconventional p a rtic ip a n ts in U n iv e rs ity programs and recommended examination o f the needs o f such audiences and assess­ ment o f such services ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 2 5 ). This recommendation is restated in the form o f a c a ll fo r surveys o f samples o f p a rtic ip a n ts in life lo n g education experiences w ith regard to t h e ir needs and the planning o f new programs ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 5 0 ). A m in o rity statement from members o f the Task Force emphasizes to an even g re a te r exten t the services components (in c lu d in g counseling) o f life lo n g education ( L if e i long, 1973, p. 6 8 ). In sum, the life lo n g education re p o rt o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity includes emphasis upon the provision o f counseling ser­ vices as a p a rt o f both formal and nonformal educational programs in re ­ la tio n to both the academic and public service commitments o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 7 1 -7 3 ). W ithin th is emphasis is 29 the need "to optim ize the use o f e x is tin g in te rn a l resources devoted to life lo n g learn in g through cooperation and coordination ( L ife lo n g , 1973, p. 7 4 )." One e x is tin g and coordinate in te rn a l resource which has been devoted to life lo n g learn in g is the present A dult Counseling Service. Interview s w ith Adult Counseling Service S ta ff The primary resource person fo r th is study is the present Co­ o rd in ato r o f the A dult Counseling S ervice. The in v e s tig a to r has worked clo se ly w ith th is person in the in v e s tig a tio n o f serv ice h is to ry and c lie n t background, in the development and d is trib u tio n o f the survey, and in the analysis o f returns and presentation o f the to ta l study. Since th ere is minimal lit e r a t u r e concerning the extending o f higher education based counseling services to nonstudent a d u lts , i t was de­ cided th a t in te rv ie w m aterial from A dult Counseling Service s t a f f would be o f value to the study. P rio r to in d iv id u a l in te rv ie w s , a l i s t o f questions and cover l e t t e r were sent to the th ree counselors who work with the m a jo rity o f a d u lt c lie n t s . is included 1n Appendix B. four areas: A copy o f the in te rv ie w questions Most o f the in te rv ie w m a teria l re la te d to the s e rv ic e , the c lie n ts , the counselor, and the fu tu re of the se rv ice. The counselors in d ic a te th a t the A dult Counseling Service should remain as an "ed ucatio nal, c a re e r, and l i f e planning" service and not extend in to therapy such as personal, s o c ia l, o r fa m ily coun­ s e lin g . They emphasize th a t the present Service does not have resources 30 fo r extension o f th a t kind o f service and th a t r e fe r r a l resources are a v a ila b le . There are d iff e r in g responses to a question about providing group counseling fo r the a d u lt c lie n t s . While the counselors agree th a t some pre-counseling o rie n ta tio n could be conducted in groups, only one is favorab le to the p o s s ib ilit y o f a group career counseling pro­ gram. Counselors in d ic a te th a t the present program does provide a nec­ essary s tru c tu re and time expectation which enhances the accomplishment o f c lie n t o b je c tiv e s . A ll agree th a t w ithout expansion o f resources and s t a f f , p u b lic ity about the service would be unwise. A ll fe e l th a t the operation o f the service is smooth but g e n e ra lly pressured. There is never enough time to provide w ritte n repo rts fo r c lie n ts or extend sessions or meet during re g u la r daytime hours. Counselors are re lu c ta n t to ca teg o rize a d u lt c lie n ts except by sex and age group. They in d ic a te th a t a d u lt c lie n ts are very in d iv id ­ u a lis t ic in t h e ir backgrounds and needs and very d if f e r e n t from student c lie n ts . Most consider a d u lt c lie n ts as pragmatic and seeking d e fin it e inform ation and help w ith decision-making and coping w ith change. Older c lie n ts are l ik e l y to need more p ra c tic a l inform ation and t h e ir decisions are l i k e l y to have more fin a n c ia l im p lic a tio n s . Younger c l i ­ ents are l i k e l y to seek in s ig h t about themselves and the world and to be in a b e tte r p o s itio n to be mobile and ris k change. Women c lie n ts are often seeking a work o rie n ta tio n fo r the f i r s t tim e; men c lie n ts are more l i k e l y seeking help w ith change o f c a re e r. A ll seek informa­ tio n and in te ra c tio n w ith the counselor. Counselors in d ic a te th a t c lie n ts do not consider cost o f coun­ se lin g as a m atter o f g rea t concern. Of g re a te r concern is tim e. Since 31 most c lie n ts work and/or come a distance fo r counseling* they want to accomplish a l o t as a re s u lt o f each session. A ll the counselors In d i­ cate th a t they enjoy working w ith the a d u lt c lie n ts and learn from them. Questions about the fu tu re o f the A du lt Counseling Service o r a s im ila r service a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity bring mixed reactions from counselors. One in d ica te s th a t The Service ( l i k e many) is not " v ita l" but is valuable to the community since so few agencies e x is t which provide such s e rv ic e . A ll view the primary purpose o f the Uni­ v e rs ity Counseling Center as service to U n iv e rs ity students, but they do support the service to nonstudents as p a rt o f the U n iv e rs ity commit­ ment. A ll aspects o f any fu tu re planning fo r The Service hinge upon increased resources, resources beyond the c u rren t "s e lf-s u p p o rt" system o f The S e rvic e. Counselors in d ic a te th a t any extended u n it o r o ffic e fo r the counseling o f ad u lts should be a f f i l i a t e d w ith the Counseling Center but coordinated w ith other U n iv e rs ity o ffic e s and serv ices . Such a service would continue to be d iffe r e n t ia te d from academic ad vis­ ing agencies which are sponsored by the various c o lle g e s . None o f the counselors would want to devote f u llt im e to an a d u lt counseling u n it , but a l l would want to devote some tim e. A ll counselors in d ic a te th a t the a f f i l i a t i o n w ith Continuing Education is im portant, but th a t coordination w ith o th er U n iv e rs ity s e r­ vices could be improved w ith the development o f a more defined a d u lt counseling u n it. One counselor proposes th a t an a d u lt counseling u n it be developed to serve both a d u lt students and a d u lt nonstudents, w ith the l a t t e r on a fee basis. He emphasizes th a t many adults who are po­ te n t ia l students need counseling assistance and r e a l i s t i c evalu ation 32 o f what they might fin d i f they were to re tu rn to school. While coun­ selors b e lie v e 1 t necessary fo r the U n iv e rs ity to make i t e a s ie r fo r people to u t i l i z e education, they also p o in t out the u n re a lity o f the U n iv e rs ity 's try in g to be a l l things to a l l people. I f counseling s e r­ vices are to be provided to any and a l l c itiz e n s throughout the s ta te , i t would be b e tte r i f no p a r tic u la r in s t it u t io n o f higher education were co ordinator o f such a system. Rather a sta te -w id e coordinating u n it w ith separate funding and w ith in s titu tio n a l cooperation would be more r e a l i s t i c . A ll counselors fe e l th a t t h e ir work w ith a d u lt c lie n ts is o f value to the c lie n t s , to the U n iv e rs ity , to themselves, and to the pub lic o f the S ta te o f Michigan. The counselors are supportive o f a fo llo w -u p study o f a d u lt c lie n ts and in d ic a te th a t responses from a d u lt c lie n ts would be h elp fu l to themselves and to improving The S ervice. D ire cto ry and S ervice Surveys While th ere seem to have been no studies o r reports d ir e c tly re la te d to the provision by co lleg e and u n iv e rs ity counseling centers o f counseling programs fo r nonstudent a d u lts , inform ation about the o f­ fe rin g o f such services was sought from d ire c to rie s and a r t ic le s con­ cerning service surveys. The most valuable resource fo r a d es crip tio n of counseling services is the D ire c to ry o f Counseling Services published by the In te rn a tio n a l Association o f Counseling S ervices, In c ., an a f f i l ­ ia te o f the American Personnel and Guidance A ssociation. In the 1973 D ire cto ry th ere are lis te d 210 accred ited counseling agencies and 174 agencies w ith pro visio nal status aw aiting e v a lu a tio n . Agencies 33 a f f i l i a t e d w ith a fo u r-y e a r co lle g e or u n iv e rs ity comprise 93 o f the 210 accredited agencies and 59 o f the p ro visio n al agencies. Other ac­ credited agencies are 61 re la te d to a church o r community s e rv ic e , 46 p riv a te , and 10 re la te d to a community c o lle g e or school d i s t r i c t . Of the 93 co lleg e and u n iv e rs ity agencies, 34 provide services only to students or persons re la te d to the in s t it u t io n . T h irty -tw o provide services to a lim ite d number o f n o n s tu d e n t/n o n a ffilia te d per­ sons and twenty-seven in d ic a te provision o f services to nonstudents w ithout mentioning any lim it a t io n . There appear to be no p a r tic u la r d ifferen ces in the provision o f services between p riv a te and p u b lic in s titu tio n s . Examples o f fees are provided w ith the lis tin g s o f se rv ic e s , but some do not l i s t fees and several do not describe what is included in the fe e s . Some s ta te " a b i li t y to pay" as a fa c to r . Of 38 co lleg e and u n iv e rs ity agencies lis t in g fe e s , 28 f a l l in a fee range o f $50$100 fo r a counseling "package." four interview s and te s tin g . from $10 to $35. A package u su ally consists o f two to Fee amounts fo r s in g le in terview s range Nearly a l l services are fre e to students and to p er­ sons a f f i l i a t e d w ith the co lle g e or u n iv e rs ity . Comparative fee pack­ ages in church and community service agencies are from a b i l i t y to pay to $75 up to $425. In p riv a te agencies the fee fo r a counseling pack­ age ranged from $50 to $300. Community colleges tended to have no or low fees fo r persons from the co lleg e d i s t r i c t . The 1973 D ire cto ry lis te d nine accredited counseling agencies in the S tate o f Michigan. One is church r e la te d , one is p r iv a te , and seven are a f f i l i a t e d w ith a co lle g e or u n iv e rs ity . Of the seven, one 34 serves only students, fo u r serve nonstudents on a lim ite d b as is , and two l i s t services fo r nonstudents w ith no lim ita tio n . $55 to $100 fo r a counseling "package." Fees range from Eight services are located in three m etropolitan areas w ith only one in the upper peninsula. The p riv a te service is located in the D e tro it area and charges $300 fo r a vocational counseling and te s tin g package. The ch urch-related service is located in D e tro it and charges from no fee to $150. There are fo u r c o lle g e /u n iv e rs ity services and f iv e community co lleg e counseling s e r­ vices in Michigan w ith provisional status from the In te rn a tio n a l Asso­ c ia tio n o f Counseling Services. Five o f these o f fe r services only to students and a f f i l i a t e d persons. I t is apparent th a t o p p o rtu n ities fo r educational and career counseling services from an a c cred itated agency a t a reasonable fee are few in the nation and p ro p o rtio n a lly even more lim ite d in the S ta te o f Michigan. Two b r ie f a r t ic le s o f examples o f career counseling services fo r adults were discovered. The f i r s t is a b r ie f d es crip tio n o f the "U n iv ersity Extension Counseling Service" a t the U n iv e rs ity o f C a lif o r ­ nia in Santa Barbara. The service is d irec ted to those who are unde­ cided about work, considering fu rth e r education, d is s a tis fie d w ith t h e ir present jo b s, or concerned w ith increased personal growth. The program includes two or th ree in te rv ie w s , tests and a w ritte n summary. The cost fo r the program is $185 ( Quest, 1973). A fe a tu re a r t ic l e en­ t i t l e d , "Do You Want To Change Your Career?" presented inform ation about a p riv a te agency in New York, which aims i t s services a t those who are m isdirected in t h e ir career choice, have reached a dead end in present work, or are bored w ith t h e ir present work. The service 35 provides te s tin g and in terview s fo r a fee o f $800 to $1000. The empha­ sis is upon self-understanding and evalu ation o f strengths and weaknes­ ses (Berman, 1973). These two career counseling agencies exem plify the increasing costs o f both s e rv ic e -o rie n te d and p r o fit-o r ie n te d educa­ tio n a l and career counseling programs fo r nonstudent persons. In the lit e r a t u r e o f student personnel and counseling are a few a r tic le s describing surveys o f c h a ra c te ris tic s o f counseling centers in u n iv e rs itie s and c o lle g es. O ccasionally such a r t ic le s mention, but ra re ly describe, programs o f services to nonstudents provided by coun­ seling agencies in higher education. In 1966, Clark surveyed 97 large u n iv e rs itie s (enrollm ents over 10,000) concerning th e ir counseling ser­ vices. While his re p o rt o f f a c i l i t i e s , se rv ic e s , needs, and plans seems exhaustive, th ere is not mention o f any services to nonstudents by the larg e u n iv e rs ity counseling cen ters. A 1968 re p o rt o f a survey o f co lleg e counseling f a c i l i t i e s by A lb e rt provided responses from 415 out o f 1136 four year c o lle g e s . Eight percent o f these in d icated lim ite d a v a i l a b i li t y o f services to nonstudents. Of 389 responses to an item concerning character o f a v a i l a b i li t y o f counseling f a c i l i t i e s to nonstudents, 178 in d icated th a t some or a l l o f the f a c i l i t i e s were open to nonstudents and 108 in d icated a fee fo r such services. A lb e rt posed the question o f whether the concept o f public service c a lle d fo r provision o f te s tin g and guidance to the nonstudent population in areas near co lleg e counseling cen ters. F o rty -s ix percent o f the respondents indicated such provision o f service was im portant. In 1968, Nugent and Pareis published an a r t ic l e about t h e ir surveys o f p o lic ie s and p ractices o f co lleg e counseling cen ters. Of 36 1166 surveys, 461 were returned completed. Responses to items concern­ ing fu nctio n and o rie n ta tio n o f counseling centers in d icated th a t 56 percent provided some service fo r nonstudents. Sixteen percent pro­ vided th is service fo r re la tiv e s o n ly , 26 percent fo r the general pub­ l i c , and 14 percent f o r other persons. Twenty-three percent ind icated th at a fee was charged fo r p u b lic counseling, and 29 percent in d icated th at a fee was charged fo r pub lic te s tin g . S eventy-four percent o f a ll counselees had s ix or fewer in te rv ie w s . A 1970 re p o rt by Anderson concerned a survey o f 317 re p re s e n ta tiv e counseling centers selected on the basis o f size and lo c a tio n . Two hundred and fourteen responses concerning services o ffe re d were usable. Larger schools were more lik e ly to include services to student and fa c u lty spouses. P re-co lleg e counseling was o ffe re d by 43 percent o f the schools and coordinate ser­ vices w ith other schools and agencies were o ffe re d by 29 percent o f those responding. Other than the p rovision o f services to spouses, no services to nonstudents were reported in the study. A re p o rt o f a study o f counseling center outreach programs in 1970 in d ica te d th a t 18 percent o f the respondents (397 schools) provided some community pro­ grams. Several others reported s ig n ific a n t services in v o lv in g consul­ ta tio n w ith groups outside the u n iv e rs ity and work w ith parents and others in the local community (M o r r ill and O e t t lin , 1970). I t is apparent from the foregoing discussion o f studies o f coun­ seling services o f co lle g e and u n iv e r s itie s , th a t services to nonstu­ dents are e ith e r not o ffe re d or not studied or not acknowledged. Of course, such services are o ften in coordination w ith another d iv is io n o f an in s t it u t io n such as continuing education, extension se rv ic e s , or 37 evening c o lle g e s , and many such services do involve fees and overload time fo r counselors. Nevertheless, the dearth o f studies about ser­ vices, l e t alone studies about nonstudent c lie n ts and e ffe c ts o f s e r­ vices, is problem atic in th is time o f needs fo r assessment and the s e t­ ting o f p r io r it ie s and plans r e la t iv e to outreach programs and life lo n g learn in g . Career Counseling fo r Adults Counseling fo r a d u lt persons is o ften presented as vocational or career guidance programs whether o ffe re d through p riv a te or public agencies. Again, w hile no studies were found w ith regard to services which p a r a lle l the A dult Counseling S ervice a t Michigan S ta te U niver­ s it y , some a r t ic le s in d ica te d re le v a n t m a teria l concerning re la te d s e r­ vices and concepts regarding career counseling fo r a d u lt persons. One follow -up study which p a r a lle ls some aspects o f th is study was con­ ducted through the Women's O pportunities Center o f the Extension Ser­ vice o f the U n iv e rs ity o f C a lifo rn ia a t Ir v in e (S h is h k o ff, 1973). This service provided by p ara-profession al volunteers o ffe rs counseling to women o f the community w ith regard to educational and vocational a p t i­ tudes and goals. A fo llo w -u p survey was sent to 154 women who were counseled in the F a ll o f 1971. S ix ty -s ix former c lie n ts responded. The average age o f the c lie n ts was 40. dren. Most were married and had c h i l ­ Most were not employed but had some c o lle g e . The need expressed by the g re a te s t number o f respondents was assistance in d efin in g goals regarding employment and education. S ix t y - fiv e percent o f the former c lie n ts were considering re tu rn in g to or beginning in a p o s itio n o f 38 paid employment. expected. There was less in te r e s t in volunteer a c t iv it ie s than Many expressed needs fo r g re a te r s e lf-c o n fid e n c e . Responses about the e ffe c ts o f the counseling in d icated th a t 47 percent f e l t b et­ te r able to form goals and 39 percent f e l t more con fid en t to ac t upon goals. S ixty -tw o percent had engaged in new a c t iv it ie s (employment, education, and o th e r) since counseling. For the most p a rt c lie n t s ' responses in d icated th a t the value o f the service was the provision o f inform ation, c la r if ic a t io n o f goals and plans, and support fo r a c tio n . Another re p o rt o f a fo llo w -u p study o f c lie n ts who used an adult counseling service concerns c lie n ts o f guidance centers provided by a school d i s t r i c t in F lo rid a (Hoffman, 1968). The re p o rt o f th is service sta tes t h a t , "Follow-up studies represent one means o f assess­ ing the value o f a d u lt guidance and personnel services (Hoffman, 1968, p. 6 4 )." Personnel services such as counseling are presented as a con­ tinuing need o f ad u lts as they deal w ith change and continuing educa­ tio n . The guidance program provided te s tin g and assessment, program planning, and o p p o rtu n ities to gain in self-u n d e rs tan d in g . Over 78 percent o f the ad u lts who experienced the counseling program re fe rre d the services to a t le a s t one o ther person. While the re p o rt described the program and supported fo llo w -u p s tu d ie s , th e re was no rep o rtin g o f such stu d ies. B a td o rf, in a 1971 a r t i c l e , describes a population in need o f counseling resources which he c a lls "noncrisis c lie n t s ." He was r e f e r ­ ring to a d u lt persons in the community who have needs fo r assistance w ith decision-making and dealing w ith changes in t h e ir occupations and liv e s . B atdorf describes twelve needs and c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the 39 noncrisis a d u lt c lie n t w ith emphasis upon pragmatic goals, realism w ith regard to time and fin a n c e s , respect fo r the d i f f i c u l t y o f changing one­ s e lf and one's environment, and needs fo r support and d ire c tio n w hile in career or educational t r a n s itio n . B atdorf points o u t, from a Cana­ dian p ersp ective, a gap in services o f counseling fo r a d u lts . In a re ­ port o f a study o f occupational changes in the a d u lt y e a rs , Roe and Baruch in d ic a te th a t the primary stated reasons f o r persons changing jobs in m id - lif e were general d is s a tis fa c tio n s w ith the kind o f work o r aspects o f the work. Of p a r tic u la r in te r e s t is th a t many o f the per­ sons (30 in terview ed) had been d is s a tis fie d fo r years and were changing only because o f some chance occurrence which brought promise o f advance­ ment. Planning, consideration o f a lte r n a tiv e s , assessment o f p o te n tia l, and assistance w ith decisions were minim al. The authors ra is e as a p r i ­ mary question whether counseling and guidance services can help people make more ra tio n a l decisions and d eriv e a g re a te r sense o f control over th e ir vocational changes (Roe and Baruch, 1967, p. 3 2 ). A re p o rt o f counseling needs among a d u lt continuing education students a t Pennsyl­ vania S tate U n iv e rs ity in d ica te s imminent educational or career change as an "urgent" reason fo r ad u lts to seek counseling services (W illia m s , e t a ! . , 1973, p. 50 4). Among the a d u lt group, younger men expressed the most urgency o f need f o r counseling services. While many o f the persons expressed need fo r educational ad v is in g , most needed more ex­ tensive assistance w ith self-assessm ent, career e x p lo ra tio n , and l i f e planning. While the many a r t ic le s concerning counseling theory and tech­ niques and programs are o f in te r e s t, re la tin g the p leth o ra o f counseling 40 lite r a tu r e to the assessment o f an ed u catio n al-vo catio n al service fo r nonstudent adults is not w ith in the scope o f th is study. However, one fin a l consideration o f counseling as a to ta l educational program con­ cerns primary goals. There are many goal statem ents, but th a t which seems most re la te d to th is study was presented in an a r t ic l e by Breen in 1970. The counseling goals are as fo llo w s: 1. to provide p e rtin e n t o b je c tiv e in fo rm ation ; 2. to m otivate and encourage c lie n ts to pursue t h e ir educations a t a le v e l most ap p ro priate to t h e ir a b i l i t y ; 3. to challenge and confront s e lf-d e fe a tin g a ttitu d e s , values, and b e lie f systems th a t may hinder the c lie n t s ' ed u catio n al, v o c a tio n a l, or personal development; 4. to teach c lie n ts to th in k more c le a r ly , lo g ic a lly , and ob­ je c t iv e ly about problems o f everyday liv in g ; and 5. to "manipulate" the c lie n t 's environment, wherever p o ssible, so th a t i t w il l be maximally b e n e fic ia l to him /her. These foregoing goals and those expressed by others do not take in to account whether the c lie n t is a student o r nonstudent, fee-paying or non-fee paying, age 25 or 55, ex ec u tiv e, fa c to ry worker, or homemaker. The goals o f counseling services fo r a d u lt persons must be goals which re la te to the assistance sought by the in d iv id u a l to meet her or his own needs and o b je c tiv e s , whatever the ch aracter o f the counseling pro­ gram or agency. A dult Education Dimension The lit e r a t u r e o f a d u lt education is vast and includes several professional jo u rn a ls , conferences and workshops, proceedings re p o rts , theses, a r t ic le s , and books. W ithin the l it e r a t u r e are w ritin g s which 41 do give a tte n tio n to counseling services fo r the a d u lt persons who are students or p o te n tia l students in colleges and u n iv e r s itie s . The most d e fin itiv e lit e r a t u r e concerning the counseling o f ad u lts in higher ed­ ucation has been authored o r ed ited by th ree persons: Goldie Kaback, and Clarence Thompson. Martha Farmer, A ll th ree o f these persons have worked c lo s e ly w ith the American College Personnel Association Commis­ sion X I I I on Student Personnel Work fo r Adults in Higher Education. In 1967, 1968, and 1969, the Commission sponsored special workshops concerning counseling and personnel services fo r the a d u lt student. Two books ed ited by Farmer include m aterial from the f i r s t two work­ shops! a copy o f the proceedings o f the 1969 workshop on contemporary dimensions fo r counseling ad u lts was obtained. The fo llo w in g discus­ sion w il l be based p rim a rily upon m aterial from these sources and from a study by Erickson o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . This overview o f the counseling services aspect o f a d u lt educa­ tion w ill include a tte n tio n to the c h a ra c te ris tic s and needs o f a d u lts , processes o f a d u lt counseling s e rv ic e s , and proposals fo r the extension of such services. C h a ra c te ris tic s and Needs o f Adults The nature o f the a d u lt as a seeker o f counseling assistance has been a to p ic o f concern fo r several educators (B a td o rf, Kaback, Thompson and o th e rs ). Thompson's f iv e d iffe re n c e s between the a d u lt and youth are d irected to those who counsel ad u lts (Thompson, 1971). C h arac teris tic s o f ad u lts which d i f f e r from those o f youth in education include the fa c t th a t fo r the a d u lt, education is only a p a rt-tim e 42 a c t iv it y ; the a d u lt is an independent, decision-making person w ith a l i f e beyond the campus. The a d u lt has had experience w ith l i f e and seeks fu rth e r learn in g or assistance fo r immediate use. Adults seek education and counseling w ith e x is te n t m otivation and expectation o f re s u lts . Of course, a d u lts ' needs are in d iv id u a liz e d . However, general needs and assistance areas can be c la s s ifie d fo r ad u lts by sex and age. Young adults tend to have more concerns about job and fin an ces, fam ily and social re la tio n s h ip s . Middle year adults may be more concerned with re d e fin in g success and coping w ith change. L ater year ad u lts may seek assistance in preparing fo r re tirem en t (Thompson, 1971). Women ( s t i l l ) d i f f e r from men in t h e ir needs fo r assistance w ith decisions about education and career m atters. Lack o f in fo rm atio n , lack o f con­ fidence, and fo r some, lack o f support seem to m otivate women to seek counseling assistance. Special guidance programs fo r women and t h e ir concerns have re c e n tly become common w ith in and beyond Continuing Adult Education and student services d iv is io n s . The primary counseling need area fo r a d u lt persons, students or nonstudents, is th a t o f assistance w ith career e x p lo ra tio n , planning, changing, and decision-m aking. Such needs a re , o f course, not w ithout influence o f the personal, s o c ia l, and educational aspects o f a per­ son's l i f e . N evertheless, most ad u lts who come to educational services seek "vocational" counseling. Frank Parsons f i r s t described goals o f vocational counseling in 1909 as fo llo w s: 1. a c le a r understanding o f y o u rs e lf, your a p titu d e s , your a b i l i t i e s , in te r e s ts , am bitions, resources, lim ita tio n s , and t h e ir causes; 43 2. a knowledge o f the requirements and conditions o f success, advantages, compositions, o p p o rtu n itie s , and prospects fo r d iffe r e n t kinds o f work; 3. the tru e reasoning fo r the re la tio n s o f those two groups o f fa c ts (Kaback, 1969). These goals remain those most sought by a d u lt persons who seek career assistance counseling. Kaback's primary focus has been upon vocational counseling fo r adult persons (1967, 1969, 1971). s a tis fa c tio n through work. The a d u lt's primary need is g re a te r The a d u lt seeks vocational counseling and/ or fu rth e r education as enabling processes which can lead her/him to the planning, changing, coping, or decision-making necessary fo r in ­ creasing s a tis fa c tio n . The s p e c ific in d iv id u a l needs brought to voca­ tio n a l counseling are many— acceptance, s ta tu s , freedom, social r e la ­ tio n sh ip s, personal support, economic s e c u rity , power, and so on. adults need fu rth e r preparation or tra in in g to f u l f i l l some do not. Some t h e ir needs; Studies o f what co n stitu te s s a tis fy in g fa c to rs fo r work­ ers have revealed d iffe re n c e s fo r professional and nonprofessional workers (Kaback, 1971). While lack o f inform ation may be one fa c to r re la tin g to d is s a tis fa c tio n w ith work, th ere are many in d iv id u a l con­ cerns r e la tin g to self-understandings and human re la tio n s h ip s which must be resolved before s trid e s toward g re a te r work s a tis fa c tio n are possible (Kaback, 1971). Kaback views the d e f in itio n o f vocational counseling as fo llo w s: . . . . "the process o f helping an in d iv id u a l to understand the v a rie ty o f influences in his l i f e th a t have led him to his present work r o le ; to a s s is t him to reevaluate th a t work ro le in lig h t o f his more mature, r e a l i s t i c ap p reciation o f his p o t e n t ia litie s against the o p p o rtu n ities now a v a ila b le to him in a demanding 44 complex so c ie ty— so th a t he may be able to d eriv e maximum personal s a tis fa c tio n from his work and so ciety may be able to p r o f it from his e f fo r ts (Kaback, 1969, p. 6 5 ). Of p a r tic u la r in te re s t from the lit e r a t u r e o f a d u lt education is a 1968 study by Erickson o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . Erickson surveyed a l l undergraduate students over 26 years o f age; her analysis * is d irected to responses from 494 persons, 250 men and 244 women. The primary purposes o f her study were the id e n tific a tio n o f c h a ra c te ris ­ tic s o f a d u lt undergraduates and o f th e ir special needs r e la t iv e to ed­ ucation. The three most fre q u e n tly noted needs were fo r academic and c u rric u la r advisement, special a d u lt f a c i l i t i e s , and special advisement and counseling. Two hundred and f i f t y - f i v e o f the respondents wrote comments and le t t e r s beyond the parameters o f the survey. From these responses were id e n tifie d the most pressing needs o f a d u lt students as expressed by them. Again, one o f the highest response areas was fo r special advisement and counseling. In the open response, th is need was elaborated and included such s p e c ific needs as advice on how to return to school, opportunity fo r ap titu d e te s tin g , and id e n tif ia b le person(s) and place fo r a d u lt assistan ce, help w ith program planning, help w ith study s k i l l s , and help w ith o rie n ta tio n to the u n iv e rs ity and to aca­ demic l i f e . Erickson's study points up some c h a ra c te ris tic s o f a d u lt under­ graduate students which r e la te to t h e ir needs fo r special advisement and counseling assistance. Women students were o ld er than men and more often m arried, widowed, or divorced. did women. summer. Men aimed fo r higher degrees than Most ad u lts worked and wanted courses a t n ig h t and in the The primary reasons fo r re tu rn to school were to seek a degree, 45 to improve income p o te n tia l, to become s o c ia lly u s e fu l. tended to work: Nearly a l l in ­ 96 percent o f the men and 88 percent o f the women. Men were in more o f a v a rie ty o f f ie ld s than were women. centage o f women were in education. A larg e per­ Encouragement and enthusiasm o f spouse was considered as a d e f in it e c o n trib u tin g fa c to r to success fo r the a d u lt student. Among Erickson's conclusions and recommendations is the i n i t i a l and essen tial need o f a d u lt students and the pub lic fo r more inform a­ tio n about higher education and the "how to 's " o f retu rn in g to school. From her in v e s tig a tio n s and the responses o f a d u lt students, Erickson raises and emphasizes the question o f a u n iv e rs ity 's o b lig a tio n o f ser­ vice to the community and the designation o f s t a f f and resources fo r the provision o f inform ation to the p u b lic . In a d d itio n , she empha­ sizes th a t a d u lts , in p a r tic u la r , need special counseling and/or aca­ demic advising before or a t the time o f seeking admission to a u n iver­ s ity fo r the purposes o f personal assessment, a lle v ia t io n o f fe a rs , and ed u catio nal-career planning. While Erickson's study is concerned w ith adults who are u n iv e rs ity students, the id e n tifie d c h a ra c te r is tic s , needs, and recommendations have relevance fo r the provision o f counsel­ ing services to a l l ad u lts who seek help w ith concerns r e la tin g to edu­ c a tio n a l, c a re e r, and/or l i f e - s t y l e planning. Adult Education Counseling Services Kaback begins an a r t i c l e on evening co lle g e student personnel with the fo llo w in g statement: 46 The very men and women who la id the foundation fo r th is economy, and to which they have devoted t h e ir strengths and t h e ir ideas, do not themselves have access to counseling services th a t would enable them to liv e and to prosper more e f f e c t iv e ly in a so ciety which they helped to create (Kaback, 1967, p. 16 4 ). This statement reaches f a r beyond the context o f any educational d iv i ­ sion or program to a l l who seek assistance w ith any change, p la n , or decision in l i f e . such help. In these times th ere are few people who do not seek For most, th ere are no professional assistance s e rv ices , no form alized help programs, no enabling processes or supportive per­ sons a t t h e ir times o f c r is is or n o n c ris is , l i f e changing o r l i f e plan­ ning, career d evastation or career development. While many in s t it u ­ tions and agencies must become involved in meeting the needs o f such ad u lt men and women fo r assistan ce, higher education must d e f in it e ly be a leader among those many. Most established counseling services fo r ad u lts mentioned in the a d u lt education l it e r a t u r e are o ffe re d through evening colleges or extension services o f colleges and u n iv e rs itie s (Farmer, Kaback, P a la is , and o th e rs ). Since most a d u lt students are involved w ith evening courses, the p ro visio n o f Evening College counseling services is o f u t­ most concern. W hile many have predicted or pleaded fo r increasing s tu ­ dent personnel s e rv ic e s , e s p e c ia lly counseling f o r a d u lt students in evening co lle g e programs, few colleges and u n iv e rs itie s have provided such services (Kaback, 1967, p. 6 4 -6 5 ). In s te a d , the a d u lt student is re fe rre d to those services d irected to the " c o lle g ia te aged" population or to seeking assistance on h e r/h is own. S im ila r ly , few college o f ed­ ucation counselor tra in in g programs prepare counselors fo r working w ith the o ld e r student. Kaback, in 1967, in d icated th a t research concerning 47 personnel services fo r adults and c r i t e r i a o f competency fo r counselors of adults are almost nonexistent. One might m aintain th a t th is s ta te of nonexistent research and c r i t e r i a remains today. Proposals fo r counseling services fo r a d u lt students emphasize the d iffe re n c e s between adults and youth, c a ll fo r special a tte n tio n to special a d u lt groups such as women re tu rn in g to or en tering work or education; persons planning fo r re tire m e n t; persons having to begin new careers; persons having to begin new sty le s o f l i f e as a re s u lt o f handicap, d iv o rce , or o ther traum atic occurrence (Thompson and Kaback). Thompson points out th a t continuing education and counseling services are e s s e n tia l partners in helping a d u lt persons meet change and renew effe c tiv e n e s s in today's world (Thompson, 1971, p. 3 0 ). Change seems to be the primary fulcrum fo r the seeking o f counseling services; i t must become the primary impetus fo r the providing o f coun­ seling services to meet the needs o f seekers. In 1962, Farmer proposed an id e a liz e d program o f student per­ sonnel services fo r evening c o lle g e s --a program o f equal status w ith programs provided fo r day-session students (Farmer, 1962, p. 1 1 2 f f). While her proposals were not a c tu a liz e d , they did s tim u la te more a tte n ­ tio n to evening colleges and promoted steps fo r increased in v e s tig a tio n of a d u lt student personnel services by as s o c ia tio n , consortia and r e ­ gional groups, and in d iv id u a l in s titu tio n s . In recent y e ars, some as­ pects o f Fanner's proposal fo r student personnel services in evening colleges have been more c lo s e ly approached by community co lleg e pro­ grams . 48 In 1961, DeCrow surveyed evening colleges and found th a t 65 percent o f 100 respondees reported th a t they had some s p e c ia lly desig­ nated and tra in e d s t a f f fo r counseling and guidance (P a la is , 1967). I t was not s ta te d , however, th a t these s t a f f persons were tra in e d psy­ chologists or degreed educational counselors or th a t th ere were d e f i­ n ite programs fo r counseling a d u lts . Excuses fo r lack o f counseling services fo r evening students have been th a t they can go to pub lic ser­ vices fo r counseling or th a t they do not need such services (Farmer, 1967, p. 6 5 ). The needs o f ad u lts fo r counseling have been emphasized by many; the dearth o f adequate pub lic services is obvious from d ire c ­ to rie s and from statements from personal re p o rts . Emmet describes needed services as the provision o f vocational counseling fo r the s e le c tio n o f new careers or strengthening o f career choice, provision o f educational planning, and assistance w ith the co­ o rd in atio n o f time and fa m ily pressures (Farmer, 1967). He suggests th a t a campus a d u lt counseling center be developed as p a rt o f the stu ­ dent personnel program w ith a close coordinate re la tio n s h ip w ith the evening c o lle g e . F is h e r, in discussing educational counseling fo r a d u lts , de­ fines a counseling m atter or need as one which poses d i f f i c u l t y or th re a t to a person or to an aspect o f h is /h e r p u rs u it o f s e lf f u lf illm e n t (F is h e r, 1969, p. 2 8 ). He, lik e o th e rs, proposes th a t so­ c ie ta l change requires th a t a "normal" vocational l i f e is one th a t does re q u ire reeducation and re tra in in g several times before re tire m e n t. Fisher poses needs fo r services to a s s is t adults in developing s e l f confidence in t h e ir a b i l i t i e s to re le a rn and r e t a in , to gain r e a l i s t i c 49 expectations o f personal progress, to deal w ith c o n flic tin g values and a ttitu d e s , and to a s s is t them in crea tin g and v e rify in g relevance in th e ir liv e s (F is h e r, 1969, p. 3 6 ). The lit e r a t u r e concerning counseling in a d u lt education empha­ sizes the unique needs and c h a ra c te ris tic s o f ad u lts as in d iv id u a ls and c h a ra c te ris tic s o f ad u lts in d e fin a b le groups; a few studies p o in t out the shortcomings o f present counseling services fo r a d u lt students; several a r t ic le s are designed to propose counseling services fo r a d u lts . A f f ilia t io n o f such services are varied but most include coordination with evening c o lle g e s , continuing education s e rv ic e s , academic advising centers, and student personnel d iv is io n s . The primary th ru s t o f e x is ­ ten t and proposed services is v o c a tio n a l-c a re e r development counseling in it s broadest p ra c tic e in c lu s iv e o f educational planning and personalsocial In s ig h t and development. This th ru s t a lig n s w ith the student personnel concept o f voca­ tio n a l choice as a process w ith many choices made over a lif e t im e — choices which increase in v a lid it y w ith the increase o f the in d iv id u a l!s self-understanding and h e r/h is understanding o f the world o f work (Wrenn, 1962). In 1972, the U.S. O ffic e o f Education reported th a t over 10 percent o f America's adults were p a rtic ip a tin g in formal a d j l t educa­ tio n programs and th a t the average age o f those pursuing m id-career ed­ ucation was in the t h ir t ie s (" S ta rtin g Fresh Handbook," 1973). In th a t same y e a r, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education again emphasized the increasing need fo r educational and vocational counseling fo r 50 adults and c a lle d fo r expanded emphasis on counseling and the estab­ lishment o f educational opportunity counseling cen ters. The frequent c a ll fo r more counseling services fo r adults does seem to have been heard by many; but acted upon by very few. Only re ­ cently has response come from a new context— the dedication o f educa­ tio n al in s titu tio n s and resources to learn in g as a life lo n g process fo r everyone. The context is not new but rediscovered; the dedication is more in word than in deed; the resources are requested but not ac­ tu a liz e d . Meanwhile, services sponsored by a d u lt education programs and by counseling agencies w ith in education seek as best they can to meet the needs o f a d u lt le a rn e rs , both students and nonstudents. L ife lo n g Learning Dimension In 1963 M ichael, in his book, The Next Generation (p . 11 2 ), called fo r the establishm ent of a " m u ltile v e l educational system which w ill encourage those o f any age to continue t h e ir educations . . . fo r both work and le is u re from wherever they l e f t o f f to wherever th e ir a b i li t i e s p oint them to go." In 1971, the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education published i t s re p o rt on education beyond the high school, Less Time, More O ptions, and recommended the e s ta b lis h in g o f a m u ltile v e l and many-sided system o f postsecondary education where those of any age and l i f e s itu a tio n would be encouraged to mix work and study throughout a lif e tim e w ith many optional routes to formal education fo r work, s e l f - f u l f il l m e n t , and service to s o c ie ty. In the same y e a r, fu ­ t u r is t T o f f le r c a lle d fo r life lo n g education w ith contingency c u rric u la to t r a in people to deal both w ith the now and the unforseen ( T o f f le r , 51 1971, p. 4 1 2 ). T o ff le r rephrased concerns o f both Michael and the Carnegie Commission by s ta tin g th a t education must be an opportunity not only to le a rn , but to unlearn and re le a rn . Thus, life lo n g le a rn ­ ing must include life lo n g unlearning and life lo n g re le a rn in g . Both fu tu r is ts and ed u catio nists have prophesized the coming of " life lo n g le a rn in g ." Whether th is popular catchphrase and the con­ cepts which i t denotes become commitments and a c tu a liz a tio n s fo r educa­ tion in the seventies remains to be seen. learning" is recent and burgeoning. The l it e r a t u r e o f " life lo n g Some may say th a t life lo n g le a rn ­ ing is an idea whose time has come; others w ill acknowledge th a t i t is a r e a lit y which is being rediscovered. Whatever the case, life lo n g learning is being p u b lic ize d , planned f o r , and projected with great en­ thusiasms, m u ltip ly in g committees, and p r o l i f i c re p o rts . Whether l i f e ­ long learn in g programs w il l be provided w ith a c tu a liz in g resources is a question w ithout answer. While n early a l l who w rite and speak about life lo n g learn in g provide a d e fin itio n o f the concept, the most thorough and universal (or a t le a s t w o rld ly) d e fin itio n o f life lo n g learn in g is th a t p rin c ip le of an education continuum presented by the United Nations Educational, S c ie n t if ic , and C u ltu ral O rganization as fo llo w s : UNESCO should endorse the p rin c ip le o f 'lif e lo n g education' . . . which may be defined b r ie f ly as the animating p rin c ip le o f the whole process o f education, regarding as continuing throughout an in d iv id u a l's l i f e from his e a r lie s t childhood to the end o f his days and th e re fo re c a llin g fo r in te g rate d o rg a n iza tio n . The nec­ essary in te g ra tio n should be achieved both v e r t i c a l ly , throughout the d uration o f l i f e , and h o riz o n ta lly to cover a l l the various aspects o f the l i f e o f in d iv id u a ls and s o c ie tie s (Jessep, 1969, v ii). 52 These concepts o f education as a v it a l process, a continuing l i f e a d d i­ t iv e , an in te g ra te d and in te g ra tin g fo rc e , a necessary in g re d ie n t fo r increasing heighth and breadth in in d iv id u a l and s o c ie ta l development ind icate an experience which is not only life lo n g in d u ratio n but is l i f e i t s e l f in u ltim a te a c tu a liz a tio n . The fo llo w in g discussion provides selected m a teria l from the lit e r a t u r e o f life lo n g learn in g as i t concerns the purpose, the people, and the programs; the concepts and r e a l i t ie s ; and the ch aracter o f counseling as an e s se n tia l in g re d ie n t to a l l aspects o f life lo n g le a rn ­ ing, p a r t ic u la r ly the life lo n g le a rn e rs . The purpose o f life lo n g learn in g is the enhancement o f people— in d iv id u a lly and as s o c ie tie s . W ithin th is purpose are programs d i ­ rected to more s p e c ific populations and w ith more s p e c ific goals. President C lifto n Wharton o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity has defined forces which a c t upon a u n iv e rs ity and demand life lo n g education as the follow ing: the explosion o f knowledge, the a c c e le ra tio n o f s o c ia l, te c h n ic a l, and value changes, and the growing numbers o f e d u c a tio n a lly neglected persons (Wharton, 1971). He defines the l a t t e r as those whose s k i ll s or jobs have become obsolete; those who are disadvantaged due to poverty, liv in g environment, o r m in o rity s ta tu s ; those who are distressed due to l i f e s itu a tio n (ve teran s, handicapped, divorced, un­ employed, and so on); and those who are e ld e r ly . I t is persons o f these groups th a t are in need o f counseling assistance in order to take f u lle s t advantage o f o p p o rtu n itie s fo r le a rn in g . With new programs fo r le a rn in g , th ere must be support services which enhance the in d iv id u a l's p o s s ib ilitie s fo r success ("A B e tte r L if e ," 1972, p. 1 6 f f ) . 53 L ife lo n g lea rn in g is needs o rien ted learn in g and requires new forms, m a te ria ls , and procedures in providing educational services. T r iv e tt has proposed th a t many o f these are not and w ill not be pro­ vided by tr a d itio n a l colleges and u n iv e r s itie s , but th a t other sources of postsecondary education are heeding the c a ll fo r life lo n g le a rn in g . These include p u b lic and p riv a te schools, businesses, churches, govern­ ment, and the m ilit a r y . The concept o f "educational services" has be­ come a p artn er w ith social se rv ic e s , medical se rv ic e s , and so on ( T r iv e t t , 1973). I t is predicted th a t by 1975 over 80 m illio n ad u lts w ill be p a rtic ip a tin g in programs outside o f tr a d itio n a l education (Center For . . . . tio n s. 1973). The key concept in life lo n g lea rn in g w il l be op­ In recommending th a t c u ltu ra l and life lo n g learn in g f a c i l i t i e s and o p p o rtu n ities be a v a ila b le to the general p u b lic on an expanded basis, the Carnegie Commission is concerned w ith higher education. However, the concept o f fu rth e r education seems a more appropriate one fo r the development o f life lo n g learn in g programs. F u ll educational opportunity must be in c lu s iv e o f many in s titu tio n a l programs and sources of educational services which e x is t and provide education out­ side o f the campus (C arnegie, Less Time . . . , 1971, p. 7 ) . Education fo r v a rie ty must be preceded by v a r ie ty in education and in teachers and students. For y e a rs , higher education has been prejudiced against o ld er students (C arnegie, Less Time . . p. 1 7 ). The b a rrie rs to re e n try , ex p e rie n tia l c r e d it , f le x ib le schedules, and re le v a n t guidance s e r­ vices have l e f t a d u lt persons w ith ou t o p p o rtu n itie s to u t i l i z e the 54 educational system which they support. In order to reverse such d is ­ crim inating p ra c tic e s , the Carnegie Commission has proposed the devel­ opment o f an educational s e c u rity program which in essence guarantees two years o f fu r th e r education beyond high school to every person to be used a t any time (C arnegie, Less Time . . 1971, p. 2 0 -2 1 ). The tw o-year community colleges have both pioneered and proved the life lo n g education commitment. These in s titu tio n s not only ac­ cepted but reshaped and extended the service philosophy o f the land grant movement in ways th a t produced v ia b le programs and embarrassed some o f the land grant in s titu tio n s (Carnegie, Open Door . . . , 1970, p. 9 ). At le a s t h a lf o f the students in community colleges are adults with learn in g o b jec tiv es th a t are s p e c ific a lly v o c a tio n a l. Guidance and counseling services in community colleges n ec es sarily focus upon occupational planning and coordination w ith re la te d ca re er guidance and placement agencies (C arnegie, Open Door . . . , 1970). While occupational tra in in g and re tra in in g are primary concerns in discussions o f life lo n g le a rn in g , other fa c to r s , to o , support the need fo r provision o f re c u rre n t education. Among these is the increas­ ing l i f e expectancy o f the population and the decreasing retirem en t age. Education fo r le is u r e , fo r p a rt-tim e work, fo r social usefulness has become a new (and not q u ite accepted) mission fo r schools and c o l­ leges. Perhaps g re a te r acceptance o f such need w ill develop by the year 2000 when i t is predicted th a t h a lf the population w il l be over age 50 and o n e -th ird w il l be over 65 (Boyer, 1974). One o f the most d ir e c t and depressing commentaries on America today is the statement in the HEW Task Force on Work Report th a t 55 m illio n s o f Americans are d is s a tis fie d w ith the q u a lity o f th e ir work l i f e (Boyer, 1974). D is s a tis fa c tio n w ith l i f e —work l i f e , social l i f e , personal l i f e , in te lle c tu a l l i f e — is the primary m otivation fo r in d i­ vidual a c tio n — e ith e r p o s itiv e or negative a c tio n . With the opportun­ it ie s fo r life lo n g le a rn in g , fo r life lo n g counseling assistance, fo r life lo n g p o s itiv e plann ing , the p o s s ib ilitie s o f purposeful in d iv id u a l actions toward productive s a tis fa c tio n can be increased. In 1961 the Association o f U n iv e rs ity Evening Colleges (AUEC) chose the theme o f Counseling and Guidance fo r i t s annual meeting. Within the proceedings are several papers and discussion reports which include commitments to the need fo r "continuing counseling to accompany life lo n g lea rn in g (A sso ciatio n , 1961, p. 6 7 )." S ieg le defined th is type o f counseling as "helping people fin d the best possible ways o f achieving good ends fo r themselves and the so ciety through education." He suggested th a t co lleg e counseling services reach in to the community and serve adults not en ro lle d as w ell as re g u la r students (A sso ciatio n , 1961, p. 3 2 -3 3 ). The emphasis o f the e n tir e proceedings o f the AUEC in 1961 was on a community service commitment o f counseling sponsored through colleges and u n iv e rs itie s . Ten years l a t e r , the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education called f o r colleges and u n iv e rs itie s to provide b e tte r counseling, ad­ vice, and guidance to students as they p e rio d ic a lly reassess t h e ir ca­ reers (C arnegie, Less Time . . . , 1971, p. 2 8 ). What the Commission neglected to consider is th a t people who are p e rio d ic a lly reassessing th e ir careers and needing some, l e t alone b e tte r , counseling and guid­ ance are not students. R ather, i t is the nonstudent a d u lt population 56 that needs assistance w ith m id-career reassessment, r e d ir e c tio n , and re tra in in g . T o f f le r points out the lack o f counseling machinery fo r help w ith many present-day l i f e s itu a tio n s w ith which a d u lt persons must cope— job change, reed u catio n, moving, re tire m e n t, and so on (T o f f le r , 1971, p. 383-3 88 ). He c a lls fo r counseling assistance fo r adaptive development d irec ted p rim a rily to persons in tr a n s itio n . Tran sition as a l i f e s ta te may become the fu tu re status quo. In d is ­ cussing the sig n ific a n c e o f life lo n g education, Lengrad points to the decline o f tra d itio n a lis m , the increasing pace o f change, and the nec­ essary human a d a p ta b ility . To meet these ch allen g es, th ere must be throughout l i f e the provision o f o p p o rtu n itie s fo r assistance w ith per­ sonal in te g ra tio n and enhancement through developmental educational programs and services (Lengrad, 1970). In 1971, Trout noted the importance o f counseling w ith regard to n o n tra d ltio n al degree programs. S im ila r ly , members o f the Commis­ sion on N on-Traditional Study, sponsored by the College Entrance Exam­ ination Board and Educational Testing S ervice emphasized the importance of counseling by s ta tin g th a t expanded o p p o rtu n itie s fo r higher educa­ tion re q u ire f u ll- s c a le , h ig h -q u a lity programs o f educational guidance and inform ation (Gould, 1972, p. 2 7 ). In the same Commission p u b lic a­ tio n , Cross and Jones p o in t out th a t most in s titu tio n s o f higher educa­ tion have confined educational services to e n ro lle d students. They in ­ d ic a te , however, th a t lan d -g ra n t in s titu tio n s have most o fte n provided extension education and counseling services to ad u lts (Gould, 1972, p. 57). They emphasize the necessity o f counseling and in s tru c tio n a l 57 programs th a t are responses to the expressed needs o f the p u b lic (Gould, 1972, p. 6 0 ). Perhaps the strongest statement concerning a d u lt access to the resources o f higher education is included in a re p o rt from the Center fo r Continuing Education a t the U n iv e rs ity o f Notre Dame in 1973. report on a study o f "Continuing Education and the Future . . . " This con­ tain s the fo llo w in g recommendation: The Congress should enact a universal b i l l o f educational rig h ts th a t would guarantee to every c itiz e n access to the w idest possible educational o p p o rtu n itie s . . . . I t (th e access program) should also include a strong counsel­ ing program using im aginative new approaches . . . ( Center For . . . , 1973, pp. 2 0 -2 1 ). This re p o rt emphasizes universal access to the resources o f educational in s titu tio n s fo r a l l adults d es irin g o f such access. There are fu rth e r recommendations fo r government fin a n c ia l c o n trib u tio n s , in s titu tio n a l cooperation, and the development o f consortia fo r more e ffe c tiv e l i f e ­ long lea rn in g programs. Among the members o f the Continuing Education Task Force which provided the re p o rt on continuing education and the fu tu re was C lifto n Wharton, President o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . In several reports and speeches, Wharton has emphasized th a t life lo n g education must become a primary functio n o f u n iv e rs itie s w ith to ta l commitment o f u n iv e rs ity -w id e resources ( Financial R eport, 1972-73, p. 6 ). In i t s most recent re p o rt, the Commission on N on-Traditional Study c a lls fo r s p e c ia lly created centers fo r the p rovision o f guidance and counseling to in d iv id u a ls in communities who seek fu r th e r education, 58 d e fin itio n o f in te re s ts and needs, assessment o f a p titu d e s , and involve ment w ith others in group counseling (Commission, 1973, p. 3 5 ). In ad­ d itio n , these proposed centers are viewed as lo cation s o f career and educational resource in fo rm atio n , study s k i ll s programs, counselor tra in in g , community input programs, and special services f o r groups previously denied f u l l access to education. There is l i t t l e doubt th a t life lo n g counseling is in e x tric a b ly tie d to life lo n g lea rn in g both as a concept and as a program. I t very well may be th a t counseling is the f i r s t step o f life lo n g le a rn in g , the f a c i li t a t i o n step fo r planning, fo r unlearning and re le a rn in g , and fo r the formal and inform al continuous p u rs u it o f personal and s o c ie ta l en­ hancement through education. Summary Selected dimensions o f l it e r a t u r e which can be re la te d to th is study o f a u n iv e rs ity sponsored fee-based counseling service fo r non­ student adults include m a te ria ls from Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity reports and counseling services s tu d ie s , from a d u lt education l it e r a t u r e , and from life lo n g lea rn in g l it e r a t u r e . W ithin a l l o f these resource ca te­ gories are w ritin g s r e la tin g to the provision o f counseling services fo r a d u lt persons— students and nonstudents. pervade a l l o f the w ritin g s : Three c h a ra c te ris tic s the focus upon the d if f e r e n t ia t in g needs of a d u lts , the discussion o f proposed and ideal counseling se rv ices , and the lament about lack o f research, survey in fo rm atio n , and program models fo r a d u lt counseling services. 59 While some authors seek to describe a d u lt counseling needs as d iffe re n tia te d from those o f youth, most r e la te needs to the c h a ra c te r­ is tic s o f the c u ltu re w ith emphasis upon change and decision demands. Nearly a l l agree th a t the primary area o f need fo r counseling as sis­ tance fo r ad u lts is th a t o f career choice, development, or change. Concerns about career are o v e rrid in g and in c lu s iv e o f needs r e la tin g to education, preparation fo r use o f le is u re tim e, and m atters o f a personal-social nature. Nearly a l l o f the lit e r a t u r e surveyed includes proposals fo r what should be counseling services fo r a d u lt persons; very few re p o rt the existence o f , l e t alone evalu atio n o f , such s e rv ices . Hundreds o f pages involve and describe ra tio n a le and recommendations fo r expanded adult counseling se rv ices ; r a re ly is mention made o f resources a l l o ­ cated to such s e rv ices . The p u b lic service commitment o f higher educa­ tion is re ite ra te d many times over in the l it e r a t u r e o f counseling, adult education, and life lo n g le a rn in g , but w ritin g s about the a c tu a l­ iz a tio n o f th a t commitment are d i f f i c u l t to fin d . F in a lly , from discussions o f a d u lt needs fo r counseling s e r­ vices, and from proposals o f programs to meet those needs, come c o n tin ­ uing statements o f concern regarding the lack o f research r e la t iv e to those needs and programs. Only fo ur o f the resources included reports of research w ith a d u lt persons about needs and counseling services (S h is h k o ff, Roe and Baruch, W illia m s , E rickson). Only two o f these r e ­ ports concerned nonstudent adults (S h is h k o ff, Roe and Baruch). The primary im p lic a tio n from the l it e r a t u r e is th a t w h ile th ere is agreement about the need fo r more and b e tte r counseling programs to 60 service a d u lt persons, such programs are not o f high p r io r it y w ith in higher education. The new emphasis upon life lo n g learn in g may be an impetus to life lo n g counseling, but th ere must be more research about adult c h a ra c te ris tic s and needs as w ell as assessment o f present ser­ vices. The e ffe rv e s c e n t eloquences o f commissions, task fo rc e s , com­ m ittees, and tin k e r -to y tita n s o f life lo n g lea rn in g fade and f la t t e n in the "show-me" arenas o f higher education. The primary message o f the lit e r a t u r e is th a t one must go beyond the lit e r a t u r e to the teach ers and le a rn e rs , the counselors and c lie n t s , the programs and public and ask what helps, what f a c i l i t a t e s , and what makes a d iffe re n c e . CHAPTER I I I DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY In order to gain inform ation and data to f u l f i l l the purposes of th is study o f the A dult Counseling Service o f Michigan S tate U niver­ s it y , two kinds o f in v e s tig a tio n were re q u ire d . One concerned in v e s t i­ gation in to the background o f the c lie n ts o f The Service and o f The Service h is to ry and programs. ing out o f a survey o f former c lie n ts o f The Service and the of re s u lts o f th a t survey. The other was the development and c a rry ­ treatm ent P rio r to the development o f any designs fo r in v e s tig a tio n s , i t was necessary to obtain an overview o f the to ta l c l i ­ ent population and to decide upon the parameters o f the survey study. Populations fo r Study During the e n tir e period o f formal operation o f the A dult Coun­ seling Service from January 1966 through December 1972, the number o f c lie n ts provided w ith The Service was 215. Since records had been lo st fo r one o f these c lie n t s , the to ta l number f o r whom inform ation is a v a ila b le is 214. year and by sex. Table 1 is a breakdown o f numbers o f c lie n ts by I t should be noted th a t any inform ation provided by year re fe rs to fis c a l year from Ju ly 1 through June 30. I t should also be noted th a t more a d u lt c lie n ts were seen during the la s t h a lf o f any given year (January - June) than during the f i r s t h a lf . 61 One reason fo r 62 TABLE 1 NUMBER OF CLIENTS BY YEAR AND BY SEX YEAR MEN WOMEN TOTAL 1966 Jan.-June 17 2 19 1966-1967 18 6 24 1967-1968 17 16 33 1968-1969* 19 13 32 Totals fo r f i r s t 3 -1 /2 years: 71 37 108 1969-1970 26 12 38 1970-1971 19 15 34 1971-1972 13 10 23 1972 July-Dee. 8 _3 11 66 40 106 137 77 214 Totals fo r la s t 3-1 /2 years: TOTALS FOR JANUARY 1966DECEMBER 1972 * I t is known th a t one a d d itio n a l c lie n t (man) was seen during th is y e a r, but th ere are no records fo r him. 63 th is f a c t is th a t the number o f re g u la r student c lie n ts is higher dur­ ing F a ll and W inter terms and counselors are less l ik e l y to be w illin g to take overload c lie n ts during these tim es. Access to c lie n t fo ld e rs is confined to members o f the Counsel­ ing Center S t a f f or to persons w ith w ritte n permission from the former c lie n t . At the time o f the study the in v e s tig a to r was a member o f the Counseling S t a f f and obtained permission fo r access to c e rta in inform a­ tion about nonstudent c lie n ts . I t should be emphasized th a t the inves­ tig a to r did not have access to counseling notes or s im ila r inform ation which is h ig h ly c o n fid e n tia l nor is any such inform ation used in th is study. An i n i t i a l decision fo r the study was to in v e s tig a te background inform ation fo r the to ta l c lie n t population o f 214 persons and to com­ pare c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s by year and according to the d iv is io n o f the f i r s t th ree and o n e -h a lf years o f The Service operation (January, 1966 - June, 1969) and the most recent th ree and o n e -h a lf years o f The Service operation (J u ly , 1969 - December, 1972). This inform ation would not only provide perspective fo r the e n tir e study, but would pro­ vide inform ation necessary fo r decisions concerning the survey study. Background Inform ation An in v e s tig a tio n o f background inform ation concerning the 214 persons who had received assistance from the A dult Counseling Service from 1966 through 1972 required work w ith m a te ria ls on f i l e Counseling Center. in the Folders fo r a l l persons who used the A dult Counsel­ ing Service are maintained in a separate f i l e a t the Center. While 64 contents o f fo ld e rs v a ry , a l l contain a copy o f the "A p p licatio n fo r Counseling" form which was completed by the c lie n t p r io r to the i n i ­ t i a l counseling appointment. This form c a lle d f o r inform ation about education, occupation, le is u re tim e a c t iv it e s , fa m ily , and purpose in seeking counseling assistance (Appendix B). Other m a te ria ls in the folders are t e s t copies, resumes, and business correspondence. selor notes are u su ally in a separate envelope. Coun­ In a d d itio n to the fo ld e rs , the Coordinator o f The Service keeps a continuous record o f c lie n ts , dates o f co n tact, counselor seen, and fees p aid. From th is l i s t was developed a card deck w ith one card fo r each c lie n t noting name, address as known, date o f f i r s t c o n tac t, counselor, and number of in te rv ie w s . In order to summarize and co d ify inform ation from the c lie n t ap p lic atio n forms, the in v e s tig a to r developed an "Adult C lie n t P r o file " form (Appendix B ). Inform ation was tra n s fe rre d from each c lie n t fo ld e r to a p r o f ile form. From the p r o f ile forms, inform ation was coded and punched on computer cards fo r purposes o f ta lly in g inform ation and fo r la t e r data treatm en t. Since some o f the fo ld e r inform ation was not complete, th ere are some blanks in the inform ation p r o file s and d i f f e r ­ ences in to ta l number o f c lie n ts w ith regard to c e rta in background char­ a c te r is tic s . I t should be noted th a t some o f the coding o f c lie n t statements from the o rig in a l a p p lic a tio n form to categories was neces­ s a rily a r b itr a r y . Areas o f judgment r e la t iv e to coding background in ­ formation most o ften concerned c lie n t s ' occupations, a c t i v i t i e s , gen­ eral purposes in seeking counseling, and s p e c ific reasons fo r seeking assistance. 65 Many a u th o ritie s in career development have categorized occu­ pations (John H olland, Edward Strong, Anne Roe and o th e rs ), and many agencies provide occupational c la s s ific a tio n s (U .S . Department o f Labor, U.S. Bureau o f Census, C iv il S e rv ic e ). For the purpose o f th is study, however, none o f these c la s s ific a tio n s were o f best f i t . The procedure to determine categ o ries was to obtain from the past annual repo rts o f The Service a l i s t o f occupations represented, and to develop occupa­ tion categories which seemed most useful fo r the population o f th is study. While th ere are occupations which might f i t in to more than one of the c a te g o rie s , th is would be tru e w ith the estab lished c la s s if ic a ­ tions as w e ll. The same kind o f overlap problem ensued w ith respect to c la s ­ sify in g a c t i v i t i e s , hobbies, and group p a r tic ip a tio n . were developed from the a p p lic a tio n responses. The categories I f a c lie n t mentioned at le a s t one a c t iv it y which f i t a category, then th a t category was marked f o r th a t c l i e n t . The category o f "reading" was marked only i f the c lie n t lis t e d reading as a hobby or i f the c lie n t stated th a t she or he read a g re a t d e a l. The general purposes in seeking counseling are defined on the ap p lic atio n form as assistance w ith educational plans, career goals, and use o f le is u re tim e. In coding th is item an attem pt was made to assign rank o f importance to the purposes expressed by the c l ie n t . If the c lie n t mentioned ju s t one purpose, th a t purpose was assigned a rank of one and the other purpose areas were assigned ranks o f zero. If, however, the c lie n t mentioned two or more purposes, then the purpose 66 which seemed most dominent was assigned a rank o f one and the o th e r(s ) were assigned ranks o f two, th re e , or fo u r accordingly. The categ o ries describing more s p e c ific reasons fo r seeking counseling were the most d i f f i c u l t to develop and can be considered the most a r b itr a r y w ith respect to the coding. Again, the statements from the a p p lic a tio n forms were perused and grouped in to what appeared to be logical and codable categ o ries . When coding the statem ents, a mark was made in any "reason category" which was mentioned by c lie n t s . Natur­ a lly there was in te rp re ta tio n and judgment on the p a rt o f the in v e s ti­ gator since wording d if f e r s from statement to statem ent. I t should be noted th a t some c lie n ts e ith e r chose not to d efin e t h e ir needs o r were unable to s ta te them. Test categ o ries are those lis te d in a handbook fo r guidance p er­ sonnel developed by a senior s t a f f member a t the Counseling Center o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . A copy o f the fo ld e r inform ation categories w ith coding is in ­ cluded in Appendix B. Survey Design and Procedures In February o f 1973, the Coordinator o f the A dult Counseling Service and one o f the counselors involved in career development coun­ seling ( t h is in v e s tig a to r ), talk ed o f the need fo r a comprehensive follow -up study o f c lie n ts who had used the A dult Counseling Service as p a rt o f a to ta l assessment study o f The S e rvic e. I t was decided a t that time th a t a survey would be sent to a l l c lie n ts o f The Service from i t s formal beginnings in 1966 through 1972. The purpose o f the 67 survey would be to obtain inform ation about c lie n t s ' e d u c a tio n a l, ca­ re e r, and l i f e s ty le patterns since counseling and to obtain c lie n t s ' responses to items about several aspects o f t h e ir past counseling ex­ periences. Survey items were developed a f t e r perusal o f general and h is ­ to ric a l inform ation about the A dult Counseling Service and o f the c l i ­ ent a p p lic a tio n forms fo r The S e rvic e. A pool o f items was developed, discussed, re v is e d , reworded, and d ra fte d in to question n aire form. The d r a ft o f the questionnaire underwent several re vis io n s and a l t e r ­ nate forms w ith the la s t re v is io n presented in both open-end and m u ltip le-ch o ic e form. A fte r discussion w ith The Service Coordinator about the ch aracter o f the c lie n t p o p u la tio n , purpose o f the survey, and a n tic ip a te d response to the survey, i t was decided to use the openend item form. This form would allo w fr e e r response and in d iv id u a liz e d reaction by the c lie n ts and would re s u lt in more personal comments, ideas, c r itiq u e s , and questions from the c lie n t s ' points o f view. Too o ften , programs are evaluated only by s t a f f and according to narrow systems. This fo llow -u p study was intended to fo s te r c lie n t s ' input as they chose to express i t . Because c lie n ts had themselves in it ia t e d contact w ith The Service and in d icated need fo r assistance and m otiva­ tion fo r change, they would l i k e l y be s im ila r ly motivated to express themselves w ith regard to questions about the A dult Counseling S ervice. With the assistance of Dr. W illia m M u e lle r, A ssistan t D ire c to r fo r Research o f the Counseling C enter, a f in a l survey form at was d evel­ oped. This format includes f iv e p rin c ip le kinds o f items and two o ther response areas as fo llo w s : 68 I. Implementation Items ( 1 - 8 ) What has happened since counseling . . . Employment Status: f u llt im e , p a rttim e , none Present Occupation: p o s itio n and time Other Occupations: p o s itio n and time Further Education: formal and inform al Other A c t iv it ie s : hobbies, s o c ia l, and other II. F a c ilita tio n Items ( Id e n tific a tio n and 9 - 1 1 ) Name and Current Address How found out about The S ervice . . . Convenience o f the counseling sessions . . . Was tra v e l to campus a hardship . . . III. Purpose Items (12 - 13) Main purposes in seeking counseling . . . S p e c ific expectations o f counseling . . . IV . Process Items (14 - 16) Support from others fo r counseling . . . Perception o f counselor's concern . . . Value o f te s tin g . . . V. Outcome Items (17 - 20) Value o f counseling in decision-making . . . Support from others fo r decision o r change . . . Value o f counseling in terms o f fe e . . . Personal recommendation to others seeking assistance A. Access Items (21 - 22) Are th ere s im ila r Services nearby Are th ere needs fo r such Services B. Comments and Suggestions P rio r to the f in a l p rin tin g o f the survey, matters r e la tin g to c o n fid e n tia lity were in v e s tig a te d . I t should be re a liz e d th a t the Adult Counseling Service is advertised in the "Evening College Brochure" and is o ften mentioned in newspaper a r t ic le s about Continuing Education and the U n iv e rs ity . For the most p a r t, persons hear about The Service from fa m ily or frie n d s or by i n i t i a t i n g a c a ll to the U n iv e rs ity . The 69 Service is always described as counseling fo r ed u ca tio n a l, c a re e r, and le is u re time planning. Contacts fo r The Service are by telephone and m ail; a p p lic a tio n forms fo r The Service are sent out and returned by m ail; fee re c e ip ts are sent by m a il. Thus, the f a c t o f contact w ith the Adult Counseling Service is not in i t s e l f c o n fid e n tia l. ten t of counseling and o f te s tin g is c o n fid e n tia l. The con­ A fte r fu rth e r con­ s u lta tio n o f the in v e s tig a to r w ith the Coordinator o f The S e rvic e, the Assistant D ire c to r, and the D ire c to r o f the Counseling C enter, i t was decided th a t the fa c t o f m ailing the survey to former c lie n ts and en­ couraging t h e ir completion and retu rn o f the survey did not v io la te any matters o f c o n fid e n tia lity . The q uestionnaire was p rin te d on two pages back to back (Appen­ dix B). Cover le t t e r s were in d iv id u a lly typed and were signed by the Coordinator o f the A dult Counseling Service (Appendix B ). The surveys and le tte r s were dated May 11 but mailed on May 17, 1973. Two hundred and ten surveys were mailed to the most recent known addresses o f f o r ­ mer c lie n ts o f The S ervice. receive surveys: Four c lie n ts (2 men and 2 women) did not one had returned to another country, two had no ad­ dresses on reco rd , and one was considered " s t i l l a c tiv e " as a c l ie n t . The surveys were mailed w ith the r e a liz a tio n th a t several would be returned due to in c o rre c t addresses, since the addresses were from one to seven years o ld . At the time a survey returned w ithout d e liv e ry , a concentrated e f f o r t was made to check records, telephone books, and other sources fo r leads as to c o rre c t addresses. to those fo r whom a lte rn a te addresses were found. Surveys were re -s e n t On June 11, 1973 a le t t e r from the Coordinator o f The Service was sent to 120 persons who 70 had not y e t returned the survey (Appendix B ). Nearly f i f t y persons were contacted by telephone to remind them about completing and re tu rn ­ ing the survey. Both the reminder l e t t e r and telephone c a lls were very low key contacts w ith emphasis upon the vo lun tary assistance o f the former c lie n t . As returns came in and as undelivered surveys were returned, i t became apparent th a t i t would not be possible to obtain c o rre c t ad­ dresses fo r many c lie n ts who had used The Service from 1966 to 1969. In sp ite o f e ffo r ts to tra c e these persons, many surveys from c lie n ts of th is time period were returned w ithout d e liv e ry . The fa c t o f low return o f surveys from c lie n ts o f the f i r s t th ree and one h a lf years of The Service had been a n tic ip a te d and discussed w ith The S ervice Co­ ordinator when dealing w ith background inform ation and the development of the survey. The idea o f d ire c tin g analysis o f the survey response only to the c lie n t population o f the most recent th ree and one h a lf years (J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972) was supported by the r e a l i ­ tie s o f survey re tu rn . Preceding such a n a ly s is , i t would be important to provide data comparing the c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n ts from the la s t three and one h a lf years w ith those o f c lie n ts from the f i r s t th ree and one h a lf years o f The S ervice. lik e each other? Were these two groups o f c lie n ts Did they possess s im ila r c h a ra c te ris tic s ? reasons fo r seeking counseling assistance about the same? differences between the groups? Were th e ir What are any These kinds o f questions would have to be answered in order to consider the e x ten t to which the c lie n t popula­ tion o f the survey study could be considered re p re s e n ta tiv e o f the en­ t ir e c lie n t population o f The Service over the seven years. 71 The c u to ff date fo r survey returns was s e t as August 6 , 1973. At th a t tim e 114 surveys had been re tu rn e d , 70 had not been re tu rn e d , 23 were w ithout forwarding addresses, and th ree were re fu s a ls to com­ plete or nonusable re tu rn s . Of the o rig in a l 210 surveys which had been m ailed, 104 were sent to c lie n ts who had used The Service between Ju ly, 1969 and the end o f December, 1972; 76 returns (73%) were from these 104 persons. Ten o f the 104 surveys were returned w ith ou t f o r ­ warding addresses, and exhaustive e ffo r ts to fin d addresses f a ile d . Two c lie n ts o f the 104 were contacted by telephone and refused to re ­ spond to the survey. Therefore a possible 94 persons might have r e ­ sponded to the survey; 76 returns are 8 0 .8 percent o f th a t possible 94. A ll survey item s, except one, were coded p r io r to re tu rn o f the completed q u estio n n aires. Items which p a ra lle le d items o f background inform ation from the c lie n t p r o f ile were coded to conform to the pro­ f i l e coding. Such items included occupational c la s s ific a tio n s , educa­ tio n a l c la s s ific a tio n s , a c t i v i t ie s and hobbies, and main purposes fo r seeking counseling assistance. Other survey item s, except fo r th a t concerning expectations o f counseling, were coded according to the in ­ herent lim it s o f the item , such as "yes" and "no" or according to the most l ik e l y responses as determined from re p o rt in fo rm atio n , the l i t e r ­ atu re , and the experience and in v e s tig a tio n o f the Coordinator o f The Service and the in v e s tig a to r. A copy o f the survey items w ith coding is included in Appendix B. The item in q u irin g about "expectations o f counseling" (ite m 13) was coded a f t e r re c e ip t o f 25 percent (55) o f the maximum possible r e ­ turns. The 55 responses to the item were typed out and sorted in to 72 categories according to key words. Some o f these words are noted on the survey coding sheet included in Appendix B. Response categories were then coded according to p rin c ip le expectation areas. As completed surveys were re tu rn e d , various record keeping steps were fo llo w ed . Survey responses were converted to the computer coding format and keypunched on computer cards. Since some o f the c a t­ egorization o f response required exercise o f judgment, a l l c a te g o riza ­ tio n and coding was handled perso nally by the in v e s tig a to r. Response to items concerning occupational c la s s if ic a tio n occa­ s io n a lly required judgments fo r coding when s p e c ific d u ties o f a job were not c le a r . The same kind o f judgment was needed fo r statements concerning "inform al education." A "yes" response was marked fo r the "Groups, A c t iv it ie s , Hobbles" item areas i f a t le a s t one was mentioned which applied to a given category. Responses to the item concerning main purpose fo r seeking coun­ seling were ranked fo r each in d iv id u a l. I f only one purpose was men­ tioned, th a t purpose category was assigned a rank o f one and o ther c a t­ egories were assigned ranks o f zero . I f more than one purpose was men­ tioned, then judgment was required to determine p rim ary, secondary, and t e r t ia r y purposes. The item concerning expectations o f counseling was coded according to key words as noted. O ften , expectations were sev­ eral and " f i t " in to more than one response category; in th is case, a l l were marked. O ccasionally a respondent included expectations w ith in the "main purpose" item . In the two items concerning support fo r coun­ seling and fo r carryin g out any changes, th ere was d i f f i c u l t y 1n coding combinations o f response such as support from "parents and frie n d s " or 73 from "spouse and frie n d s ." Therefore these responses were simply grouped in to a combination category. For the 76 respondents, both background data and survey re ­ sponses data were coded onto cards f o r input to a computer program. Treatment o f Data and Inform ation The primary mode o f treatm ent o f data and inform ation obtained through background in v e s tig a tio n and from the fo llo w -u p survey w il l be d e s c rip tiv e . Since the study is not intended to be a formal research p ro je ct and i t s purposes do not include the acceptance or nonacceptance of hypotheses, th ere seems l i t t l e ment o f the d ata. value in any formal s t a t is t i c a l t r e a t ­ The data sh a ll be reported v ia ex p o s itio n , ta b le s , comparisons, and examples from c lie n t comments. In seeking meaningful rep o rts o f inform ation w ith respect to id e n tify in g s p e c ific areas o f c lie n t needs and concerns, two c h a rac ter­ is tic s v a ria b le s by which responses may be grouped appeared in raw data as d if f e r e n t ia t in g . These are sex and age groups. D escription o f c l i ­ ent response according to groupings on these va ria b le s may reveal spe­ c ia l needs and concerns o f such groups. A ll th re e sources o f d ata— background in fo rm atio n , survey responses, and survey comments—w il l con­ trib u te to the conclusions about c lie n t s ' views o f the Adult Counseling Service and to the development o f recommendations r e la tin g to The Ser­ vice. A ll data w il l be reported in both raw numbers and re le v a n t per­ centages. Most o f the survey data w i l l be reported according to the model fo r the survey item s. This model includes the areas o f inform ation 74 about the c lie n t s ' views o f the counseling experience as fo llo w s : F a c ilit a t io n ................. Purposes .......................... Process .......................... Outcome .......................... Implementation . . . . contact and arrangements general o b je c tiv e s and expectations support, te s ts , counselor assistan ce, change, support, worth employment, education, l i f e s t y l e In an e d ito r ia l in the Personnel and Guidance Journal o f Jan­ uary, 1972 (V o l. 50, No. 5 ) , Leo Goldman expresses concern th a t most studies do not have much to say to p ra c titio n e rs (p . 34 8 ). He goes on to decry the c u rre n t higher education obsession w ith methodology and instruments and the tediousness o f s t a t is t i c a l computation. The p oint of the e d it o r ia l is th a t more studies need to be c a rrie d out and re ­ ported fo r the b e n e fit o f the consumer— the p r a c titio n e r . Through the d es crip tiv e treatm ent and rep o rtin g o f data and re la te d in fo rm atio n , i t is intended th a t th is study be o f use to p r a c titio n e r s — to counsel­ ors o f the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, to planners fo r Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , and to the publics w ith in and beyond higher education. CHAPTER IV REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION In tro d u ctio n Background inform ation fo r the 214 c lie n ts o f the Adult Coun­ seling Service from 1966 through 1972 is a v a ila b le from two sources. The f i r s t source o f such inform ation is an a p p lic a tio n fo r counseling form fo r each c lie n t f i le d in in d iv id u a l fo ld e rs in the Counseling Cen­ te r records area. Also in these fo ld e rs are copies o f te s ts . A sec­ ond source o f background inform ation about c lie n ts are the annual re ­ ports fo r the A dult Counseling Service prepared each year by the Coor­ d in ato r o f The Service. Inform ation from c lie n t records is organized by the in v e s tig a ­ to r according to an "Adult C lie n t P r o file " form and coded according to a "Folder Inform ation Form." pendix B. Copies o f these forms are included in Ap­ Inform ation from annual reports is used p rim a rily fo r over­ view, discussion, and summarizing purposes. This chapter presents c lie n t background data fo r the to ta l c l i ­ entele o f The Service w ith discussion o f changes or trends in c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s over the years. Special emphasis w ill be given to r e ­ porting the c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the study population— c lie n ts from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. Discussion w il l r e la te th is population 75 76 to the to ta l c lie n te le and w ill focus upon those c h a ra c te ris tic s which re la te most to the in d iv id u a l's seeking o f counseling assistance and to the items on the follow -up survey which ask fo r c lie n t feedback about th a t counseling assistance. Total C lie n te le 1966 - 1972 Background inform ation about c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the to ta l Adult Counseling Service c lie n te le and some aspects o f t h e ir counseling con­ ta c t are presented in Tables 2a and 2b. These tab les provide informa­ tion according to the to ta l time and the two three and o n e -h a lf year periods which comprise the formal operation o f the A dult Counseling Service from 1966 through 1972. Numbers o f men, women, and to ta l c l i ­ ents are presented by inform ational category and s p e c ific c h a ra c te ris ­ tic . Appendix A provides s im ila r raw data in fo rm atio n , year by y e a r. While the number o f c lie n ts varied from ye ar to y e a r, th ere is l i t t l e variance between the two three and o n e -h a lf ye ar periods. The proportion o f women fo r the two periods and fo r to ta l time span re ­ mained a l i t t l e over o n e -th ird (34% to 38%). At the time o f counseling, 70 percent o f the men were under 35 years o f age whereas 54 percent o f the women were under 35 years. Of the women, 46 percent were 35 years or o ld er a t the tim e o f counseling. or o ld e r. Only 30 percent o f the men were 35 T h ir ty -s ix percent o f the men were in the age category o f 25 to 29 years. Twenty-nine percent o f the women were in the age category of 40 to 49 years. While the number o f men over 40 decreased over time, the number o f women over 40 increased. About 50 percent o f a l l c lie n ts were under 30 years o f age; 22 percent were over 40 years o f 77 TABLE 2a BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TOTAL CLIENTELE OF ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE 1966 - 1972 JANUARY 1966 THROUGH DECEMBER 1972 INFORMATION WOMEN t No. i 214 100 46 60 32 28 38 8 2 21" 28 15 TT 75 114 25 35 53 12 No. 137 64 77 36 Age Groups XX - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 35 - 39 40 - 49 50 - 59 60 - XX 29 49 18 19 16 6 0 21 36 13 T4 12 4 0 17 11 14 9 22 2 2 22" 14 18 12 29 2. 5 2. 5 M arital Status Single Married Di vorced/Wi dowed 45 87 5 33 64 3 30 27 20 39 35 26 Education High School Some College Bachelor's Degree Advanced Degree 14 ] 28 31 73 53 22 16 Employed 111 81 TOTAL 18 4 1 P O —' 1**1 Number o f C lien ts MEN No. % 52 31 6 40 8 28"] 54| l o r 1 49 1 3_ 28 45 58 156 73 Occupations (Number and percent o f c lie n ts employed , as above) Unski 1led /O th er Business/Sales/Government Communi c a ti o n /C u ltu ral Education Engi neeri ng/Phys i cal Science H e a lth /B io lo g ic a l Science Social Services Techni c a l/C le r i cal Unemployed 8 56 2 16 7 50 2 14 1 2 1 14 2 4 2 31 9 58 3 30 6 37 2 19 5 2 5 17 5 2 5 15 0 3 5 19 0 7 11 42 5 5 10 36 3 3 6 23 26 19 32 42 58 27 78 TABLE 2a— C o n tin u ed . JANUARY 1966 THROUGH DECEMBER 1972 INFORMATION Number o f C lie n ts MEN No. T 137 64 WOMEN No"! 5T 77 36 TOTAL No. T 214 100 18 56 5 16 9 28 18 15 25 31 26 43 401 73 98l 52} 70 I ] a Unemployment Status (Number and percent o f c lie n ts unemployed, as above) Homemaker Student Seeking Job/Education Distance T ra v e lle d 0 0 - 1 0 miles 1 1 - 5 0 miles 51 - 100 miles 100 - XXX miles Used Testing Number o f Interview s One Two Three Four/Five 0 10 16 s 0 38 62 i£J > 33 10 a - 27 30 113 82 54 70 167 78 27 22 86 2 20 16 63 1 24 15 35 3 31 19 45 4 51 37 121 5 24 17 57 2 TABLE 2b BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TOTAL CLIENTELE OF ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE BY TWO 3-1/2 YEAR PERIODS JANUARY 1966 - JUNE 1969 INFORMATION Number of Clients Age Groups XX - 24 25 - 29 30 - 34 JULY 1969 - DECEMBER 1972 MEN No. % WOMEN No. % TOTAL No. % MEN No. % WOMEN Ho. % TOTAL Ho. % 71 66 37 34 108 100 66 62 40 38 106 100 FI 5 50 6. *1 13 50 1 2 2F| 26 27 165 16 16j 13 18 35 4 2 19 48 12 30 9 22 45 42 51 48 10 10 39 49 59 XX 10 11 34 3 0 5 9 41 1 0 15 20 36 4 0 171 22 I 74 lO j 9 5 26 3 0 Marital Status Single Married Divorced/Widowed 19 27 48 68 4 5 11 30 15 40 11 30 30 28 63 58 15 14 26 39 39 59 1 2 F I 30 8 ] 59 42 59 11 14 I 14 38 1 3 zC0 56 52 9 8 16 i 31 47 14 21 62 87 24 65 86 80 49 35 40 50 60 - Education High School Some College Bachelor's Degree Advanced Degree Employed !2 l 8 27 66 6 59 iJ 12j 8 64 8 I 40 r 132 74 r 11L 9 145 IT" 9Q a I 37 17 43 5 12 48 45 19 18 21 70 66 52 Table 2b— Continued TOTAL No. % JULY 1969 - December■ 1972 WOMEN TOTAL MEN No. % No. % No. % 3 27 2 15 4 4 6 25 3 31 2 17 5 5 7 29 6 29 1 7 1 0 1 4 35 22 20 17 above) 9 1 3 9 6 7 41 27 32 0 5 12 45l 35] 74 34* ]0 67 19 2 26 18 _4 33 81 75 57 86 30 22 53 3 28 20 49 3 9 8 49 0 JANUARY 1966 - JUNE 1969 INFORMATION MEN n0. % WOMEN No. % Occupations (Number and percent of clients employed, as above) Unskilled and Other 2 1 0 Business/Sales/Government 27 Communications/Cultural 1 1 Education 9 6 Engineering/Physical Science 4 0 Health/Biological Science 2 2 Social Service 4 2 Technical/Clerical 13 12 Unemployed 9 13 13 Unemployment Status (Number and percent of clien ts unemployed, ,as Homemaker 0 Student 5 Seeking Job/Education 4 Distance Travelled 0 0 - 1 0 miles 1 1 - 5 0 miles 24 26 70 21 _9 81 51 -100 miles 100 -XXX miles 15 _6 30 "6 2 19 Used Testing 56 79 25 68 Number of Interviews One Two Three Four/Five 18 14 37 2 12 8 16 1 il 7 31 1 15 1 1 4 11 10 44 1 21 1 1 6 16 36 34 9 9 18 25 25 50 65 53 12 66 12 1 35 30 _6 34 29 72 86 81 21 15 68 2 20 14 64 2 0 2 0 8 0 1 3 7 26 19 48 9 4 6 12 7 19 2 81 age. In sum, persons who sought assistance from the A dult Counseling Service were predominantly young ad u lts under 40 years o ld . In gen­ e r a l, women c lie n ts tended to be o ld e r than men c lie n ts . A little over 50 percent o f the c lie n ts were married a t the time o f counseling. There was some increase over the years in the num­ ber o f s in g le persons using The Service; th ere was some decrease in the number o f m arried persons using The S ervice. S ixty-tw o percent o f the c lie n ts had achieved a t le a s t a bach­ e lo r's degree a t the tim e o f counseling. Of the 82 c lie n ts (38%) who did not have degrees, 66 percent had some c o lle g e o r an associate de­ gree. While i t was d i f f i c u l t to a s c e rta in e x a c tly how many c lie n ts had attended Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity a t some tim e, the clo sest count was 90 persons o r 42 percent. In g e n eral, the c lie n t population was ac­ quainted w ith an in s t it u t io n o f higher education and the services o f ­ fered by such in s tit u t io n s . Only 13 percent o f the c lie n t population had no d ir e c t formal c o lle g e experience. Of the 73 percent o f the c lie n ts who were employed a t the time of counseling, most were employed in areas which could be c la s s ifie d as "business/sales/governm ent," " t e c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l," or "education." These occupational areas accounted fo r 79 percent o f those employed. Seventy-one percent o f those employed were men. not change from one time period to another. This percentage did Nearly a ll persons em­ ployed in "business/sales/governm ent" were men. Women were employed p rim a rily in "education" and " te c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l" occupation areas. The 27 percent o f the c lie n ts who were unemployed a t the time of counseling Included more women than men. The m a jo rity o f the women 82 were homemakers. More men than women lis te d themselves as students. The category which id e n tifie s the t r u ly unemployed persons is labeled "seeking jo b or ed u catio n." Persons in th is category are between jo b s , or w ithout jo b s , o r contemplating career change or re tu rn to school. Fo rty-th ree percent o f the unemployed persons considered themselves in th is "seeking" s itu a tio n , and tw o -th ird s o f these were men. Three items in Tables 2a and 2b r e f le c t inform ation about the counseling co n tact. Important in the development o f the Adult Counsel­ ing Service was a question about whether persons would tra v e l to the East Lansing campus fo r the service or whether th ere should be attempts to e s ta b lis h counseling s a t e l l i t e centers in other parts o f the s ta te . This question is raised p e rio d ic a lly and is s t i l l o f concern. Seventy percent o f the c lie n ts tra v e lle d a distance o f f i f t y m iles or le s s . F o rty -s ix percent liv e d w ith in 10 miles o f the campus. Thus, 54 per­ cent o f the c lie n ts did tra v e l fo r 30 minutes or more to come to the Counseling Center on evenings and Saturdays. The number o f c lie n ts coming from g re a te r distances increased over the ye ars. S eventy-eigh t percent o f the c lie n ts took a t le a s t one psycho­ log ical t e s t . Seventy-two percent took a t le a s t one in te re s t inven­ to ry , and several took two or th ree such in v e n to rie s . P e rso n ality and values in v e n to rie s were the second most o fte n used kinds o f te s ts w ith learning a b i l i t y measures and special ap titu d e te s ts being th ird and fourth most used. Inform ation from the fo ld e rs in d icates th a t counsel­ ors sought to in d iv id u a liz e te s tin g fo r each c lie n t . Most c lie n ts had three counseling in te rv ie w s , the normal number of interview s w ith in the a d u lt counseling program. Several had only 83 one in te rv ie w which is an assessment in te rv ie w . During th is meeting, the counselor and c lie n t c l a r i f y the concerns and plan the best course of assistance fo r the in d iv id u a l. Often th is course o f assistance is re fe rra l to another agency, the turning to o ther kinds o f s e l f - i n it i a t e d explorations o r tas ks , or the confirm ation o f plans alread y determined. For the to ta l c lie n t e le , fo ur men counselors worked w ith 96 percent o f the persons using the service over the years. Background inform ation about other p reviou sly held jobs o f c l i ­ ents p a ra lle le d the predominant job areas a t the time o f counseling: business/sales/government, te c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l, and education. Informa­ tion about le is u re time a c t iv it ie s in d icated th a t the most dominant ac­ t i v i t y area was th a t which was coded as "s p o rts /o u td o o r/p e ts /re c re a ­ tio n ." Other areas o f high a c t iv it y where 50 or more persons indicated involvement were: s o c ia l/s p e c ta to r/tra v e l ........................................................ 50 service clu b s /vo lu n te er work ........................................... 65 m usic/art/dram a/w ri tin g /p h o to g ra p h y ................................. 82 c o lle c tio n s /c ra fts /d o m e s tic a rts ................................... 78 r e a d in g .............................................................................................88 church a c t iv it ie s ..................................................................... 62 This inform ation about le is u re time a c t iv it ie s in d ic a te s th a t c lie n ts tended to have many in te re s ts and involvements. While one o f the o rig ­ inal in te n tio n s o f the Adult Counseling Service was to a s s is t c lie n ts with meaningful use o f le is u re tim e, i t became apparent over the years that th is kind o f assistance was ra re ly sought and t h a t , in gen eral, c lie n ts seemed to use le is u re time in enhancing ways. The "A pplication fo r Counseling" form which a l l persons seeking assistance from the Adult Counseling Service complete co n tains, as a 84 fin a l info rm ation al item , the question, "What are your main purposes in seeking counseling?" In reading responses to th is item , i t became apparent to the in v e s tig a to r th a t th ere were two lo g ic a l ca te g o riza ­ tio n areas fo r the responses. The f i r s t area concerned o v e ra ll pur­ pose o f the c lie n t defined in terms o f the stated assistance areas o f The Service: help w ith educational p lan s, help w ith career plans and goals, help w ith use o f le is u re tim e. The second c a te g o riza tio n area re lated to more s p e c ific and in d iv id u a liz e d reasons fo r seeking coun­ seling assistan ce. The coding areas fo r these responses were developed from the c lie n t statements themselves. Table 3 includes inform ation from these responses to the item about purpose fo r seeking counseling a t the time o f counseling. Both general purpose areas and more spe­ c if ic reason, areas are included in th is ta b le . Seventy percent o f the to ta l c lie n te le stated as t h e ir primary o v e ra ll purpose the seeking o f assistance w ith career plans and goals. S im ila rly , career and l i f e planning was the highest coding area fo r the c lie n ts ' s p e c ific reasons in seeking counseling. Assistance w ith edu­ cational plans was o f primary Importance fo r 23 percent o f the c lie n ts . More c lie n ts stated "other" purposes than stated "help w ith use o f l e i ­ sure time" as a primary purpose. T hirty-seven percent s p e c ific a lly stated wanting inform ation about a p titu d e s , in te r e s ts , and a b i l i t i e s . T h irty percent s p e c ific a lly stated d is s a tis fa c tio n w ith t h e ir present s itu a tio n s , and many others im plied th is fe e lin g . sought help w ith s p e c ific educational plans. About 30 percent 85 TABLE 3 GENERAL PURPOSES AND SPECIFIC REASONS IN SEEKING ASSISTANCE FROM THE ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE Primary Purpose Area C lie n ts Help w ith Educational Plans 49 (23%) Help w ith Career Plans/Goals 149 (70%) Help w ith Use o f Leisure Time 7 ( 3%) Other Purposes 9 ( 4%) S p ecific Reasons fo r Seeking Counseling Assistance Number o f C lie n ts S ta tin g Reason D is s a tis fa c tio n w ith Present S itu a tio n 68 Need f o r General Inform ation 11 Need fo r Help in Decision Making 28 Inform ation Regarding A p titu d es, In te re s ts , A b ilit ie s 79 Help w ith Self-Understanding 6 Help w ith Career and L ife Plans 187 Help in Choosing Area fo r Study 67 Help w ith P ersonal/S ocial Concerns 4 Other 3 86 Total C lie n te le —Summary To summarize background inform ation about c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, i t is appropriate to draw upon the Annual Reports of the Service (Ross, 1966-1972), as re p o rt inform ation coordinates with data from records. The reports not only give perspective to data but also provide in s ig h ts as to the kinds o f inform ation o f concern fo r planning purposes fo r The Service. When the A dult Counseling Service began as a formal program, there was an expectation th a t i t would serve p rim a rily a population from the 30 to 50 year age range. Some persons f e l t th a t most o f the c lie n ts would be women who were seeking more productive use o f le is u re time or seeking to re tu rn to work a f t e r ra is in g ch ild re n or being con­ fronted w ith the r e a l i t ie s o f s e lf-s u p p o rt. O thers, i t appears, f e l t that The Service would serve more men seeking career change or upgrading--from m ilit a r y to c i v i l i a n , from ind ustry to business, from rural to urban. Nearly a l l o f these expectations were met by some c l i ­ ents, but the trends in "kinds" o f c lie n ts r e f le c t d iffe r e n t patterns of c h a ra c te ris tic s over the years. The " ty p ic a l" c lie n t o f the Adult Counseling Service has been a married man between the ages o f 25 and 29 years. This ty p ic a l c lie n t has held the bachelor's degree or has had some c o lle g e . He has sought counseling because he was d is s a tis fie d w ith his cu rren t occupational s itu atio n and wished assistance w ith career planning. While the c lie n t e le did " f i t " th is ty p ic a l d es crip tio n o f the c lie n t during the f i r s t year and o n e -h a lf o f The Service o p eratio n , the second f u l l year brought more c lie n ts and more v a ria tio n in 87 c h a ra c te ris tic s and needs. During th is year th ere was an increase in the number o f women using The S ervice. There were more unmarried per­ sons using The S ervice; many o f these were women. from fa r th e r distances to use the s e rv ic e . More persons came The ty p ic a l age range r e ­ mained from 25 to 29, and reasons fo r seeking assistance continued to re la te to general d is s a tis fa c tio n s w ith present s itu a tio n s . of c lie n t occupations was broad. vice from o th er persons. The range Many c lie n ts had heard about the ser­ During the th ir d f u l l year o f s e rv ic e , the c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n ts remained g e n e ra lly the same. The age range fo r the ty p ic a l c lie n t fo r th a t y e a r, however, was 30 to 34 years w ith women c lie n ts being somewhat o ld e r than men c lie n ts . Of in te r e s t is the fa c t th a t almost h a lf o f the women c lie n ts were divorced or widowed. Occupations o f c lie n ts continued to be varied but most re la te d to busi­ ness, s a le s , government, and education. During the f i r s t three and o n e -h a lf years o f o p e ra tio n , the Adult Counseling Service served 109 persons. 37 were women. Seventy-two were men and Most were between the ages o f 25 and 35 y e a rs , were m arried, and had two c h ild re n . Most liv e d w ith in 50 m iles o f the Uni­ v e rs ity campus and came fo r th ree counseling in terview s and te s tin g . A m a jo rity held a bachelor's degree and were employed in business, sales, government, o r education. The only apparent trends in c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s during these years seemed to be an increasing number of women using The Service and an increase in the number o f s in g le or divorced persons, both women and men, using The S ervice. The year 1969-70 brought some s ig n ific a n t changes in c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s . The " ty p ic a l" c lie n t was not c u rre n tly married a l ­ though when men and women are considered s e p a ra te ly , the men tended to 88 be married and the women unmarried. 29 years. years. The ty p ic a l age range was 25 to The educational le v e l was s lig h t ly higher than in previous While the ty p ic a l c lie n t liv e d w ith in 50 m iles o f the campus, 40 percent o f the c lie n ts liv e d more than 50 m iles away. Men were most l ik e l y employed in business f i e l d s , and women were teach ers, c le r ical workers, and homemakers. During the next year th ere continued a trend o f ty p ic a l men c lie n ts being married and between the ages o f 25 and 29 years and ty p ­ ical women c lie n ts being unmarried and between the ages o f 30 and 34 years. There were n o ticeab ly fewer teachers in th a t y e a r's c lie n t group, and a l l but two o f the women were unemployed. A continuing trend to higher educational le v e ls o f c lie n ts was apparent. 72, the age range fo r women c lie n ts was 40 to 49 y e ars. c lie n t was unmarried. In 1971- The ty p ic a l The number o f c lie n ts decreased th a t y e a r, and i t was proposed th a t th is decrease was r e f le c t iv e o f the employment s itu atio n and re tic e n c e to r is k change. Since th ere is not a c tiv e r e ­ cruitment fo r c lie n ts or a d v e rtis in g o f the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, the influences upon number o f persons seeking The Service are a l l per­ sonal and environmental fa c to rs . The 1972-73 rep o rt re fle c te d some s h ifts in c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the ty p ic a l c l i e n t . women c lie n ts . The age range was 25 to 29 years fo r both men and The ty p ic a l woman c lie n t was s in g le , and the ty p ic a l man c lie n t was m arried. This m a rita l status c h a ra c te r is tic is in re ­ verse from previous years. than in previous ye ars. The educational le v e l was s lig h t ly lower Two o ther s ig n ific a n t observations are th a t several o f the c lie n ts seemed to be under-employed w ith respect to 89 th e ir s k i ll s and education, and th ere were no teachers in the group. A ll o f the men were employed, and a ll but two o f the women were em­ ployed. Several came to The Service fo r assistance w ith regard to up­ grading t h e ir s k i ll s and knowledge fo r higher career a s p ira tio n s . C e rta in o ther general d e fin in g c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the c lie n t population are not included in e ith e r the records data or the annual report in fo rm atio n . One such c h a ra c te r is tic re fe rs to the fa c t th a t c lie n ts ' contacts w ith The Service are s e l f - i n i t i a t e d . C lie n ts read about The Service o r hear about i t from frie n d s or c a ll the U n iv e rs ity asking whether such a Service e x is ts . C lie n ts complete a w ritte n ap­ p lic a tio n form and send the fee fo r an i n i t i a l in te rv ie w p rio r to a f i r s t appointment. While many liv e close to the campus, some come from considerable distan ces. A ll invest time and energy on evenings and Saturdays to come fo r counseling and te s tin g . These fa c to rs o f c lie n t i n it ia t e d c o n ta c t, a p p lic a tio n , fin a n c ia l in p u t, t r a v e l, and personal investment in d ic a te a population motivated by t h e ir needs fo r assistance to the p o in t o f p o s itiv e a c tio n . One must conclude th a t c lie n ts b e lie v e th a t th ere w il l be assistance from The S ervice. Whether t h e ir s p e c ific expectations o f The Service are r e a l i s t i c or n o t, the c lie n t s ' commitments to gaining something— in fo rm atio n , advice, self-understanding, d ir e c tio n , support— are c le a r and s ig n ific a n t. Study P opulation, J u ly , 1969 - December, 1972 Much o f the m a teria l describing c lie n ts o f the Adult Counseling Service is presented according to two tim e periods o f service operation: January, 1966 through June, 1969 and J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972. 90 The number o f c lie n ts and most o f the c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n ts are s im ila r fo r the two periods. Changes or trends in c lie n t c h a ra c te ris ­ tic s were presented in the previous discussion. In a p r io r chapter, ra tio n a le was provided regarding the d ire c tin g o f the fo llo w -u p survey study to the c lie n t population o f the second tim e period: through December, 1972. J u ly , 1969 Background data fo r th is study population is provided in Table 2b and in Appendix A. In order to compare background c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the to ta l study population w ith those o f the survey re tu rn group, Table 4 is pre­ sented. For purposes o f th is ta b le , age-range categories are combined to form two categories o f under 35 years and 35 years and over. Two age-range areas which included a s ig n ific a n t number o f women and men c lie n ts are rep o rted . Occupational categories which included very few c lie n ts are not included in Table 4. I t is apparent from the inform ation presented in Table 4 th a t the background c h a ra c te ris tic s o f former c lie n ts who returned the sur­ vey clo sely p a r a lle l the background c h a ra c te ris tic s fo r the to ta l study population. This is to be expected w ith a survey re tu rn o f 73 percent. There are some c h a ra c te ris tic areas where the percentage o f the survey return group is more o r less than the percentage o f the to ta l study population group. Such d iffe ren c es are l i k e l y a ttr ib u ta b le to the log ­ is tic a l fa c to rs o f some c lie n ts not re ce ivin g the survey due to lack of m ailing addresses and others not completing the survey due to busy­ ness or conscious d ecision. Nevertheless, th ere are no extreme d i f f e r ­ ences between the two groups in terms o f o v e ra ll c h a ra c te ris tic s in f o r ­ mation. 91 TABLE 4 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SURVEY STUDY POPULATION AND THE SURVEY RETURN GROUP AT THE TIME OF COUNSELING CHARACTERISTIC AND GROUP SURVEY STUDY POPULATION Nol Percent Number o f Persons Men Women 106 66 40 Under 35 Men = Women Total Years o f Age 66 (47) = 40 (29) = 106 (76) 100 62 38 SURVEY RETURN GROUP No"] Percent 76 47 29 71 62 38 49 20 69 74 (o f 66) 50 (o f 40) 65 (o f 106) 35 13 48 74 45 63 35 Years and Over Men Women Total 17 20 37 26 50 35 12 16 28 26 55 37 Men: 25-29 Years 22 33 15 32 Women: 40-49 Years 13 33 10 34 M arital Status - S ingle Men Women Total 26 19 45 39 48 42 21 13 34 45 45 45 M arital Status - M arried Men Women Total 39 12 51 59 30 48 24 8 32 51 28 42 M arital Status - Divorced and Widowed Men Women Total 1 9 10 2 23 9 2 8 10 4 28 13 aSurvey to 104. 76 = 73%. 92 TABLE 4— C o n tin u ed . CHARACTERISTIC AND GROUP Hen Women Total Education - Some C o llege/ Associate o f Arts Men Women Total Education - T ec h n ic al/ Certi fic a tio n /P r o p rie ta ry Men Women Total SURVEY STUDY POPULATION NoT Percent SURVEY RETURN GROUP fiol Percent 11 8 15 10 4 4 8 9 14 11 16 12 28 24 30 26 11 8 19 23 28 25 1 3 4 2 10 5 5 6 Data Not A v a ila b le Education - Bachelor's Degree Men Women Total 31 17 48 47 43 45 23 34 49 38 45 Education - Advanced Degree Men Women Total 14 5 13 21 13 18 8 3 11 17 10 14 49 70 74 (o f 66) 52 (o f 40) 66 (o f 106) 35 13 48 74 (o f 47) 45 (o f 29) 63 (o f 76) 29 59 (o f 49) 21 60 (o f 35) 31 8 15 11 44 38 21 16 23 4 9 7 48 31 19 15 Employment Men Employed Women Employed Total Employed Occupation Areas Bus i ness/Sales/Government - MEN Business/Sales/Govern­ ment - Total Education - WOMEN Education - Total Techni c a l/C le r i c a l-T o ta l 21 11 (o f (o f (o f (o f 70) 21) 70) 70) (o f (o f (o f (o f 48) 13) 48) 48) 93 TABLE 4 — C o n tin u ed . CHARACTERISTIC AND GROUP Unemployment llCiiiK I v ja m n WU Men Unemployed Women Unemployed Total Unemployed SURVEY STUDY POPULATION No! Percent SURVEY RETURN GROUP ficT Percent 12 16 28 43 (o f 28) 57 ( o f 28) 37 (o f 76) 47 (o f 19) 9 56 (o f 16) 5 4 9 12 6 18 29 21 25 71 32 50 8 29 ( o f 28) 11 39 (o f 28) Unemployed Population Men Women Total 17 19 36 26 (o f 66) 48 (o f 40) 34 (o f 106) 12 16 28 25 (o f 47) 55 (o f 29) 37 (o f 76) Distance T ra v e lle d 0 - 10 miles 1 1 - 5 0 miles Total o f 50 or less miles 51 - 100 miles Over 100 miles Totals o f Over 50 miles 53 17 70 30 6 36 50 (o f 106) 16 66 28 6 34 37 13 50 20 6 *-* CX3 49 ( o f 76) 17 66 26 8 34 Tests Taken Men Women Total 57 29 86 86 (o f 66) 73 (o f 40) 81 (o f 106) Number o f Interview s One - Total Two - Total Three - MEN Three - WOMEN Three - Total 21 15 49 19 68 20 14 74 48 64 14 10 35 15 50 18 13 74 51 66 Unemployed Status Homemaker - WOMEN Student Student Student Seeking Seeking Seeking - MEN - WOMEN - Total Job/Education - MEN Job/Education-WOMEN Job/Education-Total 17 19 36 9 47 (o f 36) 53 (o f 36) 34 (o f 106) (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f of (o f 17) 19) 36) 17) 19 36) 106) 106) 66) 40) 106) (o f (o f (o f (o f (o f 76) 76) 47) 29) 76) 94 The survey re tu rn group does r e f le c t the to ta l study popula­ tio n . The study population does r e f le c t the to ta l c lie n t e le w ith the exception o f c e rta in change or trend c h a ra c te ris tic s as pointed out in previous discussion. Whether the to ta l c lie n t e le , the study popula­ tio n , or the survey re tu rn group can represent a l l possible c lie n ts o f the Adult Counseling S ervice or a s im ila r s e rv ice is a m atter o f im p li­ cation. In terms o f describing the c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the kinds o f people who might seek assistance from a s im ila r expanded s e rv ic e , the best inform ation a v a ila b le is th a t concerning persons who have already experienced such assistance from the present A dult Counseling S ervice. Survey Response Group The study population f o r the fo llo w -u p survey to ta le d 106 per­ sons; the number o f surveys d is trib u te d was 104. population were e ith e r lo s t or are s t i l l persons returned completed surveys. of 104. Two persons o f the in counseling. Seventy-six This is 73 percent o f the to ta l Of these 76 persons, 29 (38%) are women and 47 (62%) are men. At the time o f counseling n ea rly th re e -fo u rth s o f the men were under 35 years o f age whereas less than 50 percent o f the women were under 35 ye ars. o ld er. F i f t y - f i v e percent o f the women were 35 years or The age range o f 25 to 29 years included 32 percent o f the men. The age category o f 40 to 49 years included 34 percent o f the women. In sh o rt, women who sought counseling assistance were l ik e l y to be middle-aged a d u lts . I t can be s a fe ly assumed th a t many o f the women were seeking assistance w ith plans a f t e r t h e ir c h ild re n were grown. Men who sought assistance are more l i k e l y to be young ad u lts seeking assistance w ith career ch o ice, advancement, or change. 95 F o r ty -fiv e percent o f the response group were s in g le persons at the time o f counseling. While 51 percent o f the men were m arried, only 28 percent o f the women were m arried. In a d d itio n , 28 percent o f the women were divorced (includes separated) or widowed a t the time o f counseling. Only 4 percent o f the men held th is s ta tu s . I t appears from th is inform ation th a t w hile some women may have been seeking new d irec tio n s a f t e r t h e ir ch ild re n were grown, others were seeking a s s is ­ tance in d ealing w ith a more extreme change in l i f e s ty le and w ith the confrontations o f s e lf-s u p p o rt and l i f e alone. Over h a lf the men, while d is s a tis fie d w ith t h e ir present s itu a tio n s , had to consider others besides themselves in making any decisions regarding career change. Educational le v e l o f the survey re tu rn group was high a t the time o f counseling. S ix ty -s ix percent o f the men and 48 percent o f the women held a t le a s t one co lle g e degree. held bachelo r's degrees. Most o f these persons Another 25 percent o f the group had some c o l­ lege or an associate degree. A ll o f the c lie n ts were high school grad­ uates, and some nad techn ical or p ro p rie ta ry tr a in in g . Nearly th re e -fo u rth s o f the men were employed a t the time o f counseling, most in occupations r e la tin g to business, s a le s , o r govern­ ment. Men predominated in th is occupational category. Of the 45 per­ cent o f the women who were employed, n early a th ir d were in education. Others were l ik e l y to hold social s e rv ic e , c l e r i c a l , and miscellaneous other jo b s. the group. Three occupational categories accounted fo r 82 percent o f The categories were "business/sales/governm ent," "educa­ tio n ," and " t e c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l." About o n e -th ird o f the women were 96 fu lltim e homemakers a t the tim e o f counseling. over 50 percent o f the unemployed women. They accounted fo r Over 50 percent o f a l l women were unemployed, and one-fou rth o f the men were unemployed a t the time of counseling. Students and homemakers accounted fo r about 60 percent of the unemployed. The r e s t, n early 40 p ercen t, might be considered the t r u ly unemployed since they were "seeking jobs or considering a r e ­ turn to school." These "seekers" had no employment and no s p e c ific un­ employment s ta tu s . In order to take advantage o f the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, 50 percent o f the group came a distance o f 10 m iles or more. four percent came a distance o f over 50 m iles . T h ir ty - Nearly a l l c lie n ts worked w ith a man counselor and had th ree counseling in terview s and te s tin g . T h e ir reasons fo r seeking counseling assistance are re fle c te d by the general purpose areas and s p e c ific areas described fo r the to ta l c lie n te le in Table 3. In the survey, they were asked again about re a ­ sons fo r seeking counseling assistan ce, about t h e ir perceptions o f the counseling experience, about t h e ir cu rren t involvement w ith c a re e r, education, and l i f e enhancing a c t i v i t i e s , and about t h e ir ideas fo r im­ proving the ed u catio n al-vo catio n al counseling program fo r nonstudent adults a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . Summary This discussion o f th e c h a ra c te ris tic s o f A d u lt Counseling Ser­ vice c lie n ts a t the tim e of counseling includes comparative inform ation fo r women and men w ith in the to ta l p o p ulatio n, the study p o p ulatio n, 97 and the survey response group. For the m ostpart, c h a ra c te ris tic s o f each o f these groupings o f c lie n ts p a r a lle l c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the other two groupings o f c lie n ts . While the " ty p ic a l" c l i e n t , according to modal c h a ra c te ris tic areas, has changed l i t t l e over the y e a rs , th ere have been changes in d ifferences between c lie n t groupings by sex and age w ith regard to em­ ployment, education, m a rita l s ta tu s , and purpose in seeking counseling. Two pervading c h a ra c te ris tic s apply to a l l c lie n ts and to a l l years o f Service o p eratio n . One is the in d iv id u a l c lie n t 's m otivation to fin d out about, arrange f o r , and fo llo w through w ith the counseling program. The other is a general d is s a tis fa c tio n f e l t and expressed by each c l i ­ ent w ith regard to her or his l i f e s itu a tio n . The c h a ra c te ris tic s o f c lie n ts a t the time o f counseling and th e ir purposes in seeking counseling are not only o f in te r e s t in th is study but are e s s e n tia l to any e v alu atio n o f the A dult Counseling Ser­ vice. Inform ation about and from a d u lt persons who have experienced counseling assistance is c u rre n tly the best basis f o r determining the c h a ra c te ris tic s and needs o f populations to which expanded programs o f counseling services fo r ad u lts may be d ire c te d . CHAPTER V REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF SURVEY DATA In tro d u c tio n Of the to ta l o f 104 surveys which were m ailed to the study pop­ u la tio n , 76 o r 73 percent were completed and re tu rn e d . Since 10 o f the surveys were never d e liv e re d to former c lie n t s , due to lack o f forw ard­ ing addresses, the to ta l possible re tu rn was 94. The 76 returns con­ s titu te 8 0 .8 percent o f the 94 possible re tu rn s . S ixty -tw o percent (47) o f the survey returns are from men, and 38 percent (29) are from women. These percentages are e x a c tly the same as the percentages o f men and women in the study population. S ix ty -th re e percent o f those who returned the survey were under 35 years o f age a t the time o f coun­ seling and 37 percent were over 35. These percentages are nearly the same as those o f these age categories In the study p o p u latio n . These two dimensions o f sex and age are considered the most d if fe r e n tia tin g for c lie n t purposes, c lie n t needs, and a d u lt counseling programs (Kron, Powell, W illiam s: In te rv ie w s , 1973). The survey re tu rn data is pre­ sented and discussed in th is chapter according to the ch aracter o f the survey items and the response inform ation by sex and age groups. The primary purpose o f the survey question n aire was to obtain from the study population a d e s c rip tiv e and e v a lu a tiv e response regard­ ing t h e ir p a rtic ip a tio n as c lie n ts in the A dult Counseling S ervice. 98 99 Survey Items sought to e l i c i t response w ith regard to s ix areas o f con­ cern or in fo rm ation . The s ix areas are as fo llo w s: F a c ilit a t io n : Purposes: Process: Outcome: Implementation: Other: Contact and arrangements ................. General o b jectives . Support, te s ts , and counselor . . A ssistance, change, support, worth Employment, education, l i f e s t y l e . Local resources and perceived need The s p e c ific survey items corresponding to the s ix areas noted above are presented w ith coding areas fo r response in Appendix B. Discus­ sion o f the data w ill include some references to c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s from background inform ation as presented in Chapter IV . A ll ta b u la r presentations o f data w ill include both raw numbers and re le v a n t per­ centages. The survey response is the core o f th is in v e s tig a tio n o f the Adult Counseling Service o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . The survey re ­ sponse is vo lun tary feedback from former c lie n ts who wish to say some­ thing about t h e ir own experience w ith the A dult Counseling S ervice and fo r some, to propose ways in which th a t Service could be changed and improved to b e tte r meet the needs o f o ther nonstudent ad u lts who seek assistance w ith e d u c a tio n a l, c a re e r, and life -p la n n in g decisions. F a c ilit a t io n Inform ation Three items in the survey concern arrangement m atters w ith r e ­ gard to a c li e n t 's seeking and fo llo w in g through w ith the Adult Counsel­ ing S ervice. One item is a question o f how the c lie n t became aware o f The S ervice, and two items concern convenience o f sessions and d i f f i ­ culty o f tra v e l to the U n iv e rs ity campus fo r counseling. Table 5 100 includes data concerning ways in which c lie n t s ' became aware o f The Service. Because the U n iv e rs ity s t a f f do not w idely p u b lic iz e The Ser­ vice or seek out c lie n t s , the response to th is item provides inform a­ tio n about impact o f The Service and about the minimal p u b lic ity which does e x is t. While the "Evening College Brochure" is d is trib u te d each term in schools, post o ffic e s , and p u b lic o ffic e b u ild in g s , the Impact of the n o tice about counseling in th a t brochure seems to be minimal. Rather, i t is people to convey inform ation about the A dult Counseling Service. Each c lie n t who uses The Service tends to become a represen­ ta tiv e o f The Service. The fa c t th a t over 40 percent (30 ) o f the re ­ spondents found out about The Service from fa m ily members or frie n d s indicates th a t these persons e ith e r had d ir e c t knowledge o f The Service or had known someone who had such knowledge. The fa c t o f personal r e ­ fe rra l and, assumedly, encouragement is a p o s itiv e r e fle c tio n upon The Service. Of even more importance, however, is th a t 40 percent o f the c lie n ts responding in d ic a te th a t they found out about The Service through "other" means. From c lie n t comments and in terview s w ith Coun­ seling Center personnel, i t is v e r if ie d th a t many persons simply c a ll the general U n iv e rs ity number in q u irin g i f any counseling services fo r adults are o ffe re d . I t is tru e th a t some c lie n ts are re fe rre d to The Service by fa c u lty persons, physicians, employers, m in is te rs , or sim i­ la r s ig n ific a n t o thers. In a d d itio n , some c lie n ts were once Michigan State U n iv e rs ity students and re c a ll the counseling services from th e ir student days. From the d ata, i t appears th a t men are more l ik e l y to fin d out about The S ervice from a fa m ily member o f through personal 101 TABLE 5 RESPONSE DATA CONCERNING HOW CLIENTS FOUND OUT ABOUT THE ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE SOURCE OF INFORMATION MEN No.=40 WOMEN % No.=27 % TOTAL No. ='67 ~~i 2 5 4 15 6 9 Newspaper/Other P u b lica tio n 2 5 2 7 4 6 28 4 15 15 22 7 17 8 30 15 22 18 45 9 33 27 40 Friend Other SOURCE OF INFORMATION AGE XX--34 No.=44 i AGE 35No. =23 % c n Family Member x [X Evening College Brochure TOTAL NO.=67 % Evening College Brochure 1 2 5 22 6 9 Newspaper/Other P u b lica tio n 3 7 1 4 4 6 15 34 — 15 22 9 20 6 26 15 22 16 36 11 48 27 40 Family Member Friend Other — 102 i n i t i a t i v e than are women. Women are more l ik e l y than men to le a rn o f The Service from a fr ie n d . Younger c lie n ts (under 35) are more l ik e l y to have learned about The Service through fa m ily ; o ld e r c lie n ts are more l ik e l y to have read the "Evening College Brochure" and to have sought out such a Service through o ther means such as general in q u iry . Response regarding the convenience o f the counseling and t e s t ­ ing sessions is overwhelmingly p o s itiv e w ith 97 percent o f those who responded (N=73) in d ic a tin g th a t the session times seemed to be a r ­ ranged fo r t h e ir convenience. S im ila r ly , 91 percent o f those who re ­ sponded in d ic a te th a t coming to the campus was not a hardship fo r them (N=74). R ela tin g to th is item is present residence o f the c lie n ts in terms o f distance from the campus. This inform ation is discernable because a l l c lie n ts did provide t h e ir names and addresses on the sur-* vey forms. The high p o s itiv e response about convenience o f the counseling sessions and o f coming to the campus is s ig n ific a n t w ith regard to the ever present questions about need fo r lo c atin g The Service in o ther parts o f the s ta te . Although The Service does have an "outreach" char­ acter through the Evening C o lleg e, the U n iv e rs ity Extension S e rvic e, and general awareness, i t does not appear th a t c lie n ts would ask th a t The Service a c tu a lly be located in s a t e l l i t e u n its throughout the S ta te . While i t is tru e th a t tw o -th ird s o f the response group population liv e d w ithin 50 m iles o f the campus, those o f the other o n e -th ird apparently found l i t t l e te s tin g . hardship in coming to the campus fo r the counseling and 103 Only 45 percent (34) o f the form er c lie n ts liv e w ith in 50 miles o f the U n iv e rs ity campus today. While one person o f the 76 lived out o f the S tate o f Michigan a t the tim e o f counseling, seven persons o f the group now liv e out o f s ta te . Seeking assistance w ith decisions about career change and educational plans assumes the possi­ b i l i t y o f change, o f physical m o b ility re la te d to occupational and ed­ ucational m o b ility . Many c lie n ts moved . . . fo r many reasons. f u l l y , m o b ility is an in d ic a tio n o f p o s itiv e change. Hope­ That c lie n ts moved p rim a rily w ith in the S ta te , however, is another f a c t to support the r e a l i t y o f the service mission o f the A dult Counseling Service to the people o f Michigan. Purposes Inform ation Items about purpose concern the c lie n t 's main general objec­ tiv e in seeking counseling assistance and her or h is more s p e c ific ex­ pectations o f counseling. purposes o f The S ervice: The f i r s t is coded according to the stated assistance w ith educational p lan s, career plans, and use o f le is u re tim e. Two a d d itio n a l response areas are added to include assistance w ith personal concerns and those stated purposes which do not f i t in to any o f the c a te g o rie s . Since many c l i ­ ents express more than one general purpose, the purpose areas were ranked fo r each response in terms o f primary and secondary importance. The second purpose item seeks from the c lie n ts the re c a lle d expectations which they held about counseling and the ways in which they thought th a t counseling would be h elp fu l to them. the respondents misunderstood th is item . About seven o f Table 6 includes responses 104 to these purposes items by men and women c lie n ts ; Table 7 includes re ­ sponses to these items by c lie n ts in the two age groupings. Nearly tw o -th ird s o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t help w ith career plans was o f primary importance to them a t the time o f counseling. Only 4 percent sought assistance w ith le is u re re la te d concerns, and these were women over 35 ye ars. This negates any p re d ic tio n th a t high numbers o f men on the verge o f re tirem en t might seek assistance from The S ervice. More men than women in d ic a te th a t they sought help w ith personal concerns although th is purpose was o f secondary importance to many. While 88 percent o f the c lie n ts who were under 35 years o f age at the time o f counseling sought assistance w ith educational and career plans 64 percent o f persons over 35 years sought help w ith concerns in these areas. More persons over 35 years came to The Service fo r re a ­ sons re la tin g to le is u re plans, personal concerns, and other problems. Help w ith educational plans was a main purpose fo r only 14 percent o f the c lie n ts . This response combines w ith background inform ation to in ­ dicate th a t the c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Service are not neces­ s a rily seeking re tu rn to co lleg e or n ecessarily l ik e l y to become stu­ dents a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . Close to h a lf o f the respondents expected assessment to be a part o f the counseling experience. They s ta te th is in terms o f evalua­ tion o f t h e ir in te re s ts and a b i l i t i e s , d e fin itio n o f t h e ir a p titu d e s , discovery o f th e ir inner (hidden?) p o te n tia l fo r occupations and fo r education. Many knew about te s ts p rio r to counseling and wanted te s ts . General guidance was sought by n early o n e -th ird o f the persons. They state th a t they sought help w ith fin d in g d ire c tio n and focus in t h e ir lives and in s ig h ts to a lte rn a tiv e s in c a re e r, education, and l i f e plans. 105 TABLE 6 RESPONSES TO PURPOSE ITEMS BY MEN AND WOMEN CLIENTS ITEM MEN No.=47 i WOMEN No.=29 % 7 32 0 3 5 15 68 0 6 11 4 17 3 3 2 14 59 10 10 7 11 49 3 6 7 14 64 4 8 9 0 6 8 0 13 17 2 3 1 7 10 3 2 9 9 3 12 12 13 23 5 23 12 0 0 1 28 49 11 49 26 0 0 2 11 16 5 12 4 4 3 1 38 55 17 41 14 14 10 3 24 39 10 35 16 4 3 2 32 51 13 46 21 5 4 3 4 9 1 3 5 7 TOTAL No.=7$ t Main Purposes in Seeking Counseling Assistance Primary Importance Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Other Educational Plans Career Plans Use o f Leisure Personal Concerns Secondary Importance Help w ith Educational Plans Help w ith Career Plans Help w ith Personal Concerns Expectations o f Counselling— Ways Helpful Guidance— general Job Advice Educational Advice Assessment Self-Understandi ng In s tru c tio n s Placement Other (Void response) Note: Percentages o f response with regard to expectations o f counseling are percentages o f the to ta l number o f subjects in each grouping (men, women, t o t a l) fo r each response area. The percentage to ta ls w ill exceed 100% since one person's response could have included from one to eig h t expectation response areas. 106 TABLE 7 RESPONSES TO PURPOSE ITEMS BY AGE-GROUPED CLIENTS AGE XX -- 34 No.=48 % ITEM AGE 35 - XX No.=28 % TOTAL No.=76 % Main Purposes in Seeking Counseling Assistance Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Other Educational Plans Career Plans Leisure Plans Personal Concerns 9 33 0 3 3 19 69 0 6 6 2 16 3 3 4 7 57 11 11 14 11 49 3 6 7 14 64 4 8 9 12 29 6 25 10 2 0 0 25 60 13 52 21 4 0 0 12 10 4 10 6 2 3 2 43 36 14 36 21 7 11 7 24 39 10 35 16 4 3 L 32 51 13 46 21 5 4 3 2 4 3 11 5 7 Expectations o f Counseling— Ways H elpful Gui dance— General Job Advice Educational Advice Assessment Self-Understandi ng In s tru c tio n Placement Other (Void response) Note: Percentages o f response w ith regard to expectations o f counseling are percentages o f the to ta l number o f sub­ je c ts in each age grouping fo r each response area. The percentage to ta ls w il l exceed 100% since one person's response could have included from one to e ig h t expecta­ tio n response areas. 107 F ifty -o n e percent in d ic a te th a t they expected job advice w h ile only 13 percent expected educational advice. Twenty-one percent expected to increase self-u n derstan din g and become more aware o f m otives, person­ a lit y c h a ra c te r is tic s , and methods fo r c o n f lic t re s o lu tio n . Men more than women held expectations fo r self-u n d erstan d in g . Women more than men held expectations fo r general guidance, in s tru c ­ tio n , and placement h elp. Women seem to have expected more d e f in it iv e inform ation about "how to do" th in g s— fin d out about jo b s , fin d out about educational programs, know what steps to take to re tu rn to work, and so on. While younger persons predominated w ith expectations fo r job advice and assessment, o ld e r persons re c a lle d a more va rie d p attern of expectations w ith seeking o f general guidance as dominant. Some older persons had hoped fo r help w ith job placement. Background inform ation about c lie n ts * purposes fo r seeking counseling assistance also included a coding o f general purposes from the c lie n ts ' statements upon a p p lic a tio n fo r The S ervice. D ifferen ces between purposes stated a t the time o f counseling and purposes as re ­ called a t the time o f the survey appear only in the area o f help w ith educational plans. While 28 percent o f the 76 c lie n ts had stated th is as a primary purpose a t the time o f counseling only 14 percent s ta te educational plans as a re c a lle d purpose. At the time o f counseling, help w ith personal concerns was not a stated o ffe rin g o f The S ervice. Some o f these concerns might have been a p a rt o f educational concerns. Another background inform ation area which re la te s to purpose items is that which categorizes more s p e c ific a lly the reasons fo r which a per­ son sought assistance from the A dult Counseling Service (Table 3 ). These reasons lik e the re c a lle d expectations noted on the survey 108 r e f le c t needs fo r general guidance, fo r assistance w ith career plan­ ning, fo r assessment o f in te re s ts and a p titu d e s , and fo r help 1n decision-making. Again, however, reasons stated a t the time o f coun­ seling include less emphasis upon personal concerns and needs fo r s e lf understanding than do expectations re c a lle d . I t appears th a t a t the tim e o f a c lie n t s ' completing the ap­ p lic a tio n fo r the A dult Counseling S e rvic e, th ere was more separation in th in kin g about educational concerns and career concerns and th a t personal concerns were inh eren t in both o f these. Recalled expecta­ tions are colored somewhat by tim e , experiences, and e ffe c ts . Counsel­ ing may have provided d ir e c t assistance w ith personal concerns, or the fa c t o f assistance w ith educational and career concerns may have as­ sisted the in d iv id u a l in re s o lu tio n o f personal concerns. None o f the categories o f reasons or o f purposes and expectations are exclu sive. Reasons, purposes, and expectations held by in d iv id u a ls are complex, unclear, and in te rtw in e d w ith in the m ilie u o f needs and m otivations fo r seeking counseling assistance. Process Inform ation Process items concern the support which the c lie n t received from others fo r the seeking o f counseling assistan ce, the c lie n t 's per­ ception o f regard from the counselor, and the c lie n t 's view o f the value o f te s tin g . In ad d itio n these items are intended to stim u late re c a ll and encourage comments about the counseling experience. C lie n t comments, which w ill be discussed in the next ch apter, r e la te both to the s p e c ific items and to the counseling experience in g en eral. 109 Responses to the process items by men and women are reported in Table 8. Responses are presented by age group in Table 9. Support fo r seeking counseling was provided by spouses and p ar­ ents o f the c lie n t s , but the response concerning such support is not as high as might be expected. In examining th is response a re a , i t is im­ portant to re c a ll th a t 45 percent o f the to ta l group o f 76 were "sin gle" at the time o f counseling, and th a t 45 percent o f the men and 45 per­ cent o f the women were s in g le . But 51 percent o f the men were married whereas only 28 percent o f the women were m arried. Tw enty-eight per­ cent o f the women were separated, divorced o r widowed (Table 4 ) . Given this in fo rm atio n , the d iffe re n c e in response between men and women about support from spouse is not q u ite so dram atic. More in te re s tin g is th a t women re p o rt much more support from frie n d s than do men. * One could suggest th a t since more o f the women did not have spouse support, they sought frie n d s ' support. I t could also be posed th a t women may be more open about seeking counseling assistance than are men, and thus, they give frien d s the opportunity to be supportive. The high response in the category o f "no supporters" is meaningful as one considers pos­ sib le m otivations fo r seeking assistance as a seeking o f a supporting person. N a tu ra lly those who received support from parents are former c lie n ts o f the younger age group. and fin a n c ia l support. Many o f these received both personal Older c lie n ts were more l ik e l y to have the sup­ port o f a spouse, o f frie n d s , and/or o f o th er s ig n ific a n t persons. The l a t t e r others o fte n include a fa c u lty person, an employer, a min­ is t e r , a d o cto r, or o ther professional resource persons. no TABLE 8 RESPONSES TO PROCESS ITEMS BY MEN AND WOMEN CLIENTS ITEM MEN Tfo. % WOMEN W. £ TOTAL W. f Support from Others For Counseling (No.=72: 44 M and 28 W) Spouse Parents Friends Combination o f Above No Supporters Other 12 13 1 9 7 2 27 30 2 20 16 5 3 8 5 1 7 4 40 6 87 13 22 6 32 68 8 3 4 11 29 18 3 25 14 15 21 6 10 14 6 21 29 8 14 19 8 79 21 62 12 84 16 13 45 45 59 17 7 24 15 20 6 9 2 7 7 24 5 11 7 14 Feel Counselor Cared (No.=74: 46 M and 28 W) Yes No Tests (No.=76: 47 M and 29 W) Did Take Tests and H elpful Did Take Tests— NOT H elpful Did Take Tests and No Comment Did Not Take Tests Ill TABLE 9 RESPONSES TO PROCESS ITEMS BY AGE-GROUPED CLIENTS AGE XX - 34 ITEM No! T~ AGE 35 W . XX TOTAL I No: % Support from Others fo r Counseling (No.=72: 46 and 26) Spouse Parents Friends Combination o f Above No Supporters Other 8 21 3 5 8 1 17 46 7 11 17 2 7 0 3 5 6 5 27 0 12 19 23 19 15 21 6 10 14 6 21 29 8 14 19 8 39 7 85 15 23 5 82 18 62 12 84 16 30 r *•» OO 15 54 45 53 11 23 4 14 15 20 3 4 6 8 2 7 7 25 5 11 7 14 Feel Counselor Cared (No.=74: 46 and 28) Yes No Tests (No.=76: 48 and 28) Did Take Tests and Helpful Did Take Tests and NOT H elpful Did Take Tests and No Comment Did Not Take Tests 112 Most c lie n ts fe e l th a t t h e ir counselor cared about t h e ir par­ tic u la r concerns and about them as persons. ents are less l ik e l y to fe e l th is way. Apparently some women c l i ­ The f a c t th a t a l l o f the coun­ selors are men who work p rim a rily w ith young a d u lt men 1s a m atter o f concern r e la tin g to negative fe e lin g s o f some women c lie n t s . te r w ill be discussed in Chapters VI and V I I . This mat­ Several o f those who do not fe e l th a t th e ir counselor cared express th is fe e lin g in apologetic ways in d ic a tin g th a t the counselor was too t ir e d or too overworked or too rushed to be t r u ly ca rin g . The item concerning te s ts is p rim a rily an inform ation gathering item. I t is known from background inform ation th a t a high percentage of c lie n ts took some tes ts as a p a rt o f the counseling experience. Of the survey response group, 86 percent re p o rt tak in g te s ts , although only 59 percent consider th a t the te s ts were h e lp fu l. More men than women fe e l the te s ts were h e lp fu l; more younger c lie n ts than o ld e r c l i ­ ents fe e l the te s ts were h e lp fu l. This p a tte rn is usual since a higher percentage o f men are younger c lie n ts and a higher percentage o f women are old er c lie n t s . S im ila r ly , a higher percentage o f women and o f older persons did not take te s ts . the assessment in te rv ie w . Some o f these may have come only fo r Those who in d ic a te th a t te s ts were o f no help may be in d ic a tin g th a t the counselor did not use te s ts to help them, th a t they were in te n t upon blocking the usefulness o f te s ts , or th at te s ts were an in ap p ro p riate tool fo r assistance w ith t h e ir p a r t ic ­ ular concerns. 113 Outcome Inform ation Outcome Items are intended to encourage d ir e c t response from the c lie n t about whether the counseling experience was o f value to her or him. Another item about support from others is included in th is area; th is item concerns support fo r any changes which the c lie n t made as the re s u lt o f counseling. Such changes might concern career plans, educational plans, o r o ther decisions r e la tin g to l i f e plans. Three items r e la te d ir e c t ly to the c li e n t 's va lu a tio n o f the counseling ser­ vice. Responses to the outcome items by men and women are reported in Table 10. Responses are presented by age group in Table 11. S ixty-on e percent o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t the counseling did help them w ith decisions about change or choice o f plans. The per­ centage o f men who responded p o s itiv e ly about such help is f a r g re a te r than the percentage o f women who responded in a p o s itiv e way. While several c lie n ts expressed th a t counseling did not help w ith t h e ir plans, some q u a lifie d t h e ir negative responses by s ta tin g th a t th ere has not been enough time since counseling to assess e ffe c ts , th a t o ther fa c to rs have made changes or new plans im possible, or th a t t h e ir s itu a tio n s are not changed but merely confirmed. A g re a te r percentage o f o ld e r c l i ­ ents than o f younger express th a t the counseling has been h e lp fu l. N aturally such "helpfulness" o f counseling is g re a tly determined by the c lie n t's own m otivation fo r and b e lie f in assistance and her o r his own e ffo rts to make the experience va lu a b le . A somewhat higher percentage o f the c lie n ts consider the coun­ seling worth the fin a n c ia l investment than consider the experience h elphelpful w ith decisions about plans. I t is l ik e l y th a t the counseling 114 TABLE 10 RESPONSES TO OUTCOME ITEMS BY MEN AND WOMEN CLIENTS ITEM MEN T No. WOMEN Rck 3T TOTAL No. % Help With Decisions/Plans (No.=74: 46 M and 28 W) Yes No 32 14 70 30 13 15 46 54 45 29 61 39 36 10 78 22 15 14 52 48 51 24 68 32 37 8 82 18 21 6 78 22 58 14 81 19 9 5 1 6 10 1 28 16 3 19 31 3 2 4 3 4 4 3 10 20 15 20 20 15 11 9 4 10 14 4 21 17 8 19 27 8 Worth Financial Investment (No.=75: 46 M and 29 W) Yes No Recommend Service to Others (No.=72: 45 M and 27 W) Yes No Support fo r Change (No.=52: 32 M and 20 W) Spouse Parents Friends Combination o f Above No Supporters Other 115 TABLE 11 RESPONSES TO OUTCOME ITEMS BY AGE-GROUPED CLIENTS ITEM AGE XX - 34 Rio! §T AGE 35 - XX TOTAL R(T f ~ No. % Help w ith Decisions/Plans (No.=74: 46 and 28) Yes No 26 20 57 43 19 9 68 32 45 29 61 39 32 15 68 32 19 9 68 32 51 24 68 32 37 9 80 20 21 5 81 19 58 14 81 19 6 9 1 6 9 1 19 28 3 19 28 3 5 0 3 4 5 3 25 0 15 20 25 15 Worth Fin an cial Investment (No.=75: 47 and 28) Yes No Recommend Service to Others (No.=72: 46 and 26) Yes No Support fo r Change (No.=52: 32 and 20) Spouse Parents Friends Combination o f Above No Supporters Other 11 9 4 10 14 4 21 17 8 19 27 8 116 experience proves to be valuable fo r some c lie n ts in ways o ther than helping w ith decision-making and l i f e planning. Some c lie n ts gain in ­ formation about o ther sources o f assistan ce, about possible d ire c tio n s fo r t h e ir liv e s , about s e lf-u n d e rs tan d in g , about g e ttin g along w ith others, and so on. Of in te r e s t is the d iffe re n c e in response to th is item by men and by women. Apparently finances are more c lo s e ly tie d in w ith career and educational concerns and plans fo r men than they are fo r women. In seeking assistance w ith decisions about career change and/or educational d ir e c tio n , men are more than l ik e l y seeking to improve t h e ir fin a n c ia l lo ts as w ell as m atters o f s ta tu s , s e l f a c tu a liz a tio n , and so on. The lack o f any d iffe re n c e in response to th is item by age group may mean th a t money bridges the gaps and 1s the great le v e le r . In any case, tw o -th ird s o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t the A dult Counseling Service is a worthwhile fin a n c ia l investment. Over 80 percent o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t they would re c ­ ommend the A dult Counseling Service to others such as a member o f t h e ir fa m ilie s or close frie n d s . Whether or not The S ervice helped them w ith decisions about change, was worth the investm ent, or provided caring and support, a g re a t m a jo rity o f the c lie n ts would recommend The Ser­ vice to o thers. Several comment upon apparent inconsistencies in t h e ir responses by s ta tin g th a t w h ile The S ervice may not have helped them, they fe e l i t would help o thers. This kind o f comment as w ell as the o verall response to th is item may provide h in ts as to some o f the side e ffe c ts o f the counseling experience. For many c lie n ts , the experience is one o f lea rn in g about the a c c e p ta b ility o f seeking help and about the p o s s ib ilitie s fo r use o f helping agencies. For o th e rs , the 117 counseling may merely provide an impetus fo r the c lie n t to come to her or his own decisions and re c o n c ilia tio n s o f problems. Other c lie n ts state a kind o f " d iffe r e n t-s tr o k e s -fo r -d iffe r e n t-fo lk s " philosophy by noting th a t The Service was not o f any great help to them, but i t might be o f help fo r o th e rs. with v a ria b le s . "Worth" is an e lu s iv e concept and fraug h t Perhaps the more important question might have been whether the counseling helped the c lie n t to fe e l more worthy. Only 68 percent o f the c lie n ts responded to the item about sup­ port fo r changes which were suggested. Y e t, given the response to the item about whether counseling helped w ith decisions about change, th is percentage o f response makes sense. The response tends to p a r a lle l the "support fo r counseling" response in some areas. However, th ere is less response in the categories o f "support from parents" and more re ­ sponse in the category o f "no supporters." Changes in occupation, l i f e s ty le , and l i f e d ire c tio n are e v id e n tly lo n ely undertakings. Implementation Inform ation The implementation items seek responses concerning c lie n ts ' employment and education since counseling. Responses to these items by men and women c lie n ts and by age groupings o f c lie n ts are presented in Tables 12, 13, 14 and 15. Since there are several items fo r re ­ sponse concerning employment and several fo r response concerning educa­ tio n , these two areas w arrant separate discussion. Some o f the discus­ sion w ill t r e a t the response in comparative ways w ith the statements by c lie n ts a t the time o f counseling about th e ir employment and educa­ tion al s itu a tio n s . While one can argue whether o r not p a rtic ip a tio n 118 TABLE 12 RESPONSES TO OCCUPATION ITEMS BY MEN AND WOMEN CLIENTS ITEM MEN No. % WOMEN No. % TOTAL No. % Employment Status (No.=76: 47 M and 29 W) Employed F u lltim e Employed Parttim e Not Employed 36 3 8 77 6 17 11 5 13 38 17 45 47 8 21 62 10 28 20 2 9 1 53 5 24 3 3 0 4 0 19 0 25 0 23 2 13 1 43 4 24 2 0 1 2 3 0 3 5 8 1 1 7 0 6 6 44 0 1 2 9 3 2 4 17 6 19 4 4 5 3 2 51 11 11 14 8 5 9 2 1 2 0 1 60 13 7 13 0 7 28 6 5 7 3 3 54 11 10 13 6 6 1 0 3 4 12 0 38 50 0 6 5 2 0 46 38 15 1 6 8 6 4 29 38 29 Present Occupation (No.=54: 38 M and 16 W) Business/Sales/Government Communi c a ti o ns/C ultural Education Engineering/Physical Science Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Science Social Services T e c h n ic a l/C le ric a l U nskilled Time in Present Occupation (No.=52: 37 M and 15 W) One or Less Years One Plus to Two Years Two Plus to Three Years Three Plus to Four Years Four Plus to Five Years Over Seven Years Unemployment Status (No.=21: 8 M and 13 W) Handicapped o r 111 Homemaker Student Seeking Job/Education I t should be noted th a t s ix o f the persons employed p a rt-tim e re ­ sponded to the item about unemployed s ta tu s . Four are men students, one is a woman stu d en t, and one is a woman who is r e tir e d . These are not included in the above d ata. 119 TABLE 13 RESPONSES TO OCCUPATION ITEMS BY AGE-GROUPED CLIENTS ITEM AGE XX - 34 AGE 35 - XX No"! T~ W . IT TOTAL W. £ Employment Status (No.=76: 48 and 28) Employed F u lltim e Employed Parttim e Not Employed 31 5 12 65 10 25 16 3 9 16 0 9 1 46 0 26 3 57 11 32 47 8 21 62 10 28 7 2 4 0 37 10.5 21 0 23 2 13 1 43 4 24 2 0 0 6 0 0 0 32 0 1 2 9 3 2 4 17 6 7 2 3 28 6 5 1 3 39 11 17 11 5 17 3 3 54 11 10 13 6 6 0 4 3 3 0 40 30 30 1 6 8 6 4 29 38 29 Present Occupation (No.=54: 35 and 19) Bus i ness/Sales/Government Communications/Cultural Education Engineering/Physical Science Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Science Social Services T e c h n ic a l/C le ric a l U nskilled 1 2 3 3 3 6 8 .5 8 .5 Time in Present Occupation (No.=52: 34 and 18) One or Less Years One Plus to Two Years Two Plus to Three Years Three Plus to Four Years Four Plus to Five Years Over Seven Years 21 4 2 5 2 0 62 11 6 15 6 0 1 2 5 3 10 18 45 27 O L. T 4 Unemployment Status (No.=21: 11 and 10) Handicapped o r 111 Homemaker Student Seeking Job/Education 120 TABLE 14 RESPONSES TO EDUCATION ITEMS BY MEN AND WOMEN CLIENTS ITEM MEN No. i WOMEN No. % TOTAL No. % Further Education Since Counseling (No.=76: 47 M and 29 W) Yes No 33 14 70 30 24 5 83 17 57 19 75 25 8 62 6 35 14 47 3 0 1 1 23 0 7 .6 7.6 5 2 3 1 29 12 18 6 8 2 4 2 27 6 .5 13 6 .5 2 10.5 2 14 4 12 4 5 O £. 3 2 1 21 26 10.5 16 10.5 5 2 4 1 4 1 0 14 29 7 4 29 7 0 6 9 3 7 3 1 18 27 o ■s 21 9 3 Formal Education Completed (No.=30: 13 M and 17 W) Techni c a l/C e r ti f i c a tio n / P ro p rie ta ry Some College/A ssociate Degree Bachelor's Degree Some Graduate Study Master's Degree Formal Education in Progress (No.=33: 19 M and 14 W) Techni c a l/C e r ti f i c a ti on/ P ro p rie ta ry Some C ollege/A ssociate Degree Bachelor's Degree Some Graduate Study Master's Degree Doctoral Study Other Informal Education (No.=76a ) A to ta l o f 21 persons ind icated p a rtic ip a tio n in informal education w ith tw o -th ird s in d ic a tin g involvement in a d u lt education and/or evening co lleg e classes. Others were involved in various kinds o f lessons, re c re a tio n classes, workshops, and group learn in g experiences. 121 TABLE 15 RESPONSES TO EDUCATION ITEMS BY AGE-GROUPED CLIENTS ITEM AGE XX - 34 T~ AGE 35 - XX RoT T~ TOTAL W. £ Formal Education Completed (No.=30: 18 and 12) Techni c a l/C e r ti f i c a ti on/ P ro p rie ta ry Some Col lege/A ssociate Degree Bachelor's Degree Some Graduate Study M aster's Degree 47 8 44 6 50 14 4 2 3 1 22 11 17 6 4 0 1 1 33 0 8 8 8 2 4 2 27 6 .5 13 6 .5 Formal Education in Progress (No.=33: 23 and 10) T e c h n ic a l/C e rti f ic a t io n / P ro p rie ta ry Some College/A ssociate Degree Bachelor's Degree Some Graduate Study M aster's Degree Doctoral Study 4 17 0 0 4 12 5 5 2 5 2 1 4 1 2 1 10 40 10 20 10 6 9 3 7 3 18 27 9 21 9 Other 0 22 22 8 .6 22 8 .6 0 1 10 1 3 122 in the counseling re la te d to the c li e n t 's c u rren t employment or educa­ tio n al s ta tu s , th ere seems l i t t l e value in belaboring the problem o f "c a u s e -e ffe c t," since th a t concept enters n e ith e r the assumptions nor the purposes o f the survey. I t is known, however, th a t n early a l l c lie n ts sought counsel­ ing assistance because they had some question or concern about t h e ir employment or education. Nearly a l l were seeking d ire c tio n fo r change or confirm ation o f cu rren t plans (Tables 3, 6 , and 7 ) . T h e re fo re , fo r many, counseling made a d iffe re n c e because in d iv id u a ls decided b efo re­ hand th a t i t would make a d iffe re n c e . Survey items about c lie n t s ' occupations concern employment s ta ­ tus, present occupation, time in present occupation, unemployment s ta ­ tus, and o th er jobs or uses o f tim e since counseling. Responses to a l l but the la s t o f these items are presented in Table 12 according to men and women c lie n ts and in Table 13 according to c lie n t age groupings. The percentage o f men who are employed fu lltim e f a r exceeds the percentage o f women who are employed f u llt im e . S ixty -tw o percent o f the women are e ith e r unemployed o r employed only p a rttim e . percent o f the men are in these employment s itu a tio n s . Only 23 Over one-fou rth of the to ta l response group is not employed. Men predominate in the occupational area o f "bu sin ess/sales/ government" w h ile women predominate in the " te c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l" area. About equal percentages o f employed men and Younger c lie n ts tend to areas than o ld e r c lie n t s . be employed in more women are in "education." o f a v a rie ty o f occupational The l a t t e r are concentrated in "business/ sales/governm ent," "com m unications/cultural," "education," and 123 " te c h n ic a l/c le r ic a l." The percentage o f o ld e r persons in te c h n ic a l/ c le ric a l jobs f a r exceeds the percentage o f younger persons in such jobs. Over 50 percent o f the employed c lie n t group have been in t h e ir present occupations fo r one ye ar or le s s . and women. This is tru e fo r both men Older respondents do tend to have been in t h e ir present occupations fo r longer perio ds, although 50 percent o f the o ld e r group have held t h e ir present jobs fo r two years or le s s . This b r ie f time in present occupations appears to in d ic a te e ith e r c lie n t s ' recent changes in jobs or t h e ir re tu rn to employment from school or home. It should be noted th a t 64 percent o f the to ta l respondents were under age 35 and 74 percent were under age 40 a t the time o f counseling (Table 4 ) . Most c lie n ts came to counseling during t h e ir mobile y e ars. On the other hand, 55 percent o f the women respondents were 35 years or o ld e r at the time o f counseling. With th is fig u re in mind, the f a c t th a t 60 percent o f the working women have been in t h e ir present positions fo r one year or less seems to in d ic a te th a t counseling may have been a f a ­ c il i t a t i n g step fo r re tu rn in g to or beginning work. Tw enty-eight percent o f the respondents in d ic a te th a t p resen tly they are not employed and 29 percent o f these s ta te th a t they are seek­ ing a job or re tu rn to education. The persons whose unemployment s ta ­ tus is th is "seeking" category are the tru e unemployed. S ixty-tw o per­ cent o f those unemployed are women, and n ea rly h a lf o f the unemployed women are homemakers. Homemaker and student status account fo r 85 per­ cent o f the unemployed women. H a lf o f the men who are unemployed are seeking a job or re tu rn to education. 124 Survey items about c lie n t s ' education since counseling concern formal education both completed and in progress and inform al education a c t iv it ie s . Another item concerns c lie n t s ' outside in te re s ts , a c t i v i ­ tie s , and hobbies since counseling. There were few responses to th is la t t e r item , and data is not presented. Responses to the items con­ cerning education by men and women c lie n ts are presented in Table 14. Responses concerning formal education are presented in Table 15 accord­ ing to age-grouped c lie n t s . S e ve n ty -fiv e percent o f the to ta l response group in d ic a te f u r ­ ther education since counseling. A higher percentage o f women than o f men responded a f fir m a tiv e ly to the question about fu rth e r education. F ifty -n in e percent o f the women c lie n ts have completed some aspect o f formal education since counseling, and 28 percent o f the men have done so. I t appears th a t women who are facin g decision-making and planning with regard to career advancement, career re tu rn , or career change, are lik e ly to need fu r th e r tra in in g or formal p rep a ratio n . Men are more lik e ly to want change o r advancement w ith in t h e ir present s k i ll s or those which they can develop w ithout formal schooling (Kron, Pow ell, W illiam s: In te rv ie w s , 1973). The fa c t th a t 75 percent o f the to ta l group had undertaken some kind o f fu rth e r education since counseling is o f special in te re s t with regard to responses d efin in g purpose in seeking counseling. Most c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t they sought help w ith career plans, advice about job change, and help w ith job choice (Table 6 ) . In the same area , re ­ sponses re fe r rin g to help w ith educational plans, advice about fu rth e r study, help w ith choice o f major f i e l d are not so many. I t appears 125 th at career concerns are very often educational concerns no m atter what the lab els or presenting content. Whether the converse 1s tr u e — th a t educational concerns are career concerns— has been debated fo r cen tu r­ ies. The completion by c lie n ts o f educational programs In volvin g technical s k i l l s , c e r t if ic a t io n s , and the associate degree was more frequent than the completion o f formal degree educational programs (74% to 26%). This may r e f le c t the need fo r these a d u lt persons to gain or retool in knowledge and s k i ll s in the le a s t amount o f time possible and with the g rea tes t guarantee o f s p e c ia lty /c a re e r a p p lic a tio n . E ig h ty- fiv e percent o f the men and 64 percent o f the women completed since counseling formal programs o f less than the bachelor's degree. T h ir ty - six percent o f the women and 16 percent o f the men completed some grad­ uate study or the bachelor's or m aster's degree. The percentage o f c lie n ts in the o ld e r age group completing formal educational programs of less than the bachelor's degree is g re a te r than the percentage o f c lie n ts in the younger age group doing the same (83% to 66% w ith r e ­ spect to those who had completed some formal ed u catio n ). F o rty -th re e percent o f the respondents in d ic a te th a t they are "in progress" w ith formal education since counseling. 42 percent are women. Of these, 58 percent are men and More younger-group c lie n ts than older-group c l i ­ ents are in progress w ith formal education. T h irty percent o f the c l i ­ ents in progress w ith formal education are pursuing non-degree programs. More women than men are in progress w ith m aster's degree study and more men than women are in progress w ith doctoral study. I t must be noted that the raw number responses in these categories are extrem ely sm all. 126 Nevertheless, fo r those c lie n ts rep o rtin g fu rth e r formal education In ­ volvement, the reports o f completed programs seem to be p rim a rily a t the non-degree le v e l and repo rts o f programs "in progress" a t the de­ gree le v e l. Response to the item concerning inform al education is ex­ plained in Table 14. The survey items which generate response about employment o f c lie n ts are p a r a lle l to items on the "A p plicatio n fo r Counseling" form which sought s im ila r inform ation from c lie n ts a t the time o f counsel­ ing. Some o f the inform ation can be compared on a "then and now" basis fo r the to ta l survey group. While the amount o f time between counsel­ ing and response to the survey ranges from o n e -h a lf year to th ree and o ne-half y e a rs , the comparisons are provided w ithout d if f e r e n t ia t io n . Table 16 includes th is comparative inform ation w ith regard to employ­ ment c h a ra c te ris tic s o f the c lie n ts . inform ation concerning education. There is no d ir e c tly comparable I t Is known th a t a t the time o f counseling, 59 percent o f the c lie n ts held a t le a s t a b achelor's degree. The other 41 percent held a t le a s t a high school diploma and many had some c o lle g e , an associate degree, c e r t i f i c a t i o n , or techn ical t r a in ­ ing. Inform ation from the survey does in d ic a te th a t 75 percent o f the to ta l survey group did complete or are involved in fu rth e r education since counseling. For the most p a r t, c lie n ts came to the Adult Counseling Service with an agenda fo r change in career and/or l i f e plans. The fo llo w -u p inform ation concerning present employment o r unemployment s ta tu s , time in cu rren t occupation, and fu r th e r education Involvement in d ic a te s th a t c lie n ts have made changes since counseling in terms o f career decisions and o f actions to increase s k i ll s and knowledge through education. 127 TABLE 16 COMPARISON OF SOME EMPLOYMENT CHARACTERISTICS OF SURVEY GROUP CLIENTS AT TIME OF COUNSELING AND AT TIME OF SURVEY AT TIME OF COUNSELING CHARACTERISTICS Number Percentage AT TIME OF SURVEY Number Percentage Employed C lie n ts 48 63 55 72 Unemployed C lie n ts 28 37 21 28 23 48 (o f 48) 23 42 (o f 55) Occupations: Busi ness/Sales/Government Education 9 19 13 24 Techni c a l/C le r ic a l 7 15 9 16 Homemaker 9 32 (o f 6 23 (o f 21) Student 8 29 13 62 11 39 6 29 Unemployed S ta tu s : Seeking Job or Education 28) 128 Summary o f Survey Data The fo llo w -u p survey o f c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Ser­ vice from J u ly , 1969 through December, 1972 sought c lie n t s ' responses to items about t h e ir counseling experiences. Items were developed to e l i c i t response according to f iv e primary inform ation areas: the f a ­ c i l i t a t i o n o f counseling, c li e n t 's purpose in seeking counseling, as­ pects o f the counseling process, outcomes o f counseling, and c lie n t 's implementation o f decisions about c a re e r, education, and/or l i f e plans. Return from the survey is 73 percent o f the to ta l study population and 80.8 percent o f to ta l possible re tu rn . Responses to items are coded and presented in ta b u la r form by sex and age groups. The survey r e ­ sponse is both re c a lle d and cu rren t inform ation from c lie n t s . Most c lie n ts re p o rt fin d in g out about the A d u lt Counseling Ser­ vice from persons who are s ig n ific a n t others o r by personal in q u iry to the U n iv e rs ity . Most consider th a t the counseling sessions were a r ­ ranged fo r t h e ir convenience and th a t coming to the U n iv e rs ity campus fo r counseling was not a hardship. Of Import in response to the items about f a c i l i t a t i o n 1s th a t persons who became counseling c lie n ts were highly motivated to fin d and to use The S ervice. The primary purpose of c lie n ts coming to the A dult Counseling Service was the seeking o f assistance w ith decisions and plans about career choice and d ir e c tio n . Relating to or w ith in th is purpose were o th er purposes such as help with educational plans, personal concerns, and general l i f e d ir e c tio n . More women than men and more o ld e r than younger c lie n ts sought a s s is ­ tance w ith m atters less d ir e c t ly re la te d to c a re e r. 129 Most c lie n ts wanted to know more about themselves— t h e ir in ­ te re s ts , a p titu d e s , p e rs o n a lity , and p o s s ib ilit ie s as w orkers, as stu ­ dents, and as e ffe c tiv e and c re a tiv e in d iv id u a ls . Many sought inform a­ tio n about how to make decisions and cope w ith changes in t h e ir liv e s . Women seemed less d e fin it e than men about expectations o f counseling and were in need o f general guidance and o rie n ta tio n w ith regard to changes in t h e ir liv e s and making o f decisions. O lder persons held more varied expectations o f counseling and sought assistance w ith more dimensions o f t h e ir liv e s than did younger persons. While spouses and parents were supporting o f counseling fo r over h a lf the c lie n t s , n early o ne-fou rth o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te no supporting persons. Some simply had none; others wanted none. more than men found support from frie n d s and o th ers. Women A g rea t m a jo rity of the c lie n ts did fe e l th a t the counselors cared about them as per­ sons and about t h e ir concerns. Over h a lf o f the c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t tests were h elp fu l to o ls ; a fo u rth o f the c lie n ts took te s ts and found them to be o f no help. About 60 percent o f the c lie n ts respond th a t counseling did help them w ith decisions and plans. G reater percentages of c lie n ts in d ic a te th a t counseling is worth the fin a n c ia l investm ent, and th a t they would recommend The Service to o th e rs. Younger persons tended to have more support fo r change from r e la tiv e s than did o ld er persons. More men than women in d ic a te "no supporters" fo r changes re ­ garding t h e ir careers and/or l i f e plans. Respondents have made decisions about and/or changes mentand education since counseling. S ix t y - fiv e percent (34 have been in t h e ir present occupations fo r two years o r le s s . in employ­ o f 32) Seventy- 130 fiv e percent (57 o f 76) have completed o r are in progress w ith fu rth e r education since counseling. While 77 percent o f the men are employed f u llt im e , 62 percent o f the women are employed only p arttim e or not a t a ll. Twenty percent o f the women are homemakers. A little over one- fourth o f the c lie n ts are unemployed but most o f these are e ith e r home­ makers or students. The g re a te s t d iffe re n c e s among c lie n t groups by sex and by age are w ith respect to employment and education since coun­ selin g . While many o f these d iffe re n c e s p a r a lle l the d iffe re n c e s be­ tween these groups a t the time o f counseling, the aspects o f change in career and furtherance o f education are pronounced. While survey response inform ation has been presented in th is chapter w ith comparisons and discussion, i t is not f u l l y meaningful without consideration o f the comments o f c lie n ts to the survey content and w ith regard to t h e ir counseling experiences in g en eral. "What c l i ­ ents say" f r e e ly about th e ir counseling experiences must be added to "how they respond to survey items" in order to re p o rt a more complete c lie n t population perspective w ith regard to assessment o f the Adult Counseling Service o f Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . CHAPTER V I REPORT AND DISCUSSION OF SURVEY COMMENTS "Counseling does something, u su ally o f valu e, to the person." This statement by Campbell in his study, Results o f Counseling . . . (p. 2 4 ), points out the sim ple, a c tio n -o rie n te d purpose o f any counsel­ ing s e rv ice— to make something happen w ith , w ith in , and fo r the c lie n t . In his extensive re p o rt o f a fo llo w -u p study o f c lie n t s , Campbell in ­ cludes a chapter about c lie n t comments w ith the stated In te n t th a t such comments may p oint to ways to improve cu rren t counseling techniques (p. 9 3 ). tions: Of p a r tic u la r in te r e s t from comments are the fo llo w in g ques­ What do c lie n ts re c a ll about t h e ir counseling experiences and with what kinds o f fe e lin g s do they re c a ll? that they wanted most from counseling? What do c lie n ts remember What do c lie n ts say about whether counseling made any d iffe ren c es in th e ir liv es ? In th is study o f the A dult Counseling Service a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , these kinds o f questions are p a r t ia lly answered by categor­ ized responses to the follow -u p survey items. In order to add breadth to background and depth to d ata, however, i t is important to re p o rt the comments, c r itic is m s , and suggestions provided by respondents in th e ir own words. Some o ffered no comments; some commented in response to s p e c ific items; some commented w ith regard to general Impressions, fe e lin g s , and ideas. A complete te x t o f a l l comments from the returned 131 132 surveys reported on the basis o f item , men and women, p o s itiv e and neg­ a tiv e , or other ap propriate d iv is io n s is accessible in the o f fic e o f the Coordinator o f the A dult Counseling S ervice a t Michigan S ta te Uni­ v e rs ity . The fo llo w in g discussion w i l l consider c lie n t comments as those comments concern the survey areas o f needs and exp ectatio n s, processes and plans, support and v a lu e , and special concerns and suggestions. While the f i r s t th ree areas inclu d e comments r e la tin g to survey item s, the la s t area presents comments o ffe re d fr e e ly by in d iv id u a ls re la tin g to th e ir personal reactio n s and ideas. Needs and Expectations Comments from c lie n ts w ith regard to t h e ir needs and reasons fo r seeking counseling assistance and t h e ir expectations o f the coun­ seling experience tend to c lu s te r around the themes o f d is s a tis fa c tio n , d ire c tio n , and determinism. Feelings o f d is s a tis fa c tio n and seeking o f s a tis fa c tio n were often im plied and stated but r a r e ly defined and ela b ­ orated by c lie n ts . For the most p a r t, c lie n ts r e la te d is s a tis fa c tio n to problems w ith t h e ir jo b s , a wrong career ch o ice, a need fo r change. Change w ith in present job or move to o ther jobs holds the promise o f s a tis fa c tio n , y e t there are d esires fo r some guarantee th a t i f the c l i ­ ent opts fo r change then s a tis fa c tio n w il l r e s u lt. Typical comments re la tin g to the existence o f d is s a tis fa c tio n and seeking o f s a tis fa c ­ tion are as fo llo w s : To see i f any other jobs would make me more s a tis fie d . Even a f t e r graduation I w asn't sure what I wanted to do. I took a job a t ____ because i t was a v a ila b le but d id n ’ t lik e i t . I went 133 to the Counseling Center to take the a p titu d e and in te r e s t te s ts in order to a s s is t me in evalu atin g what I should be doing. I was not ad justin g very w ell to my jo b and so I was wondering i f I was possibly in the wrong f i e l d o f work. I had ju s t lo s t two jobs in the ________________ and did not know which way to tu rn . M ild depression— job re la te d . in o rd er. Wondering whether change o f jobs To s te e r me in r e a l i s t i c way toward some work th a t I could do th a t I could take re al s a tis fa c tio n in . I hoped i t (counseling) would give me a b e tte r fe e l fo r what I should be doing to be happy and s a tis fie d w ith my jo b . Many c lie n ts came to the Adult Counseling Service seeking help (ad vice) which would lead them toward being happy and s a tis fie d in t h e ir jobs and in t h e ir liv e s . The seeking o f d ire c tio n fo r career plans and l i f e plans is r e ­ lated to the seeking o f s a tis fa c tio n . Many o f the c lie n ts who included comments about seeking d ire c tio n were younger ad u lts a n tic ip a tin g ca­ reer beginnings, adults re tu rn in g to the work w orld , and ad u lts seeking upward m o b ility through s ig n ific a n t career change. The d ir e c tio n - seekers emphasized info rm ation — te s t r e s u lts , occupational in fo rm atio n , placement procedures, and "how to 's " w ith regard to g e ttin g In to ca­ reer areas and moving ahead. C h a ra c te ris tic comments o f those who came to counseling fo r assistance w ith d ire c tio n fo r the fu tu re are as f o l ­ lows: To get d ire c tio n as to where my a b i l i t i e s were strongest to decide on a career g o a l. I had no idea what I could do, should do, or would lik e to do. Trying to fin d another vocation since the demand fo r English teachers i s n 't so g re a t. 134 To help me plan my fu tu re and determine what would be a good voca­ tio n fo r me. To fin d out what road I should fo llo w . my fe e lin g . Mostly r e a lly to confirm To discuss what career d ire c tio n I should be ta k in g . A fte r 25 years o f service i n _____________» I r e tir e d and a f t e r the novelty wore o f f I was completely d is o rie n te d In the w orld. I was seeking assistance anywhere! I had to point myself in a new d ire c tio n so as to fin d something more enjoyable and not be confused. I hoped to fin d out what I needed to go back to work, how to get i t and what to expect when I a p p lie d — how to apply and what to do . . . I was looking fo r concrete suggestions about possible career areas th a t might be open to me which I might not o r d in a r ily have thought o f. Wished to see- i f te s tin g might s te e r me toward a goal other than education. Needed someone to open up new d ire c tio n s fo r my ta le n ts . . . While c lie n ts seeking s a tis fa c tio n came to counseling fo r ad­ vice and those seeking d ire c tio n came to counseling fo r in fo rm atio n , some o f these and o th e rs, to o , seemed to have come to counseling fo r some kind o f re v e la tio n w ith regard to career choice and l i f e plan. While some c lie n ts were apparently cognizant o f the fa c t th a t most in ­ dividuals have several career a lte r n a tiv e s , many seemed, through com­ ments, to in d ic a te a b e lie f in the “one p e rfe c t niche" idea. That 1s, they sought to fin d th a t one career area or job in which they were des­ tined to " f i t . " For them, counseling was f i r s t seen as a means not to learning or deciding but to uncovering and s o lvin g . For them career "choice" was a puzzle w ith parameters ra th e r than a process w ith pos­ s ib ilitie s . In comments about purposes, some c lie n ts in d icated seeking 135 to fin d out what they "should" do or "ought to" do. Some sought to "discover" or "uncover" the place fo r them in work and l i f e . Comments which r e f le c t th is kind o f p red e stin a tio n view o f purposes and the seeking o f assistance include the fo llo w in g : To know my re a l vocation and prepare fo r i t . To fig u re out whether psych was a le g itim a te career fo r me to pursue. Attempt to fin d my niche, where my best career development and in te re s ts were. I thought th a t counseling might give me an idea o f what my goal may be. To determine where my general c a p a b ilitie s were h id in g . I hoped i t would show me where I stood in r e la tio n to my person­ a l i t y and in te re s ts . (to ) prove o r disprove whether ( I am) in the r ig h t profession . . . To fin d mainly what my ambitions and goals were. Inherent in these kinds o f comments is the message th a t the person fe e ls a p a rt from her o r his goals, c a p a b ilit ie s , p e rs o n a lity , In te r e s ts , or o ther c h a ra c te r is tic s . P a rt o f what the c lie n t seeks from counsel­ ing is increased self-know ledge and self-u n derstan din g w ith regard to these a t t r ib u te s . In g e n eral, comments from c lie n ts support the con­ clusion th a t counseling programs fo r ad u lts must Include assistance with c lie n t s ' drives fo r s a tis fa c tio n , needs fo r d ir e c tio n , and fe e lin g s of determinism w ith regard to personal a ttr ib u te s and choices in career and l i f e planning. 136 Processes and Plans Comments from c lie n ts r e la tin g to the counseling process and the m atter o f decisions about plans as a counseling outcome are con­ fined to those statements which concern the counselor, te s tin g , and assistance w ith change or choice o f plans. C lie n ts commented about counselors and the counseling process in both p o s itiv e and negative ways. While a high percentage o f c l i ­ ents f e l t th a t t h e ir counselors cared about them and t h e ir concerns, some did n o t. Those persons, expressing negative re a c tio n s , In d icated th a t they re c a lle d counselors as being d is ta n t, preoccupied, t i r e d , and u n h elp fu l. P o s itiv e comments about counselors emphasized t h e ir concern, lis te n in g , o b jec tiv en es s, genuineness, and supportlveness. One area o f comments r e la tin g to counselors which is d iff e r e n tia tin g includes those comments from women c lie n ts which in d ic a te d is s a tis fa c ­ tions w ith the counseling. Typical o f these kinds o f comments are the fo llow ing : He (th e counselor) was male, and I w asn't in to tru s tin g males a t the time (though I w asn't f u l l y aware o f t h i s ) . As a middle-aged woman w ith a c o lle g e degree and my two ch ild re n in co lleg e I wanted and needed to re tu rn to work, but I was frig h ten ed by the e n tir e id e a . I have a degree in chemical en­ gineering . . . . I guess what I r e a lly wanted was the reassur­ ance from someone outside the fa m ily th a t I r e a lly could do i t . My counselor gave me th e in te r e s t and a p titu d e te s ts s u ita b le f o r a high school student o r an a d u lt who wanted to work fo r the fun of i t . . . . I would have lik e d encouragement. . . . I'm sure i t was asking too much o f him to recognize my needs. Mayhap i t ' s d if f e r e n t now, but I c e r ta in ly could've b e n e fitte d from speaking w ith a ra d ic a l fe m in is t a t th a t tim e. . . . I fe e l th a t the a d u lt female w ith a fa m ily is unique and needs special h elp . Many o f us have to liv e in two or three d i f ­ fe re n t worlds—mother, o ld e r woman, and w ife — too o fte n , I th in k , 137 w e're made to fe e l th a t w e're s i l l y women try in g to usurp the place o f someone who could be more productive such as a 20-30 year old male. . . . I th in k a special counseling service should be a v a ila b le fo r the over 35 age group . . . male and fem ale. I expected a r e a l i s t i c evalu atio n o f my p o s s ib ilit ie s consistent w ith my personal a ttr ib u te s and work o p p o rtu n itie s . I f e l t the counselor was unable to see beyond the words on paper to the per­ son— me— involved . . . . Counseling convinced me th a t only I would determine the best course fo r myself . . . The counselor was so f a r from the mark th a t he a c tu a lly suggested "beauty p a rlo r" work . . . . . . He d id not seem accepting o f me and my cu rren t turm oil and In d ec isio n ; he was in no way warm or in s p irin g or encouraging; he did not cause me to explore fu rth e r my s itu a tio n and fe e lin g s to put them in new perspectives. . . . I was fru s tra te d 1n my job and wanted to change but c o u ld n 't decide what to take up . . . . I th in k he (counselor) thought I was ju s t a d is s a tis fie d woman. He to ld me a l o t o f women my age (even m arried) became d is s a tis fie d a t th is time in l i f e . N a tu ra lly th ere are p o s itiv e comments from women c lie n ts about the counseling and counselors. Nevertheless the negative comments from women are more re le v a n t in p o intin g out special needs o f a d u lt women and in encouraging a tte n tio n to those needs from counselors and counseling programs. P a rtic u la r recommendations r e la tiv e to these con­ cerns w i l l be o ffe re d In Chapter V I I . Comments about te s tin g ranged from extrem ely negative to ex­ tremely p o s itiv e . I t is obvious from the comments th a t c lie n ts come to counseling w ith g rea t expectations o f te s tin g . Many seemed to fe e l th at te s t re s u lts would provide answers to questions, specify the job fo r the in d iv id u a l, uncover hidden ta le n ts , and p o in t the way to hap­ piness. Some o f the negative comments about te s ts are as follow s: Tests are fun to take but ab s o lu te ly o f no value. old I.Q . tests? What good are I d o n 't r e a lly fe e l they helped determine what area I would enjoy working in because they were so c o n tra d ic to ry . 138 They completely ruined whatever s e lf-c o n fid e n c e I had in my mental a b i li t i e s fo r q u ite some tim e. I am more confused now than ever. I took two " In te re s t" tes ts with completely d if f e r e n t re s u lts . No, the te s ts were a waste o f time and did not t e l l me anything I ( d id n 't ) already know in an in d ire c t way. Those who o ffe re d p o s itiv e comments about use o f te s ts seemed to view tests as a to o l in the counseling process. They used such words as c la r ify in g , understanding, increasing a lte r n a tiv e s , confirm ing, and so on to describe the values o f te s ts . Some ty p ic a l comments are: They confirmed by b e lie f in my p a r tic u la r a b i l i t i e s — a f t e r 20 years o f homemaking, one is in c lin e d to doubt th a t one could do much e ls e . The te s ts along w ith my counselor's in te rp re ta tio n s brought my strengths and weaknesses in to c le a re r focus. Gave me a broader view o f my a b i l i t i e s , p e rs o n a lity , and in te re s ts . Brought areas to my a tte n tio n I would have overlooked. Several comments about te s tin g emphasized confirm ation and reassurance regarding p la n s , and expansion o f p o s s ib ilit ie s . Those comments about tests which were most p o s itiv e tended to include reference to the coun­ s e lo r's in te rp re ta tio n o f re s u lts as the key to value in te s tin g . Some c lie n ts in d icated a d e s ire fo r a w ritte n re p o rt o f te s tin g re ­ sults and in te rp re ta tio n s . As in other areas, c lie n t comments about the helpfulness o f counseling w ith decisions and plans were both p o s itiv e and negative. Two c h a ra c te ris tic s o f these comments are o f special in te r e s t. The f i r s t 1s th a t negative comments often Included an explanation by the c lie n t fo r the lack o f helpfulness o f counseling. are as fo llo w s : Examples o f these 139 No strong leads from i t (counseling) toward a b e tte r d ire c tio n to go— a ttitu d e a t time was too s e lf-d e fe a tin g to b e n e fit. I f e l t being encouraged toward so cial w ork--a f i e l d I despise. But counselor was taking his cues from me— so how can I f a u lt him fo r that? Do not b e lie v e counselor was o f any help. Perhaps I wanted the counselor to provide me w ith an easy so lu tio n to my problem. Although I d id n 't change my educational g o als, I pursued them w ith more in s ig h t in to m yself. I enjoyed ta lk in g w ith the counselor but I d id n 't fe e l any clo ser a f t e r the sessions than I did before a t determining a pro fesslon • • • • Although I did not fo llo w the counselor's most s p e c ific sugges­ tio n s , his in te rp re ta tio n o f the various te s ts did confirm some o f my own ideas about which I was in doubt. Most a d u lt c lie n ts come to counseling w ith the b e lie f th a t the e x p e ri­ ence w ill be o f value to them. S im ila r ly , most people in our cu ltu re are exposed to the idea th a t counseling is an in h e re n tly good a c t i v i t y . Several o f those c lie n ts who responded n e g a tiv e ly to s p e c ific re s u lts of the counseling experience sought to take blame fo r the lack o r to fin d some aspect o f the experience which was o f value to them. A second c h a ra c te ris tic o f comments about helpfulness o f coun­ seling is th a t o f the p o s itiv e aspects o f co n firm atio n , support, and v e r ific a tio n o f present plan or s itu a tio n as counseling outcomes. Comments which r e la te th is c h a ra c te ris tic are lik e the fo llo w in g : . . . i t helped me become more firm in my determ ination to go back to school . . . Helped in th a t the counselor said th a t i t seemed as i f I had a good basic idea o f what I wanted and how to achieve i t . I decided to give my new job a chance. agree. The counselor tended to Firmed up a ttitu d e towards s e lf and trend o f work a c t iv it y . 140 M ainly because o f v e rify in g the f ie ld s I should go in to . Counseling gave me the confidence to pursue new o p p o rtu n itie s and make the necessary changes. I t confirmed my decision to make a change. I have confirmed career goals I had o r ig in a lly set but was some­ what h e s ita n t to pursue. I found out my choice o f work was best choice or a t le a s t the one I am best suited f o r . I made the decision to look fo r another job a few months l a t e r . A fte r counseling, I f e l t more confident about looking. Served to confirm my plans ra th e r than provide any new concrete d ire c tio n s . . . some e ffe c t on expansion or extension o f previous career a c t i v i t ie s . Helped me make decision to stay w ith present profession. Throughout comments about counselors and counseling, te s tin g , and outcomes are both im p licatio n s and statements o f needs fo r and values o f c a rin g , genuine in te r e s t, confirm ation o f c lie n t w orth, re ­ spect o f c lie n t a b i l i t y , and support fo r c lie n t a c tio n . A dult c lie n ts seem to seek assistance not only in the form o f advice and inform ation but in the form o f confirm ation o f themselves as r a tio n a l, a b le , a d u lt persons. Support and Value Survey items about support and worth o f counseling prompted both p o s itiv e and negative comments from c lie n ts . Two items about support asked what other persons were supportive o f the c lie n t 's seek­ ing counseling and o f the c lie n t 's making any changes as the re s u lt o f counseling. Items concerning worth o f counseling focused upon the question o f whether counseling was worth the fin a n c ia l Investment and 141 upon whether the c lie n t would recommend the counseling service to fam­ i l y members or close frie n d s . Again* some responses were elaborated in comments. While both men and women c lie n ts commented about p o s itiv e sup­ port from spouse, only women o ffe re d comments about negative support or absence o f support from spouse. In a d d itio n * more women than men offered comments about "no support." Some o f these comments from wo­ men are as fo llo w s : I did th is p re tty much on my own . . . not o b je c tin g . Condescending, My husband only helped by (re fe rs to spouse) My spouse and I divorced (a t le a s t p a r t i a ll y ) over th is m atter . . . . . . . support from others (except one fr ie n d ) was n e g lig ib le . Apparently husbands* teachers, e tc . fe e l th a t woman's place is home, e s p e c ia lly i f she’ s not young. No support— i t w asn't asked fo r and w asn't needed. The p o s itiv e comments o f men and women about support from others are p rim a rily re la te d to moral support— encouragement, in te r e s t , lis te n in g , assurance, and so on. Men p a r tic u la r ly commented upon support fo r de­ cisions which involved changes in career or l i f e s ty le . Typical o f these are the fo llo w in g : Very p o s itiv e discussion o f te s t and conference re s u lts . ment to pursue graduate stu d ies. Encourage­ General encouragement to change to something th a t would be more per­ sonally rewarding. Agreed th a t change was necessary and gave me the freedom and verbal and fin a n c ia l support to do i t . Wife helped me in career choices, helped to get accepted to co lleg e and encouraged to teach. 142 Erickson* in her study o f a d u lt undergraduate students, emphasizes the point th a t a d e fin it e c o n trib u tin g fa c to r to success is encouragement and enthusiasm from spouse (E rickso n , 1968, p. 18 0). The importance o f such encouragement and enthusiasm o f any s ig n ific a n t o th er most c e rta in ly ap p lies to the seeking o f counseling and the making o f ca­ re er and l i f e plan decisio n s. At the same tim e, some c lie n ts empha­ sized independence and in d ivid u alism in t h e ir seeking o f counseling assistance and consideration o f changes in career or l i f e plans. It is l i k e l y , as w e ll, th a t c lie n ts seek from counseling both human sup­ port and confirm ation o f independence. Comments about the worth o f the fin a n c ia l investment in coun­ seling reveal some in te re s tin g concepts o f what is o f ta ry terms, to d if f e r e n t people. va lu e , in mone­ A view o f the v a rie ty o f m atters o f value is gleaned from the fo llo w in g comments in response to the item regarding fin a n c ia l investment: To conclude the v a c illa t io n between employment and fu rth e r study was worth the investment. Although nothing has developed in a p o s itiv e way, I s t i l l e n te r­ ta in hope th a t i t w i l l —which I lacked b efo re. I t confirmed to a g rea t e x ten t what I had f e l t to be tru e . . . Raising my morale was e a s ily worth i t . I t gave me more self-know ledge. I'm happy now and have t r ip le d my income since 1969. I t awakened some o f my p o s s ib ilit ie s . . . . i t d e f in it e ly helped d ir e c t my th in k in g and e lim in a te some "blind a lle y s ." The most useful help in th in kin g about jobs th a t I 'v e had. 143 N a tu ra lly th ere were those who did not fe e l th a t counseling was worth the investm ent. Negative comments in th is area re la te d fe e lin g s th a t counseling was o f no v a lu e , led nowhere, provided no answers, and gave l i t t l e guidance. Comments r e la tin g to recommending The S ervice to others were terse and e ith e r in d icated th a t the c lie n t had alread y provided such recommendations or th a t she o r he might recommend The Service only with q u a lific a tio n o r to c e rta in kinds o f persons. Even some who con­ sidered t h e ir own counseling experiences as o f l i t t l e value indicated th a t they would recommend The Service to some others depending on needs, o r age, or other circumstances. In g e n e ra l, c lie n t comments about support from others and value of counseling tend to confirm the r e a l i t ie s o f needs fo r support and of varying concepts o f worth from the counseling program. Special Concerns and Suggestions The purpose o f th is section is to present some o f the general comments which respondents included a t the end o f the follow -u p survey q uestion n aire. These comments r e f le c t concerns, g rip e s , suggestions, advice, and requests. into ca te g o rie s . They cannot be organized by theme nor forced N evertheless, several are suggestions fo r more d e f i­ n ite functions w ith in The Service o ffe rin g s —more fo llo w through w ith regard to career id e n t if ic a t io n , in fo rm atio n , and in v e s tig a tio n . Several comments emphasize the need fo r in je c tin g more " r e a lity " into the counseling experience. selors. Some comments provide advice to coun­ Several comments include requests fo r fu rth e r assistance. 144 Some comments are c r i t i c a l o f The S ervice; many comments p rais e The Service and c it e the values accrued from the counseling experience. The fo llo w in g selected comments from former c lie n ts about t h e ir Adult Counseling Service experiences r e f le c t these emphases. I appreciate th is chance to make n\y fe e lin g s about the program known. I had planned to confront someone a t the counseling center on my own in due tim e, so as to prevent what happened to me from happening to others. Could you t e l l me on reviewing my records i f th ere is a h in t o f the teaching profession— I love i t and so f a r have innovated and brought some l i f e to the system. Perhaps counselors are too busy handling student problems during the day to give the necessary help and in te r e s t to a d u lt problems in the evening and a t other tim es. I b e lie v e the U n iv e rs ity f a i l s m iserably 1n preparing students to survive in the real w orld. Many students are unaware o f what they want to do because i t is impossible fo r them to be aware o f the re a l requirements and advantages o f the thousands o f careers a v a il­ able today. Since graduation I have to ld anyone who w i l l lis te n th a t I would have been t h r i l l e d to have a class a v a ila b le a t MSU where each session would allow d if f e r e n t employers time to discuss t h e ir jobs a v a ila b le . . . . Counseling should be stressed more a t the undergraduate le v e l. The U n iv e rs ity must stand up to I t s r e s p o n s ib ilitie s and prepare students fo r l i f e . I w il l be glad to come in and t a lk or work w ith you 1 f I can be o f any assistance. I am s t i l l hoping to stay in teaching having n early 16 years ex­ perience but prospects d o n 't look good. I f any jobs f o r ex­ teachers who have also tra v e le d e x te n s iv e ly , please l e t me know. Some type o f permanent record would be h e lp fu l. I have fre q u e n tly wished I had such a thing to te s t actions and behavior a g a in s t. A w ritte n summary o f the counselor's an alysis o f the te s t re s u lts would also be u s e fu l, as the f in e d e ta il in the verbal synopsis is e a s ily fo rg o tte n . A dditional post-assessment interview s would be h e lp fu l. I t seemed lik e the surface was b arely scratched. More inform ation should be a v a ila b le as to what can be expected be­ fo re a fee is paid. The service should be required fo r MSU stu ­ dents, so th a t changes in educational d ire c tio n could be made w hile s t i l l in the e a rly years o f higher education. Non-college higher education should be promoted as a d e s ira b le and s a tis fy in g a lte rn a ­ t iv e to c o lle g e . 145 The Counseling Center should l i s t or give in s ig h t to major disad­ vantages as w ell as advantages o f each career . . . . This inform ation would have to come from fo llow -u p repo rts from those working in those job s. . . . I ' l l add th a t th is counseling center does seem s in c e re ly in ­ terested in fin d in g out how i t can improve i t s e l f . I was contacted th ree times before I f i l l e d th is o ut. I have heard said and must agree th a t the counselors have stayed too long behind a book, have no p ra c tic a l experiences in outside w orld. They are very lim ite d in helping people who must a d ju s t by a series o f hard knocks. There is no easy so lu tio n and counselors unknowingly t r y to s im p lify which misleads. You can show through te s ts what the present ambitions o f a person are. But you c a n 't measure a persons d riv e to complete something. They predicted th a t I would not complete co lleg e due to lack o f d riv e fo r th a t type o f work, but I enjoy co lleg e and w ill be grad­ uating e a r ly . As in most counseling se ttin g s a g rea t d e a l, I f e e l , depends on chance— a v a rie ty o f v a ria b le s are involved; one's own commitment, the in te r e s t o f the counselor, the p e rs o n a litie s involved and the f a c i l i t i e s o ffered as w ell as how they were o ffe re d . I would t e l l anyone I knew what my experience was and th a t fo r them i t might be more worthwhile than i t was fo r me. Your task is very d i f f i c u l t — being both psychological and economic. You need c re a tiv e people. D on't t r y to be s c ie n t if ic about per­ s o n a lity — be i n t u it i v e . Be s c ie n t if ic only about jobs a v a il­ able . . . . Counseling services are not only poor, they are dan­ gerous . . . . Job counseling is t o t a l l y Inadequate 1n high schools and c o lle g e s . I tr ie d U. o f M. counseling . . . not very h elp fu l e ith e r . . . . Develop some so p histicated ways o f le t t in g people come to know what they themselves are r e a lly lik e w ithout counselor's opinion coming in a t a l l . Have actual job openings lis t e d . Have p ro jectio n s on job needs and r e la te these to the c lie n t s ' unconscious drives and needs . . . . To r e a liz e the area o f work you would lik e to pursue, y e t not know where and how to make contacts is a g reat disadvantage. I am s t i l l open to p o s s ib ilitie s but have no s p e c ific areas to fo llo w up. I would have lik e d a l i t t l e more support from the counseling. Would welcome another counseling appointment. I t is d i f f i c u l t to suggest th a t more time be a v a ila b le —also a gen­ uine in te r e s t in a person as a person, not as one o f a number. . . . I would lik e to suggest th a t "adult" be put In to categ o ries . The 24 ye ar old a d u lt coming back to school does not havethe same goals and problems as the 40 year old and the 60 year o ld . 146 The MSU Counseling Service s a tis fie d a need which I had— I d o n 't know what more i t could have done. I d id n 't mind my coming to Lansing—was glad to have someplace to go. I t might be much more d i f f i c u l t fo r someone else much more in need o f the se rv ic e . I f e l t i t was psychoanalysis, not counseling. asked o f me, ju s t "T e ll me about y o u rs e lf." Few questions were I would have lik e d to continue in to personal counseling aside from employment and ca re er— I was h e s ita n t to do so— not wishing to re ­ veal m yself— and no fin a n c ia l resources. I t (counseling) should be coordinated w ith placement bureau w ith work to fin d positions fo r those who wish to change t h e ir careers. I t is very hard fo r person over 40 or 50 years old to fin d job s. ________________taught me more about The counseling sessions w ith myself in a few months than did 4 years o f c o lle g e . Recently returned to U.S. from overseas posts w ith husband. Family grown, needed new d ire c tio n s . . . . I guess I expected some con­ c re te assistance ra th e r than ju s t my ta lk in g about my problem . . . . Hoped somebody would step in to the me on what I was going to do . . . breach and make up my mind fo r . I was looking fo r an a c t iv it y th a t would give ris e to more s e lf respect . . . . I expected to le a rn what a c t iv it ie s (paying) were s u ita b le to me, p a r t ic u la r ly i f in t e r io r decorating was a s u ita b le f i e l d fo r me . . . . I made some decisions during th is period which I la t e r reversed . . . . I d id n 't know the best way to s t a r t co lleg e or where or in what major . . . . I thought a d e f in ite major would be suggested, but my in te re s ts have changed since being in co lleg e so th a t would have been p o in tle ss . . . . He advised me to s t a r t in a community c o l­ lege— said I 'd get more in d iv id u a l a tte n tio n — he was r ig h t . . . . . . . i t might have proved h elp fu l i f I had been given s p e c ific in ­ formation as to how to go about in v e s tig a tin g some o f the job areas lis te d as p o te n tia lly in lin e w ith my in te re s ts and a b i l i t i e s . For instance— computer programming— I had no idea as to what th a t kind o f a job e n ta ile d , what tra in in g was necessary, and most important where to go to t a lk to people to fin d out about i t . Inform ation along th is lin e , to provide fo llo w through, could prove h e lp fu l, I'm sure, to many young people and a d u lts . I was not sure whether I wanted to re tu rn to a job a t th is time o f life . . . . In the years th a t have passed since seeing your Adult Counseling ad viso r, I have been working as a vo lun teer in various community p ro je c ts . This has brought f u lf illm e n t to me, and your e x c e lle n t service helped me to determine th a t th is has been the course to take a t present. 147 Summary Just as c lie n ts sought d ire c tio n from the A dult Counseling Ser­ v ic e , so must The Service and i t s personnel seek d ire c tio n from those who have experienced The S e rvic e. The concept o f feedback in social processes includes evalu ation o f services by those served. respondent's comments are o f l i t t l e While some e v a lu a tiv e w orth, most provide in ­ sights about the persons and th e ir purposes, the counseling process and it s impacts, and the A dult Counseling Service as a human experience. While some negative comments may be motivated by matters unre­ lated to The Service or may be c a th a rtic expressions, most are o f spe­ c ia l value to an assessment o f and proposals fo r the present Adult Counseling S ervice. Time tempers both c r itic is m and enthusiasm; i t also increases r a t io n a lit y and purposefulness in the o ffe rin g o f com­ ments. Some c lie n ts , who provided both p o s itiv e and negative comments, expressed ap p reciation fo r the opportunity to respond, to comment, to have in p u t. They f e l t important in being consulted, and they seemed to want the A dult Counseling Service to be b e tte r fo r others. I t ap­ pears th a t most would agree th a t counseling does something, or should, to the person. CHAPTER V II CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS Dressel has sta ted th a t evalu ation o f an educational program can be described as a summative o r a form ative a c t i v i t y . The f i r s t , summative, re fe rs to past o rie n ta tio n in appraising effe ctive n e ss o f a s ta b iliz e d program. The second, fo rm a tiv e , is fu tu re -o rie n te d 1n pro­ je c tin g the evalu atio n to developmental progress and goal r e a liz a tio n fo r the program (D re s s e l, 1971, p. 2 , 3 , f f ) . This study o f the fee-based, ed u catio n al-vo catio n al counseling service fo r nonstudents provided by the Counseling Center in coordina­ tio n w ith the Continuing Education S ervice a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity is an in v e s tig a tio n summative in means, but form ative 1n ends. The basic purpose is to appraise what ex is ts and what happens in the counsel ing experience from the p o in t o f view o f the c lie n ts . With a d d itio n a l input from s t a f f persons, in v e s tig a tio n o f documents, re p o rts , and a r t ic le s , and consideration o f changes o f the present and p ro jectio n s fo r the fu tu re , the ends o f the study become the recommendations fo r change, development, and extension o f the A dult Counseling S ervice. summative assessment is necessary in order to provide bases o f , and d ire c tio n s f o r , the form ative recommendations. 148 *' The 149 Conclusions o f Summative Assessment Throughout the preceding chapters th e re p o rtin g o f inform ation and data has been accompanied by discussion o f fin d in g s , conclusions, re la tio n s h ip s , and Im p lic a tio n s . M a te ria l in each chapter has been summarized and re la te d to the purposes o f the in v e s tig a tio n . The cen­ tr a l purpose o f the study is sta ted in Chapter I as the assessment o f c h a ra c te ris tic s and v i a b i l i t y o f the A dult Counseling Service w ith the core o f the assessment being a fo llo w -u p survey to former c lie n ts o f the se rv ice. O etting and Hawkes s ta te th a t such assessment o r evalu ation must be aimed a t the people who can use the inform ation fo r making d e c i­ sions about programs in terms o f kind and amount o f services and how well they work (1974, p. 4 3 8 ). Tiedeman, In w ritin g about vocational development, s ta te s , ". . . we need to tune in more on people's thoughts about themselves in r e la tio n to study, work, and l i f e . " These statements r e la te to th e two primary areas o f o v e ra ll conclusions o f th is study: (1 ) Conclusions about c lie n ts and p o te n tia l c lie n ts developed from “tuning in " on the c h a ra c te r is tic s , thoughts, and responses o f those who have experienced the A dult Counseling S e rvic e. (2) Conclusions about The Service as an educational assistance program provided by Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity to a d u lt persons beyond the cam­ pus community. The primary conclusions about c lie n t s , t h e ir c h a ra c te ris tic s and t h e ir thoughts about themselves and the A dult Counseling Service experience, are discussed a t length in Chapters IV , V, and V I. The follow ing g e n e ra liza tio n s are form ulated from c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s 150 and c lie n t expressions and are intended to g ive a purpose-oriented view o f the people who are served by the a d u lt counseling program. 1. They are persons in the midst o f or contemplating s ig n ific a n t changes in t h e ir liv e s , most o ften r e la tin g to c a re e r. 2. They come to th e A dult Counseling Service o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity not n ecessarily as former o r p o te n tia l students but as c itiz e n s seeking assistance from a pub lic service agency. Most seem w illin g to pay a reasonable fee fo r th is assistance. 3. T h e ir needs d i f f e r most by sex and age group and, to some e x te n t, by educational le v e l and occupation. Many seem to need to know th a t th ere are others l ik e them facing s im ila r concerns, and th a t they are not alone. 4. They seek assistance w ith id e n tify in g decision a lte rn a tiv e s inclu d in g confirm ation o f already made plans or present s itu a tio n s . 5. W ithin t h e ir seeking o f assistance are two primary need areas: inform ation and support. They want inform ation about themselves, about the worlds o f work and education, and about possible d ire c tio n s fo r them as in d iv id u a ls . They want someone to lis te n to them and to be caring and su p po rtive. They want to be assured o f t h e ir worth and t h e ir d ig n ity , to be respected as e ffe c t iv e persons, to be encouraged toward p o s itiv e th in kin g and a c tio n . 6. C lie n ts ask th a t the counseling experience be useful and they seek documentation o f th a t usefulness. They seek use­ fulness 1n terms o f knowledge, procedures, and p red iction s in t h e ir own liv e s . 7. They are pragmatic and r e a l i t y bound, but seek expansion o f t h e i r separate r e a l i t i e s . They want counseling to deal w ith t h e ir own r e a l i t i e s , to be more d e f in it e in i t s claim s, and to provide inform ation ta ilo r e d to t h e ir s p e c ific needs and concerns. 8. Host c lie n ts share th e ir counseling experience w ith o th e rs , remember w ith c l a r i t y the experience and the counselor, and continue to personally evaluate the worth o f counseling 1n terms o f i t s ongoing usefulness to them in making choices, gaining in fo rm a tio n , and increasing s a tis fa c tio n s . Along w ith re g is te re d day and evening students, c lie n ts of the A dult Counseling Service are a d e fin a b le group o f a d u lt persons 151 a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity from and about whom inform ation can be obtained about needs and concerns re la tin g to life lo n g learn in g and service programs. The c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Service represent many kinds o f people w ith d if fe r in g c h a ra c te r is tic s , needs, problems, l i f e - s t y l e s , and goals. assistance. What they have in common is the seeking o f They come w ith the in te n tio n o f being helped, o f fin d in g out something. Some have expectations beyond what is reasonable; others do not know what to expect. While none are students, a l l are learn ers a t Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity . T o f f le r in Future Shock In d ica te s th a t our so c ie ty categorizes people by t h e ir conditions between changes ra th e r than in changing groups. His contention is th a t the changing c a te g o rie s , such as seeking a jo b , moving to a new lo c a tio n , retu rn in g to school, changing l i f e - s t y l e s , are becoming more common and longer term c la s s ific a tio n s . At any given tim e, many persons are in tra n s itio n a l or change c la s s ific a tio n s and many move from one change category to another. T o f f le r c a lls f o r " fu tu re shock absorbers" to a s s is t people w ith th is constancy o f change-non-change movement (1971, pp. 3 8 3-3 84 ). I t is to th is present r e a l i t y o f Increas­ ing change fo r In d iv id u a ls and fo r groups th a t the primary conclusion about the A dult Counseling Service is d ire c te d . The A du lt Counseling Service has been, 1s, and must continue as a "fu tu re shock absorber" fo r adult persons. The Service must improve in i t s present program and extend in it s possible services o f assistance to those who seek help w ith change, w ith reeducation, w ith career choice and tr a n s itio n , and w ith l i f e planning and replanning. 152 Some people face the problem o f too many a lte r n a tiv e s , w h ile others need to Increase t h e ir choices; some need confirm ation o f the present, w hile others need enabling help fo r the fu tu re ; some seek le a rn ­ ing to adapt, and others seek lea rn in g to "break o u t." A ll seek d ir e c t , immediate help w ith t h e ir in d iv id u a l problems and p e rp le x itie s and with find in g ways to become more e ffe c tiv e and s a tis fie d human beings. The Adult Counseling Service must continue to provide th is help to even more o f these people. The A dult Counseling Service o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity can continue as a s ta b le , lo w -p r o file , s in g u la r program serving an average o f t h i r t y to fo r ty persons each y e a r. This is the le a s t i t can do. The conclusion o f th is study, however, is th a t th e re must be beginnings fo r expansion o f the Service w ith in i t s present purposes and context and even tu ally to a special service u n it. This u n it could be p a rt o f a many- faceted cen ter o f services and resources fo r a d u lt persons who come from the several contexts o f student o r non-student, continuing education or life lo n g le a rn in g , and career development or career change. The summative conclusion is th a t the A dult Counseling Service is a v ia b le function o f the U n iv e rs ity and should be not only continued but fu rth e r developed as a program o f counseling, o f education, and o f service. Several recommendations re la tin g to th is conclusion are In ­ cluded in the fo llo w in g discussion. Recommendations fo r Formative Development To address recommendations to Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity --th e Continuing Education Service and Counseling Center—w ith regard to 153 changes In the A dult Counseling Service is perhaps presumptuous. such recommendations are Inh eren t in the purpose o f th is study. Y e t, One purpose is the in v e s tig a tio n and rep o rtin g o f inform ation about the kinds o f persons who are c u rre n tly served by the a d u lt counseling pro­ gram. Another purpose is the rep o rtin g o f input from these persons about th e ir experiences in counseling. From c lie n t feedback, counselor I n t e r ­ views, a r t ic le s and re p o rts , and o th er resources come many pronouncements of what "should be" in terms o f counseling services f o r a d u lts . These ideals combined w ith r e a lit ie s o f data and fa c tu a l Inform ation lead to recommendations fo r the A dult Counseling Service and i t s s t a f f and spon­ sors. Only a few o f many possible recommendations w ill be presented; those presented seem to be the most possible w ith in the s tru c tu re o f U n iversity p r io r it ie s and fin a n c ia l requirem ents. Recommendations are presented according to a fin a n c ia l context o u tlin e . A. Recommendations fo r actions re q u irin g no, or m inim al, fin a n c in g . 1. In vo lvin g a t le a s t one woman counselor in the A dult Counseling S ervice. Making d e fin it e e ffo r ts to increase s e n s it iv it y t o , and knowledge about, the special concerns o f women among a l l counselors. 2. Revising the A p p licatio n fo r Counseling Form according to Input from, and discussion by, Involved counseling s t a f f . Adding to the Form a preference choice f o r a man or woman counselor. 3. Providing a t le a s t one Counseling Center s t a f f development pro­ gram on the su b ject o f career-educational counseling w ith a d u lt persons— student and non-student. 4. Designating more s p e c ific a lly the duties and time commitment o f the Coordinator o f the Adult Counseling S ervice and providing th a t person w ith ap p ro priate compensation and released time from other d u tie s . 5. Assuring th a t the Coordinator o f the Adult Counseling Service o r a re p re s e n ta tiv e is a member o f any planning and action 154 committees involved In the a c tu a liz a tio n o f life lo n g learn in g programs a t Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . 6. Developing a meeting o f persons from the Continuing Education Service and Counseling Center who are Involved w ith the Adult Counseling Service to review , discuss, and a c t upon the "Projec­ tio n s f o r the Future" as stated in the o rig in a l A dult Counseling Service Proposal o f October, 1965. B. Recommendations fo r actions re q u irin g some ad d itio n a l financin g beyond fe e s . 1. Developing a re g u la r system o f c lie n t fo llo w -u p surveys w ith regard to impacts o f the counseling experience and c lie n t feed­ back about the program. 2. O ffe rin g during summer a short course o r workshop f o r a d u lt persons r e la tin g to o rie n ta tio n to the work w o rld , to career change, to reed u catio n, and re la te d areas. 3. Increasing coordinate re la tio n s h ip s w ith o th er service d iv i ­ sions o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , p a r tic u la r ly those o f placement, admissions, and co lleg e a d v is in g . Holding re g u la r meetings o f The Service counselors and the designated consultants fo r adults from o ther service d iv is io n s . 4. Working w ith the d ir e c to r of placement services in obtaining the designation o f a s t a f f person as the placement advisor fo r c lie n ts o f the A dult Counseling Service and a d u lt student c lie n ts as w e ll. This s t a f f person could possibly be appointed h a lf-tim e by the Counseling Center and h a lf-tim e by Placement. 5. Designating a s t a f f person (woman) to serve as consultant to the various women's programming groups on the campus and to be a v a ila b le fo r co n su lta tio n to community groups w ith regard to matters o f women re tu rn in g to work, and concerns o f career change and advancement fo r women. 6. Developing special p rin te d m a teria ls fo r a d u lt c lie n t s , both student and non-student, providing Inform ation about career d evel­ opment counseling, the world o f work, steps to take 1n returnin g to school or work, sources o f assistan ce, jo b hunting, resumes, and so on. Some o f these m a te ria ls could be developed in coordina­ tio n w ith the Career Inform ation S p e c ia lis t and w ith Placement Services personnel. Before presenting recommendations which would re q u ire extens­ ive fin a n c in g , some comments about finances are In o rd er. From inform a­ tion 1n c lie n t response, d ir e c to r ie s , and a r t ic l e s , i t 1s apparent th a t 155 the fees fo r the Adult Counseling Service program are not In a p p ro p ria te . While s im ila r services are few , some can be found w ith lower fees and some w ith higher fees than the A dult Counseling S e rvic e. I t would appear th a t fees f o r the program could be ra is e d not to exceed $100 and s t i l l be r e a l i s t i c w ith regard to services provided. Payments to coun­ selors could be increased to a more r e a l i s t i c fig u re o f $25 per session 1f fees were raised to $85 or $90 fo r the program. For any s ig n ific a n t extension o f the Adult Counseling Service programs, c lie n t fee support 1s u n r e a lis tic . Funds from grants would be d e s ira b le . Funds from U n iversity a llo c a tio n w il l be required i f The Service 1s to expand as an essential aspect o f the life lo n g learn in g commitment. Such expansion might Include some o f the recommendations in the fo llo w in g l i s t i n g . C. Recommendations fo r actions re q u irin g s ig n ific a n t fin a n c in g . 1. The establishm ent o f an A d u lt Resource and Development Center which would Include a f u lltim e d ire c to r and e ith e r f u lltim e or parttim e s t a f f from the Counseling C enter, Continuing Education S ervice, Placement S e rv ic e , Advising O ffic e s , and o th e r re la te d o ffic e s . The Center would be a source o f services to a d u lt s tu ­ dents, nonstudents, and any community persons seeking Inform ation about U n iv e rs ity programs and career development se rv ic e s . The Center would Include necessary o ffic e s and support s t a f f , lib r a r y resources, areas f o r study and meetings, and programming resources fo r groups o f students, f a c u lty , c lie n t s , counselors, and o th e rs. Each service u n it o f th is many-sided Center would m aintain Id e n tity w ith It s s e rv ice d iv is io n in the U n iv e rs ity . 2. The development o f an In te rn program f o r tra in in g counselors o f a d u lt persons. This program would be a coordinate o ffe rin g o f the College o f Education continuing education program and the Counseling Center. A p ro je c tio n o f such a program was Included in the o rig in a l Proposal fo r the Service o f October, 1965. 3. Expansion o f A dult Counseling Service programs to Include the o ffe rin g o f group and workshop experiences and the extension o f those o ffe rin g s to lo catio n s 1n o th e r p arts o f the S tate o f Michigan. Such o ffe rin g s could be d ire c te d to a d u lt persons seeking assistance and to counselors, so cial workers, cle rg y and 156 o ther service persons seeking new knowledge and s k i ll s f o r working w ith a d u lt persons 1n areas o f reed u catio n , and career development and change. 4. C onsultation and planning w ith the Department o f Counseling, Personnel S e rvic es , and Educational Psychology w ith regard to the in clu sio n o f tr a ln in a experiences fo r a l l graduate students o f th a t department In tne counseling o f a d u lt persons w ith in and beyond educational s e ttin g s . 5. General expansion o f the Counseling Center professional s t a f f , support s t a f f , and resources to meet the demands o f an expanding a d u lt counseling program serving persons both w ith in and beyond the Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity community. Any recommendations f o r fu r th e r study are Inh eren t 1n the recommendations fo r a c tio n s . The continuing fo llo w -u p o f a d u lt c lie n ts and input from them is es s e n tia l to m aintaining a program o f counseling service th a t 1s not merely s ta b le but growing and extending in value to c lie n ts . The development o f more kinds o f programs fo r a d u lt students and nonstudents must necessarily involve study o f t h e ir special needs and ways to best a s s is t them. Study o f tra in in g programs f o r counselors of adults and fo r continuing education s p e c ia lis ts is e s s e n tia l to the improvement and expansion o f tr a in in g . Continuing research about the world o f work, career development and change, reed u catio n, use o f l e i ­ sure, and l i f e planning is v i t a l to continuing improvement o f educa­ tion al assistance programs d ire c te d to persons o f every age and l i f e s itu a tio n . While change is ever w ith us, making change happen is most often beyond the powers o f recommendations, research, or even resources. Dressel points out th a t changes 1n educational programs are in e v ita b ly gradual and re la te d more to personnel and p rac tice s than to 157 confrontation o f issues and presentations o f p rin c ip le s and evidence (1971, p. 2 2 ). S im ila rly he s ta te s , "The major changes 1n an educational program have been made on the basis o f response to demands o r c ritic is m s of so ciety or on the basis o f the enthusiasm o r ambition o f fa c u lty members o r ad m in istrators (1971, p. 1 5 )." This study has presented th e demands, c r itic is m s , requests, and suggestions o f a very small segment o f s o c ie ty . Whether they re p re­ sent the la rg e r so ciety remains a q uestion , although the confrontations of s o -c a lle d p u b lic service u n iv e rs itie s by small segments o f so ciety are beginning. Perhaps a hidden recommendation from th is study o f the Adult Counseling Service is th a t counselors, fa c u lty , and ad m in istrators become more e n th u s ia s tic and ambitious about the p rovision o f such a service as a v ia b le mission o f counseling and o f the U n iv e rs ity . A d u lts , adult educators, and a d u lt counselors have been working w ith q u ie t dedi­ cation fo r too long; i t is tim e t h e ir dedication becomes loud and t h e ir programs become p r i o r it i e s . The burgeoning o f "shoulds" in a r tic le s and repo rts about l i f e ­ long education do not always r e la te to the stated needs and projected concerns o f a d u lt persons. What many adults seem to need 1s not so much life lo n g education 1n the sense o f formal study and tr a in in g as i t e x is ts today, but ra th e r the assistance o f life lo n g guidance and counseling. I t is through the l a t t e r th a t th ere is learn in g to deal w ith change 1n environments, in work, in re la tio n s h ip s , and in o n e s e lf. L ife lo n g le a rn ­ ing is not courses, but is coping w ith l iv i n g , w ith t r a n s itio n , and w ith constant beginnings. 158 While records o f , and statements about, success are important bases fo r the perpetuation o f programs, the past is no longer a sin g u la r nor a primary p re d ic to r o f the fu tu re in education, in employment, o r in public services. Counseling s e rv ic e s , l ik e other aspects o f education, must seek to a s s is t people to l iv e not only w ith the present challenges but w ith the unknown challenges o f the fu tu r e . Counseling services must be not merely a d ju s tlv e but a n tic ip a to r y ; they must help people to liv e without c e r ta in ty , to grow w ith changes and choices, and to develop learning as a way o f l i f e . LIST OF REFERENCES LIST OF REFERENCES "A B e tte r L if e ." P relim in ary Report o f the Task Force on L ifelo n g Education, Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , East Lansing, Michigan, 1972. (O ffs e t .) Admissions and Student Body Composition: The Report to the President o f Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity from the Commission. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1971. A lb e rt, G. "Survey o f College Counseling F a c il i t ie s . " Personnel and Guidance Journal 46 (February, 1968): 540-43. American Board on Counseling S ervices, In c . D ire c to ry o f Approved Coun­ se lin g S ervices, 1965-1966. Washington, D .C .: American Personnel and Guidance A sso ciatio n, 1965. Anderson, W. "Services O ffered by College Counseling C enters." o f Counseling Psychology 17 (19 7 0 ): 380-82. Journal Association o f U n iv e rs ity Evening Colleges. Proceedings o f Twenty-Third Annual M eeting. Cleveland, Ohio, November, 1961. B atdorf, L. L. "Counseling Services fo r A d u lts ." 10 (Ju ly -O c to b e r, 1971): 160-64. Berman, E. C. "Do You Want to Change Your Career?" A p ril 15, 1973. Continuous Learning Parade Magazine. Breen, G. L. " A c tiv e -D ire c tiv e Counseling 1n an Adult Education S e ttin g ." Journal o f College Student Personnel 11 (J u ly , 1970): 279-83. Boyer, E. L. "Higher Education: Breaking Up the Youth G hetto." Speech presented a t the annual conference o f the American Association fo r Higher Education, Chicago, I l l i n o i s , March 13, 1974. (Mimeo­ graphed.) Campbell, D. P. Results o f Counseling: Twenty-Five Years L a te r. d elp h ia: W. B. Saunders C o ., 1965. P h ila ­ Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. Less Time. More O ptions. York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1971. New Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. Open Door C olleges. McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1970. 159 New York: 160 Carnegie Commission on Higher Education. Purposes and the Performance o f Higher Education in the United S ta te s . New York: McGrawH i l l Book Company, 1973. "Carnegie Commission's 23 Recommendations." t i o n . June 4* 1973. Chronicle o f Higher Educa­ Center f o r Continuing Education, U n iv e rs ity o f Notre Dame. The Learning Society: A Report o f the Study on Continuing Education and the Future. Notre Dame. Indiana: U n iv e rs ity o f Notre Dame, w n ----------- "Charting U n iv e rs ity Adult Education During the Next Decade: Selected Readings." Seminar on Leadership 1n U n iv e rs ity A dult Educa­ t io n . East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1965. (Mimeographed.) C lark, D. D. "C h a ra c te ris tic s o f Counseling Centers In Large U n iv e rs it­ ie s ." Personnel and Guidance Journal 44 ( A p r il, 1966): 817-22. Commission on N on-Traditional Study. D iv e rs ity by Design. c is c o : Jossey-Bass P u blishers, 1973. San Fran­ Counseling C enter, Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . Minutes and o th e r papers concerning development o f the A dult Counseling S e rv ic e , 19641966. (Typew ritten and d u p lic a te d .) Dressel, P. L . , ed. The New Colleges: Toward an A p p ra is a l. Iowa: American College Testing Program, 1971. Iowa C ity , Erickson, M. B. "An Analysis o f Selected C h a ra c te ris tic s and Needs o f A dult Undergraduate Students Attending Michigan S tate U niver­ s i t y ." PhD d is s e rta tio n , Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1966. Evening C ollege. "Summary Report o f a Survey Conducted During October o f Evening College Non-Cred1t Courses." East Lansing, M ich i­ gan: Continuing Education S e rv ic e , Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1964. (D u p lic a te d .) Extension S ervice. "Report o f Survey o f Counseling Needs." East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1966. (D u p lic a te d .) Farmer, M. L ., ed. Student Personnel Services fo r Adults in Higher Education. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1967. Farmer, M. L. "Student Personnel Services 1n Evening C olleges." Journal o f College Student Personnel 3 (March, 1962): 109-12, H IT Financial Report, 1972-73. v e r s ity , 1973. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S ta te Uni­ 161 F is h e r, J. A. "Educational Counseling fo r A d u lts ." In Counseling A dults: Contemporary Dimensions, pp. 28-52. Edited by C. H. Thompson. Proceedings o f a Workshop* American College Per­ sonnel Association Commission X I I I . Washington, D .C .: American Personnel and Guidance A sso ciatio n, 1969. Gould, S. B. and Cross, K. P ., eds. Exp!orations in Non-Tradiitional Study. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass P u b lish ers, l9 /2 . Hannah, J. A. "We B e lie v e . . . . " East Lansing, Michigan: p. ix . Undergraduate Catalogue, 1966-1967. Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1966, Hoffman, F. W. "Personnel Services fo r A d u lts ." 324 (January, 1968): 58-65. Houle, C. 0. The Design o f Education. P u b lish ers, 1972. NASSP B u lle t in . San Francisco: 52: Jossey-Bass Hunter, A. L. "Continuing Education Service Annual Report, 1970-1971." East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1971. In te rn a tio n a l Association o f Counseling S ervices, In c . D ire cto ry o f Counseling S e rvic es. Washington, D .C .: American Personnel and Guidance A sso ciatio n, 1973. Jensen, V. H. "A Model f o r Extending Career Concepts." Guidance Q u a rte rly 21 (1 9 7 2 ): 115-19. Vocational Jessup, F. W ., ed. L ife lo n g Learning: A Symposium on Continuing Edu­ c a tio n . London: PergamonPress, L t d . , 1969\ Kaback. G. R. "The S electio n and Preparation o f Student Personnel Workers fo r Adults 1n Evening C olleges." In Student Personnel Services f o r Adults in Higher Education, pp. 164 -80 . Edited by M. L. Farmer. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1967. ________ . "Vocational Counseling." In Counsel 1ng Adu1t s : Contemporary Dimensions, pp. 53-75. Edited by C. H. Thompson. Proceedings o f a Workshop, American College Personnel Association Commis­ sion X I I I . Washington, D .C .: American Personnel and Guidance A sso ciatio n, 1969. ________ . "Vocational Counseling fo r the A dult Student in Higher Edu­ c a tio n ." In Counseling Services f o r Adults in Higher Educa­ t i o n . pp. 60-77"! Edited by M. L. Farmer. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1971. Kron, R ., Pow ell, J . , and W illia m s , C. Counseling C enter, Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , East Lansing, Michigan. In te rv ie w s , J u ly August, 1973. 162 Lengrad, P. An In tro d u c tio n to L ifelo n g Education. P a ris : United Nations E d ucation al, S c ie n t if ic , and C u ltu ral O rg an iza tio n , 1970. Lifelong U n iv e rs ity : A Report to the P resident from the Task Force on L ife lo n g feducation. East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , 1973. Matthews, E. E. "Counselor and the Adult Woman." Journal o f the National Association o f Women Deans and Counselors 32 (S p rin g , 196 9):' T lb -2 2 '.----------------------------------------------------------M ichael, D. N. The Next G eneration. 1963. New York: Random House, I n c ., Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity . "Continuing Education S e rv ic e ." In Under­ graduate Catalogue. 1973-74, pp. 292-95. East Lansing, M ich i­ gan! Michigan s ta te u n iv e rs ity , 1973. M o r r ill, W. H. and O e ttin g , E. R. "Outreach Programs in College Counsel­ in g ." Journal o f College Student Personnel 11 (January, 1970): 50-53. Nugent, F. A. and P a re is , E. N. "Survey o f Present P o lic ie s and Prac­ tic e s in College Counseling Centers 1n the U .S .A ." Journal o f Counseling Psychology 15:1 (19 6 8 ): 94-97. O ettin g , E. R. and Hawkes, F. J . "Train in g Professionals f o r E valuative Research." Personnel and Guidance Journal 52 (Feb ru ary, 1974): 434-38. P a la is , E. S. "What Is Evening Student Personnel?" In Student Personnel Services fo r Adults in Higher Education, pp. 58-63. Edited by M. L. Farmer. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1967. Quest. Santa Barbara, C a lifo r n ia . Summer, 1973. U n iv e rs ity o f C a lifo rn ia Extension, Reardon, R. C. "The Counselor and Career Inform ation S e rvic es ." Journal o f College Student Personnel 14 (November, 1973): 495-50IT Roe, A. and Baruch, R. "Occupational Changes in the A dult Years." Personnel A dm inistration 30 (Ju ly-A u g ust, 1967): 26-32. Ross, D. R. "Adult Counseling Service Annual Reports— 1966, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73." In "Continuing Education Service Annual Reports." By A. L. Hunter and s t a f f . East Lansing, Michigan: Michigan S ta te U n iv e rs ity , 1966-1973. 163 S h is k o ff, M. M. "Counseling Mature Women fo r C areers." Journal o f the National Association o f Women Deans and Counselors 36 (Summer. 1973 ) : 173 - 77'.-----------------------------------------------------------------------T r iv e t t , D. A. "Postsecondary Education: The New Meaning." "Research C u rren ts," O ctober, 1973. Washington, D .C .: American Associa­ tio n f o r Higher Education. (N e w s le tte r.) S ieg le, P. "Counseling in the Evening C o lle g e ." In Proceedings o f the Twenty-Third Annual M eeting. Association o f U n iv e rs ity Evening Col 1eges, pp. 32-43. C leveland, Ohio, November, 1961. "S tartin g Fresh Handbook." (Mimeographed.) New York: H arper's Magazine C o ., 1972. Thompson, C. H. "The Nature o f A dult Students and the Scope o f Counsel­ ing S e rvic es ." In Counseling Services f o r Adults in Higher Education, pp. 16-31. Edited by M. L. Farmer. Metuchen, New Jersey: Scarecrow Press, 1971. Tiedeman, D. V. "Decision and Vocational Development: A Paradigm and I t s Im p lic a tio n s ." Personnel and Guidance Journal 40 (Septem­ b e r, 1961): 15-21. T o f f le r , A. Trout, R. Future Shock. New York: Bantam Books, I n c . , 1971. Special Degree Programs f o r A du lts: Degree Programs in Higher Education. College Testing Program, 1971. Exploring N o n trad itio n al Iowa C ity , Iowa: American Wharton, C. R. "L ife lo n g Education 1n the P lu r a lis t ic U n iv e rs ity ." Speech presented a t the T h irte e n th Seminar fo r College and U n iv e rs ity Leaders 1n Continuing Education, East Lansing, M ichigan, November 3 , 1971. (P r in te d .) W illiam s, G. D. e t a l . "Urgency and Types o f A dult Counseling Needs Among Continuing Education Students." Journal o f College Student Personnel 14 (November, 1973): 501-06. W illiamson, E. G. Vocational Counseling: Some H is t o r ic a l, P h ilo s o p h ic a l, and T h e o retica l P ersp ectives. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, )96&. Wrenn, C. G. The Counselor in a Changing World. Washington, D.C.: American Personnel and Guidance A sso ciatio n, 1962. APPENDICES APPENDIX A ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS BY YEAR JANUARY, 1966 through DECEMBER, 1972 APPENDIX A ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE CLIENT CHARACTERISTICS BY YEAR JANUARY, 1966 through DECEMBER, 1972 JANUARY, 1966 - JUNE, 1969 INFORMATION 1966 January-June Men Women Tot. 1966-1967 Men Women Tot. 1967-1968 Men Women Tot. Number of Clients 17 2 19 18 6 24 17 Age XX 25 30 35 40 50 3 10 1 0 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 3 10 2 1 2 1 2 5 2 3 5 1 4 0 0 0 1 1 6 5 2 3 6 2 2 7 2 3 2 1 3 2 7 2 2 0 Marital Status Single Married Divorced Widowed 6 10 1 0 0 2 0 0 6 12 1 0 2 15 1 0 3 1 0 2 5 16 1 2 Education High School Some College Bachelor's Degree Advanced Degree 5 2 10 0 0 0 2 0 5 2 12 0 2 3 10 3 2 3 1 0 4 6 11 3 - 24 29 34 39 49 59 1968-1969 Men Women Tot. Totals Jan. 66-June 69 Men Women Tot. 71 37 108 6 9 3 6 8 0 12 27 8 10 11 3 8 6 8 5 9 1 20 33 16 15 20 4 5 14 0 0 3 8 5 19 4 4 1 1 19 48 3 1 11 15 8 3 30 63 11 4 2 3 12 2 2 4 7 10 4 16 0 2 9 12 42 8 8 14 14 1 17 26 56 9 16 33 19 5 9 9 5 4 1 5 5 3 4 2 0 6 9 1 1 5 11 7 16 4 5 0 1 0 4 10 3 4 4 4 8 7 17 1 4 13 32 1 4 0 2 6 0 APPENDIX A— Continued. JANUARY, 1966 - JUNE, 1969 Occupation Business/Sales/ Government Communications/ Cultural Education Engi neeri ng/Physi cal Science Health/Biological Science Social Services Technical/Clerical Unskilled O ther/M ilitary 1966-1967 Men Women Tot. 1967-1968 Men Women Tot. 1968-1969 Men Women Tot. Totals Jan. 66-June 69 Men Women Tot. 7 0 7 7 0 7 6 0 6 7 0 7 27 0 27 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 1 0 5 1 3 0 4 1 7 0 1 1 1 1 2 1 9 1 6 2 15 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 4 0 4 1 0 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 1 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 1 3 0 0 2 2 7 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 3 2 0 0 1 1 3 1 0 1 4 5 1 0 2 4 13 1 1 2 2 12 1 0 4 6 25 2 1 Unemployed 0 2 2 1 0 1 4 6 10 4 5 9 9 13 22 Distance Travelled 0 - 10 miles 11- 50 miles 51-100 miles Over 100 miles 5 6 3 3 1 0 1 0 6 6 4 3 7 8 2 1 4 0 2 0 11 8 4 1 4 5 7 1 7 6 3 0 11 11 10 1 8 7 3 1 9 3 0 1 17 10 3 2 24 26 15 6 21 9 6 1 45 35 21 7 Number of Clients Who Took Tests 15 2 17 15 2 17 12 10 22 14 11 25 56 25 81 Number of Interviews One Two Three Four Five 4 0 12 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 4 0 14 1 0 4 8 5 0 1 3 1 1 1 0 7 9 6 1 1 5 5 7 0 0 6 3 7 0 0 11 8 14 0 0 5 1 13 0 0 3 4 6 0 0 8 5 19 0 0 18 14 37 1 1 12 8 16 1 0 30 22 53 2 1 99 L INFORMATION 1966 January-June ^en Women Tot. APPENDIX A— Continued. JULY, 1969 - DECEMBER, 1972 TNFnpMATTHN 1969-1970 Men Women Tot. 1970-1971 Men Women Tot. 1971-1972 Men Women Tot. 1972 Totals July-December July 69-Dec. 72 Men Women Tot. Men Women Tot. 26 12 38 19 15 34 13 10 23 8 3 11 66 40 106 6 9 3 4 2 0 3 2 2 0 4 0 9 11 5 4 6 0 6 7 0 3 2 0 4 2 2 3 3 1 10 9 2 6 5 1 3 4 4 1 1 0 1 0 2 1 5 1 4 4 6 2 6 1 2 2 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 3 3 3 1 1 0 17 22 10 9 5 0 9 5 6 4 13 2 26 27 16 13 18 2 Marital Status Single Married Di vorced Widowed 8 18 0 0 8 2 2 0 16 20 2 0 6 13 0 0 8 4 2 1 14 17 2 1 8 5 0 0 2 4 2 2 10 9 2 2 4 3 1 0 1 2 0 0 5 5 1 0 26 39 1 0 19 12 6 3 45 51 7 3 Education High School Some College Bachelor's Degree Advanced Degree 3 3 15 5 3 2 5 2 6 5 20 7 1 9 6 3 1 6 7 1 2 15 13 4 0 3 5 5 2 2 4 2 2 5 9 7 1 1 5 1 0 2 1 0 1 3 6 1 5 16 31 14 6 12 17 5 11 28 48 19 Number of Clients Age XX 25 30 35 40 50 - 24 - 29 - 34 - 39 - 49 and Over APPENDIX A— C ontinued. JULY, 1969 - DECEMBER, 1972 INFORMATION Occupation Business/Sales/ Government Communications/ Cultural Education Engineering/Physical Science Health/Biological Science Social Services Technical/Clerical Unskilled Other 1969-1970 Men Women Tot. 1970-1971 Men Women Tot. 1971-1972 Men Women Tot. 1972 Totals July-December July 69-Dec. 72 Men Women Tot. Men Women Tot. 14 0 14 9 1 10 3 1 4 3 0 3 29 2 31 0 3 0 5 0 8 1 1 0 2 1 3 0 3 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 7 0 8 1 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 6 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 1 4 5 1 1 3 7 0 0 1 4 11 5 1 3 4 7 7 8 15 7 6 13 0 1 1 17 19 36 Distance Travelled 0 - 1 0 miles 11- 50 miles 51-100 miles Over 100 miles 13 4 7 2 5 2 4 1 18 6 11 3 9 5 5 0 10 0 5 0 19 5 10 0 6 1 4 2 3 4 2 1 9 5 6 3 6 0 2 0 1 1 1 0 7 1 3 0 34 10 18 4 19 7 12 2 53 17 30 6 Number of Clients Who Took Tests 23 8 31 17 11 28 10 9 19 7 1 8 57 29 86 Number of Interviews One Two Three Four 3 2 21 0 4 2 5 1 7 4 26 1 3 2 14 0 5 1 9 0 8 3 23 0 2 3 8 0 0 4 5 1 2 7 13 1 1 1 6 0 3 0 0 0 4 1 6 0 9 8 49 0 12 7 19 2 21 15 68 2 Unemployed APPENDIX B REPORTS, FORMS, AND RELATED MATERIALS REPORTS, FORMS, AND RELATED MATERIALS October, 1965 PROPOSAL For the Program f o r the Counseling o f Adults to be o ffe re d by the Continuing Education Service in cooperation w ith the M.S.U. Counseling Center. TITLE OF SERVICE: CAREER AND LIFE PLANNING DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE: Assistance by p ro fe s s io n a lly tra in e d counselors In making choices and decisions regarding educational plans, co n stru ctive use o f le is u re time o r p reparation fo r any s o c ia lly useful endeavor appropriate fo r the personal c h a ra c te ris tic s and a b i l i t i e s o f the person seeking the s e rv ic e , g iv in g consideration to re le v a n t socio-economic factors and to th e concept o f education as a life tim e process. ELIGIBILITY FOR THE SERVICE P ro jectio n fo r the Future I n i t i a l Program Any student en ro lle d fo r one course fo r c r e d it on the East Lansing campus. Any member o f the to ta l commun­ i t y served by MSU on the E. L. campus and 1n the U n iv e rs ity teaching centers throughout the s ta te whose needs are not being met by already e x is tin g services LOCATION OF CENTERS FOR COUNSELING I n i t i a l Program P ro jec tio n fo r the Future MSU Counseling C enter, Student Serv­ ices B u ild in g , East Lansing. Service to be o ffe re d by appointment during regular o f fic e hours, two evenings each week and by special arrangement on Saturday mornings throughout the year. Service to be o ffe re d on a f u l l or p arttim e basis on the E. L. campus and 1n each U n iv e rs ity extension teaching c e n te r. Pre­ s e n tly centers are located 1n M arquette, Traverse C ity , Sagi­ naw, Grand Rapids, Benton Harbor, Oakland U n iv e rs ity - Rochester and East Lansing. STAFF: COUNSELING AND ADMINISTRATION Personal and Professional Q u a lific a tio n s 1 - Minimum educational requirement: MA degree in appropriate f i e l d . 2 - Experience which co n tribu tes to breadth o f knowledge o f world o f work. 3 - M a tu rity which in v ite s the c lie n ts respect and confidence. 168 4 - In te re s t in the problems and concerns o f the person in his middle ye a rs . 5 - W illingness to be Involved in an aty p ic a l o ffic e hour schedule. 6 - P a rtic ip a tio n o f both male and female counselors in the program. Sources fo r S t a f f : 1 - Choose from one or more o f the fo llo w in g : Attempt to r e c r u it new s t a f f w ith the above q u a lific a tio n s . This could encompass in v e s tig a tio n o f graduate students receivin g t h e ir degrees 1n Counseling, Counseling Psychology, A dult Education and o ther Social Science areas. Graduates o f the Diploma Program 1n the College o f Education, o r o f the NDEA In s t it u t e s , might have appropriate q u a lific a tio n s . Selected personnel from the public school secondary education programs, including those o f the voca­ tio n a l high schools, w ith broad experience and advanced degrees, and from the community and techn ical colleges could be considered. 2 - Use o f the senior s t a f f o f the Counseling Center on an overload basis. On a voluntary b asis, th is would perm it counselors to choose to have the opportunity to augment t h e ir incomes. 3 - Use o f sen io r s t a f f on a released tim e basis which would then be compensated fo r by the employment o f more in te rn s or p arttim e s t a f f to perform the functions u s u ally c a rrie d out by the senior s t a f f member in the release tim e. This is predicated on the assump­ tio n th a t the senior s t a f f member would be seeing the a d u lt c lie n t by n ig h t and Saturday appointments. 4 - Use o f selected in tern s working under the d ir e c t supervision o f senior s t a f f . I n i t i a l Program Two senior s t a f f , p re fe ra b ly one male and one fem ale, would make a v a ila b le a minimum o f two nights a week and some Saturday mornings by appointment through a l l fo u r terms. The sen io r s t a f f could be given release tim e o r could be re ­ imbursed fo r the overload i f pre­ ferre d . P ro jectio n fo r the Future A fu lltim e s t a f f would be em­ ployed to adm inister and coor­ d in ate the program o ffe re d in E. L. and in the teaching cen­ te r s . The MSU Counseling Center would have the re s p o n s ib ility fo r the service o ffe re d and would e s ta b lis h , in cooperation w ith the Counseling and Adult Educa­ tio n Programs o f the College o f Education, an in te rn program w ith special preparation fo r the coun­ s e lin g o f ad u lts under supervision o f the senior s t a f f . 170 STAFF: CLERICAL P ro jec tio n fo r the Future I n i t i a l Program Existing Counseling Center reception and s e c re ta ria l s t a f f could p a rtly f i l l the need in the i n i t i a l program. A re c e p tio n is t fo r n ig ht and Saturday appointments would be needed and could come from employing a new per­ son p a rt time o r on a release time or overload basis from the present c le ric a l s t a f f . TESTING: A re c e p tio n is t or se cretary or a person combining these q u a lif ic a ­ tio n s would be required in each U n iv e rs ity center in the s ta te . I t might be possible to u t i l i z e a person p resen tly on the U n iv e rs ity Extension s t a f f on a parttim e b asis. A fu llt im e secretary would be needed to a s s is t In admin is te rin g the program a t the MSU Counseling C enter. STAFF, SPACE, TESTS, AND SUPPORTING CLERICAL SERVICES I n i t i a l Program P ro jec tio n fo r the Future O ffer te s tin g during the re g u lar o ffic e hours during the week and on two Saturday mornings per month a t the Testing O ffic e a t the Counseling Center, E. L. A dm inistration and scoring o f the te s ts could be done by the present s t a f f on a release time o r overload basis. Consider­ ation would be given to permission to complete untimed tes ts on a ta k e home basis. S ervice to be o ffe re d on a f u l l o r p arttim e basis on the E. L. campus and in each o f the U n iv e rs ity Exten­ sion Teaching Centers. The program would be c a rrie d out under the lead­ ersh ip o f the A ssistant D ire c to r fo r Testing o f the MSU Counseling Center w ith provision fo r employing the necessary professional and c le r ic a l s t a f f . Consideration could be given to the use o f s e c re ta ria l s t a f f a l ­ ready employed 1n the Extension Centers fo r adm inistering some o f the te s tin g 1 f the demand did not j u s t i f y fu lltim e employees to carry out th is fu n c tio n . Expectation would be th a t data would be c o lle c te d to a s s is t in e s ta b lis h ­ ing norms fo r adults on p resen tly a v a ila b le te s ts and work would be c a rrie d out toward designing new instrum ents. SPACE AND EQUIPMENT I n i t i a l Program A f le x ib le arrangement o f the use of the present counseling o ffic e s P ro je c tio n fo r the Future On the East Lansing campus, a m in i­ mum o f s ix o ffic e s to house the 171 fo r appointments in the re g u la r o ffic e hours and the n ig h t and Saturday appointments. Use o f the present Testing O ffic e F a c il i t ie s . Use o f two typ ew rite rs on a p a rttime b as is , and purchase o f one 4-drawer f i l e fo r records would be required immediately upon i n i t i a ­ tio n o f th is program. ad m in is tra tio n o f the S tate program and the counseling o f the East Lansing program, to gether w ith the ap p ro priate te s tin g room space. T yp ew riters, telephones, record f i l e s , plus o ffic e and w aitin g room f u r n itu r e , would be needed. At le a s t two o ffic e s a v a ila b le on a a p arttim e basis should be provided in each o f the U n iv e rs ity Extension Teaching Centers along w ith the space fo r in d iv id u a l te s tin g . T yp ew riters, record f i l e s , o ffic e fu r n it u r e , e tc . would be required f o r these rooms. Consideration would be given to using space co o peratively w ith o ther Uni­ v e rs ity Extension serv ices . REFERRAL RESOURCES TO IMPLEMENT COUNSELING 1 - Admissions O ffic e cooperation on a p p lic a tio n s fo r admission and evalua­ tio n o f c re d its . 2 - Academic Advisors o r A ssistan t Deans cognizant o f the special needs o f the ad u lt retu rn in g o r beginning c o lle g e , and w ith a u th o rity to make decisions regarding m od ificatio n s o f program requirem ents. 3 - Placement Bureau personnel who w ill be able to fu rn ish Inform ation about possible job o p p o rtu n itie s , f u l l and p a rttim e , and who w ill f a c i l i t a t e arranging fo r Interview s fo r such openings. 4 - U n iv e rs ity Extension Service to handle p u b lic ity r e la t iv e to o ffe rin g the service to those e l i g i b le . 5 - Representatives o f each o f the Colleges to serve as lia is o n between th a t College and the Program fo r Counseling o f A dults. I n i t i a l Program Each o f the above resources would be needed from the very beginning o f th is program, but 1 , 2 , 4 , and 5 would be esse n tia l on a lim ite d basis w ith the need f o r placement inform ation as the program developed. P ro je c tio n fo r the Future One person w ith the necessary s k i ll s and in fo rm atio n , and a u th o rity to make judgments, would be needed in each o f the above areas to serve the E. L. campus and the U n iv e rs ity Centers. H o p e fu lly , a Placement S p e c ia lis t would be employed to work toward lo c a tin g f u l l and parttim e job o p p o rtu n itie s fo r these a d u lts . Consideration o f the arrangements necessary fo r f l e x i b i l i t y o f the requirements f o r meeting the degree, p a r tic u la r ly as 1 t applies to tra n s ­ fe r rin g o f c r e d it , residence req u ire ment, e tc . July-August, 1973 TO: fCounselors!___________ FROM: Anne Golseth RE: Your views concerning the Adult Counseling S ervice During the past few months, I have been a s s is tin g Dorothy Ross with a fo llo w -u p survey o f former c lie n ts o f the "Adult Counseling S ervice." We are examining c lie n t c h a ra c te ris tic s and requesting c lie n t s 1 responses to questions about t h e ir counseling experiences and about t h e i r a c t i v i t ie s since counseling. The survey is opan 1n form and c a lls fo r in d iv id u a l comments--sharing o f personal fe e lin g s and perceptions r e la tin g to the counseling experience. A copy o f the survey is enclosed f o r your in fo rm atio n . I t is possible th a t I may develop a d is s e rta tio n study w ith the ACS c lie n t survey responses as core d ata. The most valuable addi­ tio n al resource o f inform ation about and evalu atio n o f the "Adult Coun­ seling Service" 1s the s t a f f who provide assistance to ACS c lie n t s . I wish to t a lk w ith these counselors about t h e ir views o f the serv ice and its present and fu tu re . T h e re fo re , I w il l be contacting you to request an appointment w ith you. This meeting w il l be a resource in te rv ie w rath er than a research in te rv ie w . That i s , my purpose is Inform ation gathering ra th e r than in te rv ie w a n a ly s is . With your perm ission, I would l ik e to record the in te rv ie w . Attached is a copy of some questions to which I would lik e your response during our t a l k . N a tu r a lly , o th er questions and topics w ill develop during the in te rv ie w . I f you have questions about the in terview and/or the proposed study, please contact me. I w il l very much ap p reciate your assistance. J u ly -A u g u s t* 1973 A. G o lseth Interview Questions— Counselors "Adult Counseling S e rvic e"—M.S.U. 1. C lie n ts in the ACS "program" d i f f e r from o ther counseling center c lie n ts in th a t they are not MSU students and they pay a fee fo r counseling and te s tin g s e rv ices . Do you fe e l th a t service to non­ students and service on a fee basis is a le g itim a te p a rt o f the mission o f the MSU Counseling Center? 2. In 1966 a survey o f persons e n ro lle d in U n iv e rs ity Extension Clas­ ses in d icated th a t 40 percent o f those persons would make use o f an a d u lt counseling service i f i t were fr e e . Ten percent in d icated th a t they would use the service on a cost basis. Do you fe e l th a t e ffo r ts should be made to o ffe r counseling services to a d u lt non­ students a t no cost? 3. The A dult Counseling Service is lim ite d to "ed u c atio n a l, c a re e r, and l i f e planning" assistance. Have you found th a t you are able to provide counseling w ith in these lim ita tio n s or have you also provided personal and/or social counseling to your a d u lt c lie n ts ? 4. Do you fe e l th a t the Center should openly provide therapy or p erso nal-social counseling services to nonstudent a d u lt c lie n ts ? Should the Center provide counseling services to special nonstudent groups such as m arried couples, young c h ild re n , women, alum ni, and so on? 5. What have you found to be the primary concerns and needs o f the "ad u lt" c lie n ts whom you have counseled? 6. What are some o f the ways (c h a ra c te ris tic s and concerns) in which your a d u lt c lie n ts have been s im ila r to each o th er and d iff e r e n t from each other? 7. In g en eral, do you fe e l th a t the Adult Counseling Service "package" (in te rv ie w s and te s ts ) is o f value to the c lie n ts ? Is i t worth the cost? 8. Have you f e l t com fortable w ith the s tru c tu re o f a "short-term pack­ age" as provided by the A dult Counseling Service? 9. Do you lik e working w ith a d u lt c lie n ts ? What are vantages and disadvantages fo r you as a counselor ents o f the "Adult Counseling Service?" 10. some o f the ad­ working w ith c l i ­ Are you s a tis fie d w ith the procedures and operations o f the ACS pro­ gram: the inform ation form, the appointment tim es, payment fo r your s e rv ic e s , and other matters? 175 July-August, 1973—A. Golseth Interview questions continued 11. I f the Counseling Center o f MSU were to e s ta b lis h a formal ad u lt counseling u n it or branch, would you consider an appointment to th a t u n it? I f so, how much time would you be w illin g to give to the unit? 12. The MSU Commission on Admission and Student Body Composition re c ­ ommended th a t the U n iv e rs ity assign space fo r use as a Center fo r advising and counseling the o ld e r and more mature students. What is your reactio n to such a recommendation? 13. The MSU Task Force on L ife lo n g Education has recommended th a t ac­ cess to learn in g resources, including counseling resources, be expanded throughout the S tate o f Michigan. What is your reactio n to th is recommendation? 14. P u b lic ity about the ACS is lim ite d to the "Evening College B u lle tin " and a few other MSU p u b lic a tio n s . Do you fe e l th a t p u b lic ity should o r should not be more extensive? 15. Do you fe e l th a t the Counseling Service fo r nonstudent adults is an es se n tia l p a rt o f the public service mission o f Michigan S tate U niversity? 176 MICHIGAN STATE UN IVER SITY ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE Counseling Center 207 Student Services B uilding East Lansing, Michigan COUNSELING SERVICES: In cooperation w ith the Continuing Education S e rvic e, the MSU Counsel­ ing Center o ffe rs the services o f professional counselors to a s s is t adult men and women in making choices and decisions regarding educa­ tio n al plans, career goals, or any purposeful use o f le is u re tim e. In the i n i t i a l assessment in te rv ie w , the counselor and the person seek­ ing help w ill explore and evaluate experiences as they p e rta in to appro­ p ria te o b je c tiv e s . Testing and subsequent counseling interview s w ill be arranged fo r those who wish fu rth e r evalu ation o f t h e ir in te r e s ts , a b i l i t i e s , or special a p titu d e s . Counselors are a v a ila b le by appointment Monday through Thursday even­ ings a f t e r 5:00 p.m. a t the Counseling Center. Consideration w il l be given fo r requests fo r appointments a t other times when circumstances make th is necessary. Special arrangements may be made fo r te s tin g Saturday mornings fo r those unable to take the te s ts during the re g u la r Counseling Center Testing O ffic e hours, 8:00 to 5 :0 0 , Monday through Friday. FEES: Assessment, T e s tin g , and two Counseling interview s $70.00 Assessment In te rv ie w only $20.00 APPLICATION FOR COUNSELING: The attached a p p lic a tio n requesting an appointment, accompanied by a check fo r $20.00 made payable to Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , should be mailed to the Coordinator o f A dult Counseling S e rvic e, 207 Student Ser­ vices B u ild in g , Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , East Lansing, Michigan 48823. This down payment covers the cost o f the assessment in te rv ie w . Payments fo r te s tin g and subsequent interview s w ill be c o lle c te d a t the time o f te s tin g . Notice o f the time o f the appointment and the name o f the counselor w ill be mailed a t le a s t one week in advance o f the appointment. Arrangements fo r fu tu re appointments or fo r te s tin g w ill be agreed upon at the time o f the f i r s t in te rv ie w . 177 Detach and re tu rn these th ree pages MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE APPLICATION FOR COUNSELING D a te ___________ Name______________________________________ Address___________________________________ S tre e t C ity S tate Zip Code T e l. No. PERSONAL DATA; Age: 20-24 25-29 M a rita l S ta tu s : 30-34 Married 35-39 S ing le 40-49 Divorced 50-59 Over 60 Widowed C h ild ren , Sex, and Occupation ( i f a p p lic a b le ) Other Dependents: I f there is any other inform ation about your fa m ily th a t may have a bearing on your plans, please e x p la in . 178 EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND: Name o f In s titu tio n Location Graduation Date or Dates in Attendance High School_________________________________________________________________ C ollege(s) or U n iv e r s ity (ie s )______________________________________________ Degrees Earned: Major F ie ld : Describe b r ie f ly any other tra in in g o r educational experience (business, te c h n ic a l, e t c .) completed or in progress. Which subjects studied did you enjoy the most? Which held your in te re s t the least? WORK HISTORY: Are you p resen tly employed? I f so, where, s ta te jo b t i t l e , and b r ie f ly describe your d u tie s . How long have you been in th is position? What other f u llt im e positio ns have you held? Give the name o f the po­ s itio n and the dates employed (approxim ately) o f any jobs held fo r a year or more. (Use back o f th is sheet i f more space is needed.) 179 LEISURE TIME ACTIVITY: B r ie fly describe the so cial or o rg an iza tio n al a c t i v i t ie s in which you have p a rtic ip a te d . L is t hobbies which you have pursued. How much do you read in your spare time ( d a ily newspapers, magazines, books). PURPOSE IN SEEKING COUNSELING: Counselors a s s is t people in making choices and decisions regarding edu­ cational plans, career goals, or use o f le is u re tim e. What are your main purposes in seeking counseling? This completed inform ation schedule accompanied by a check fo r $20.00 made payable to Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity should be mailed to the Co­ o rd in ato r o f A dult Counseling S e rvic e, 207 Student Services B u ild in g , Michigan S tate U n iv e rs ity , East Lansing, Michigan. Appointments may be scheduled Monday through Thursday evenings a f t e r 5:00 p.m. Consid­ eratio n w il l be given fo r appointments a t other times when circumstances make th is necessary. L is t below your preferences. Notice o f the time of your appointment and the name o f your counselor w i l l be mailed to you a t le a s t one week in advance o f the appointment. REQUESTED DATE AND TIME FOR APPT. ( l i s t three choices^ ASSIGNED: 1. Date __________________________ 2. Counselor 180 Adult C lie n t P r o f ile Spring 1973 Name_______________________________________________________________ City and S tate____________________________________________________ I.D . Year Sex ________ Locale Age__________________________________________ Mar. S t.. Children_____________________________________ Dependents, Education Present Occupation Unemployed Status, Other Occupations, Acti vi t i es/Hobbi es Readi ng_____________ Purpose Area/Reasons Counselor_____ No. Interview s Tests Notes 181 MSU ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE CLIENT BACKGROUND INFORMATION WITH PROFILE CODING Background inform ation concerning c lie n t c h a ra c te r is tic s , purposes in seeking counseling assistance, and some aspects o f the counseling ex­ perience was gained from in v e s tig a tio n o f the "A pplication Form fo r Adult Counseling" and o ther records fo r each c lie n t . The inform ation was tra n s fe rre d to an "Adult C lie n t P r o file " form and then coded fo r tra n s fe r to computer cards. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Id e n tific a tio n Number fo r Each C lie n t 001 to 210 Card Number 1 ................... card w ith backgroundinform ation 2 ................... card w ith surveyresponse data Sex o f C lie n t 1................... Woman 2 ................... Man Year C lie n t Sought Assistance from A dult Counseling 1 ................... 1966 (Jan.-June) 2 ................... 1966-1967 3 ................... 1967-1968 4 ................... 1968-1969 5 ................... 1969-1970 6 ................... 1970-1971 7 ................... 1971-1972 8 ................... 1972 (J u ly -D e e .) Distance Traveled By C lie n t to MSU Campus 1....................under 10 miles 2 ....................11-50 miles 3 ....................51-100 m iles 4 ....................over 100 m iles Age Group o f C lie n t a t Time o f Counseling 1 ....................xx to 24 years 2 ....................25 to 29 years 3 ....................30 to 34 years 4 ....................35 to 39 years 5 ....................40 to 49 years 6 ....................50 to 59 years 7 ....................60 plus years * * * * * * * * * 182 M arital Status o f C lie n t a t Time o f Counseling 1 ................... Single 2 ....................Married 3 ....................Separated 4 ....................Divorced 5 ....S p o u s e Deceased Number o f C hildren 0 -9 None up to n in e; blank means none or no response Education Completed 1....................High School 2 ....................Techni cal /C e r ti f i c a ti on/Propr i e ta ry 3 ................... Some C ollege/A ssociate Degree 4 ....................Bachelor's Degree 5 ....................Some Graduate Study 6 ....................M aster's Degree 7 ....................Doctorate or Professional Degree Present Occupation 1 Business/Sales/Government 2 ....................Communication/Cultural 3 ....................Education 4 ....................Engi neeri ng/Physical Sci ences 5 ....................Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Sciences 6 ....................Social Services (m in is try , community, e t c .) 7 ....................T e c h n ic a l/C le ric a l 8 ....................U nskilled 9 ....................Other (includes m ilita r y ) Status o f Unemployment 1 ....................Handicapped or 111 2 ....................Homemaker 3 ....................R etired 4 ....................Student 5 ....................Seeking Job or Education 6 .............. .Other Other Jobs Previously Held Coding according to occupational category w ith each category assigned a separate column. Business/Sales/Government Communications/Cultural Education Engineering/Physical Sciences Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Sciences Social Service 183 O ther Jobs P re v io u s ly Held Continued Techni c a l/C le r i cal Unski 1led Other M ilit a r y A c t iv it ie s , Hobbies, O rganizations, Etc. Coding according to a c t iv it y category w ith each category assigned a separate column. Soci a l/S p e c ta to r/T ra v e l Service C lubs/Volunteer Work Professional Organizations Sports/O utdoor/Pets/R ecreati on Mus i c/Art/Dram a/W ri t i ng/Photography Col 1ection s/C rafts/D o m estic Arts P o litic s /S o c ia l Action Reading Other None Church Related Main General Purpose in Seeking Counseling Assistance Coding according to purpose category w ith each category assigned a separate column. Assigned a rank o f 0 , 1 ,2 ,3 , 4 , in terms o f importance. Help w ith Educational Plans Help w ith Career Plans/Goals Help w ith Use o f Leisure Time Other S p ecific Reasons fo r Seeking Counseling Assistance Coding according to reason category w ith each category assigned a separate column. Category assigned a number 1 = Yes, i f the c lie n t 's statement o f reasons f i t th a t category. D is s a tis fa c tio n w ith Present S itu a tio n Need fo r General Inform ation Need fo r Help in Decision-Making Inform ation Re: A ptitudes, In te r e s ts , e tc . Help With Self-Understanding Help With Career and L ife Planning Help With Choosing Area fo r Study Help With Personal Social Concerns Other 184 Counselor Who Worked With The C lie n t Coded 1 to 7 fo r the seven counselors who had worked w ith Adult Counseling Service C lie n ts from January, 1966 through December, 1972. Number o f Counseling Interview s 1 -4 One, Two, Three, o r Four Interview s Tests Taken by C lie n t Coding according to the te s t category w ith each category assigned a separate column. Category was assigned a blank i f no te s ts , a 1 i f one t e s t , 2 i f two te s ts , and so on. Achievement Tests In te r e s t In ven tories Learning A b ilit y Measures Mechanical/Motor Tests P erso n ality/V alu es In ven tories S p a tia l R elations Special Aptitudes Other * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 185 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY East Lansing * Michigan 48823 Counseling Center May 11, 1973 Dear Some time ago we had the p riv ile g e o f working w ith you through our Adult Counseling Service. We would lik e to e n lis t your help now in evaluating th is program so th a t we might fin d ways to b e tte r serve the men and women who seek our assistance. I t is only w ith your co­ operation th a t we can evalu ate the work we are doing and seek to im­ prove the counseling service which we are o ffe r in g . We hope you w ill take a few minutes to f i l l in the enclosed question­ naire and to share w ith us any comments or c ritic is m s concerning your experience w ith the A dult Counseling S ervice. Your responses w il l be tre a te d c o n fid e n tia lly , and we w ill p ro te c t your privacy in rep o rtin g any o f the fin d in g s from th is study. An addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed fo r the re tu rn o f the com­ pleted question n aire. We would lik e to have i t returned a t your e a r­ l ie s t convenience b u t, h o p e fu lly , no la t e r than May 31. We w ill appreciate the c o n trib u tio n which your responses w il l make to the evalu ation o f the MSU Counseling S ervice. S in c e re ly , Dorothy R. Ross Coordinator o f the A dult Counseling Service DRR/cs 186 May 1973 CLIENT SURVEY: MSU ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE Please respond to a l l o f the fo llo w in g items. Include any comments, questions, or suggestions in the spaces provided or on a separate sheet. COMPLETED SURVEY TO BE RETURNED BEFORE MAY 31 Name____________________________________________ Date_____________ Address_________________________________ ________________________ num ber/street c it y s ta te /z ip 1. Are you p res en tly employed? 2. I f employed, note your present job t i t l e , lo c a tio n , and length o f time in th is p o s itio n . 3. I f not employed a t p resen t, ex p la in your s itu a tio n and use o f time (such as "seeking jo b ," " r e tir e d ," "homemaker," "stu dent," e t c .) 4. L is t in order by year any other jobs and purposeful uses o f time in which you have engaged SINCE you used the MSU Counseling S ervice. 5. Have you added to your education and/or tra in in g SINCE you used the MSU Counseling Service?_______ I f so, please l i s t the kinds o f edu­ cation and/or tra in in g in order by year and note whether i t is com­ p leted or in progress. 6. Formal Education/Training (degrees, c e r t i f i c a t i o n , e t c .) ________ F u lltim e _____ P arttim e_______ 187 7. Inform al Education/Training (workshops, re c re a tio n , e t c .) 8. What are some o f the outside in te r e s ts , s o c ia l/o rg a n iz a tio n a l ac­ t i v i t i e s , and/or hobbies in which you have engaged or are engaging SINCE .you used the MSU A du lt Counseling Service? Please l i s t the kind o f a c t iv it y and whether i t is s t i l l an a c tiv e in te re s t fo r you. 9. How did you fin d out about the MSU A dult Counseling Service? 10. Did you fe e l th a t counseling sessions were arranged to s u it your conveni ence?_________________________________________________________ 11. Was i t a hardship fo r you to come to the campus fo r the counseling or te s tin g sessions?_______ I f so, please exp lain why. 12. What were your main purposes in seeking counseling assistance? 13. In what ways did you b e lie v e th a t counseling would be h elp fu l to you? What were your expectations? 14. Did you fin d support fo r your seeking counseling assistance from any o f the follow ing? (please check) spouse_________ parents_______ ch ild re n _______ frie n d s ______ others__ Please comment about the kind o f support. 188 15. Did you fe e l th a t your counselor cared about your p a r tic u la r con cerns?_________ Please comment. 16. Did you take tests? ______ I f you took te s ts , were they o f help to you? Please comment. 17. Did counseling help you w ith decisions about change or choice o f plans? Please comment. 18. Did any o f the fo llo w in g persons provide you w ith support fo r carryin g out changes in your l i f e which were suggested by the counseling? Please check. spouse_______ parents_______ ch ild re n _______ frie n d s _______ others Please comment about the kind o f support. 19. Was the counseling service which you received worth the fin a n c ia l investment to you? _____ Please comment. 20. Would you recommend the MSU A dult Counseling Service to a member o f your fa m ily or to a close frien d ? _____________________________ 21. Do you know o f any a d u lt career counseling services in o r near your community? I f so, what kinds o f services are they? (school, agency, church, o th e r) 189 22. Do you fe e l th a t among your acquaintances th ere are those who would take advantage o f such a service i f i t were a v a ila b le ? We welcome your fu rth e r comments and any suggestions which you have fo r improving the MSU A dult Counseling S ervice. PLEASE RETURN COMPLETED SURVEY BY MAY 31, 1973 190 MICHIGAN STATE UN IVER SITY East Lansing, Michigan 48823 Counseling Center June 8 , 1973 Dea r__________________________ : We are very anxious to have your response to the Adult Coun­ seling questionnaire which we mailed to you re c e n tly . We are holding the data which we have c o lle c te d in the hope th a t we may have your ideas to incorporate in to our e v alu atio n . Would you please take a few minutes to f i l l and drop i t in the mail fo r us as soon as possible. out the survey Your cooperation is very much appreciated. S in c e re ly , Dorothy R. Ross Coordinator o f the A dult Counseling Service 191 MSU ADULT COUNSELING SERVICE CLIENT SURVEY ITEMS WITH RESPONSE CODING Item is follow ed by N=xx. This re fe rs to the number o f persons re ­ sponding to the item . * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * IMPLEMENTATION ITEMS 1. Are you p resen tly employed? N=76 F u lltim e _______ Parttim e______ 1 ...................F u lltim e 2 ...................Parttim e 3 ...................Not Employed 2. I f employed, note your present job t i t l e , lo c a tio n , and length o f time in th is p o s itio n . Occupation Now N=54 1 ...................Business/Sales/Government 2 ...................Communi c a ti on/Cul tu ra l 3 ...................Education 4 ...................Eng i neer i ng/ Phy s i ca 1 Sc i ences 5 ...................Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Sciences 6 ...................Social Services (m in is try , community, re c re a tio n ) 7 ...................T e c h n ic a l/C le ric a l 8 ...................U n skilled 9 ...................O th e r/M ilita r y Time in Occupation Now N=52 1 ...................One or less years 2 ...................One plus to two years 3 ...................Two plus to th ree years 4 ...................Three plus to fo u r years 5 ...................Four plus to f iv e years 6 ...................Five plus to s ix years 7 ...................Six plus to seven years 8 ...................Over seven years 3. I f not employed a t present, ex p la in your s itu a tio n and use o f tim e, (such as "seeking jo b ," " r e tir e d ," "homemaker," "stu dent," e t c .) N=27 1...................H andicapped/Ill 2 ...................Homemaker 3 ...................R etired 4 ...................Student 5 ...................Seeking Job/Education 6 ...................Other 192 4. L is t in order by year any o th er jobs and purposeful uses o f time 1n which you have engaged SINCE you used the MSU Counseling Ser­ v ic e . Number o f other Jobs N=75 0 to 9 o th er jobs Kind o f Other Jobs N=76 Coded 0 to 9 according to occupational categ o ries in separate columns as fo llo w s . Blank = none. Bus i ness/Sales/Government Communi c a ti o n /C u ltu ra l Education Engineering/Physical Sciences Health F ie ld s /B io lo g ic a l Sciences Social Services T echn ical/C l e ric a ! U n skilled O th e r/M ilita r y 5. Have you added to your education and/or tra in in g SINCE you used the MSU Counseling Service? I f so, please l i s t the kinds o f education and/or tra in in g in order by year and note whether i t is completed or in progress. F urther Education Since Counseling N=76 1 ....................Yes 2 ....................No 6. Formal E ducation/Training (degrees, c e r t i f i c a t i o n , e t c .) Formal E d u c ./T ra in . Completed N=30 1 ....................Other 2 ....................Techni cal /C e r ti f i c a ti on/Propri e ta ry 3 ....................Some C ollege/A ssociate Degree 4 ....................Bachelor's Degree 5 ....................Some Graduate Study 6 ................. .M aster's Degree 7 ....................Doctorate or Professional Degree Formal E d u c ./T ra in . In Progress N=33 1 ....................Other 2 ................... Techni ca 1/C e r t i f i c a ti on/Propri e ta ry 3 ................... Some College/A ssociate Degree 4 ................... Bachelor's Degree 5 ................... Some Graduate Study 6 ................... M aster's Degree 7 ................... Doctorate or Professional Degree 193 7. Inform al E ducation/Training (workshops, re c re a tio n , e t c . ) N=76 Coded 0 to 9 according to number o f experiences mentioned w ith regard to categories in separate columns as fo llo w s . Blank9 none; 9= s e v e ra l. A dult Education/Evening College/Workshops Recreation Courses/Lessons A rt/M usic/D ram a/Photo/Sim 1lar C rafts/H obbies Domestic A rts Other 8. What are some o f the outside in te r e s ts , s o c ia l/o rg a n iz a tio n a l ac­ t i v i t i e s , and/or hobbies in which you have engaged or are engaging SINCE you used the MSU A dult Counseling Service? Please l i s t the kind o f a c t i v i t y and whether i t is s t i l l an a c tiv e in te r e s t fo r you. N=76 Coded according to a c t i v i t ie s mentioned by categories in separate columns as fo llo w s . Black=none; l= a c t iv it y mentioned. S o c ia l/S p e c ta to r/T ra v e l Service C lubs/Volunteer Work Professional O rganizations S p o rts/O u td oo r/P ets/R ecreati on Mus i c/A rt/D ram a/W ri t i ng/Photography Col 1ec tio n s/C rafts/D o m e stic Arts P o litic s /S o c ia l Action Reading (exten sive . . . as a hobby) Other Church Related xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx FACILITATION ITEMS 9. How did you fin d out about the MSU A du lt Counseling Service? N®67 1 ................... Evening College Brochure 2 ................... Newspaper 3 ................... Other P u b lica tio n 4 ................... Family Member 5 ................... Friend 6 ................... Other 10. Did you fe e l th a t counseling sessions were arranged to s u it your convenience? N=73 1................... Yes 2 ................... No 194 11. Was i t a hardship fo r you to come to the campus fo r the counseling or te s tin g sessions?_______ I f so, please ex p lain why. N=74 1 ................... Yes 2 ................... No PURPOSE ITEMS 12. What were your main purposes in seeking counseling assistance? N=76 Coded by rank o f 0 ,1 ,2 ,3 ,4 in response category columns as fo llo w s: Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Help w ith Other 13. Educational Plans Career Plans Use o f Leisure Time Personal Concerns In what ways did you b e lie v e th a t counseling would be h elp fu l to you? What were your expectations? N=76 Coding by assignment o f 1 i f any p a rt o f response re la te d to any o f the c a te g o rie s . Maximum coding would be one response which included m aterial th a t could apply to a l l e ig h t c a te ­ g o rie s. In parentheses are key words used to code according to the c a teg o ries . Guidance ( d ir e c tio n , focus, in s ig h ts , a lte r n a tiv e s , e tc .) Job Advice (d e c is io n s , suggestions, s u i t a b i l i t y , success, happiness) Educational (d e c is io n , suggestions, s u i t a b i l i t y , Advice success, happiness) Assessment (e v a lu a tio n , d e f in it io n , and discovery re: in te r e s ts , a b i l i t i e s , a p titu d e s ) Self-Understanding (m otives, p e rs o n a lity , c o n flic t re s o lu tio n ) In s tru c tio n (how t o 's , in fo rm atio n , concrete) Placement (s p e c ific job o p p o rtu n itie s ) Other (as sta ted ) Void (misunderstood, no sense, none) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 195 PROCESS ITEMS 14. Did you fin d support fo r your seeking counseling assistance from any o f the follow ing? (please check) spouse parents ch ild re n frie n d s Please comment about the kind o f support. others_____ N=72 1....................Spouse 2 ................... Parents 3 ................... Children 4 ................... Friends 5&6............... Combinations o f above 7 .................... A ll 8 .................... No Supporters 9 ................... Other 15. Did you fe e l th a t your counselor cared about your p a r tic u la r con­ cerns? ______ Please comment. N=74 1 .................... Yes 2 .................... No 16. Did you take tests? you? Please comment. I f you took te s ts , were they o f help to N=76 1 .................... Yes and H elpful 2 .................... Yes and Not H elpful 3 .................... Yes and No Comment 4 ....................No Tests xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx OUTCOME ITEMS 17. Did counseling help you w ith decisions about change or choice o f plans? Please comment. N=74 1.................... Yes 2 ....................No 18. Did any o f the fo llo w in g persons provide you w ith support fo r carryin g out changes in your l i f e which were suggested by the counseling? Please check. spouse parents ch ild ren frie n d s Please comment about the kind o f support. 1....................Spouse 2 ................... Parents 3 ................... Children 4 ....................Friends N=52 others_____ 196 18. Continued. 5&6............... Combinations o f above 7 ................... A ll 8 ................... No Supporters 9 ................... Other 19. Was the counseling service which you received worth the fin a n c ia l investment to you? Please comment. N=75 1 ................... Yes 2 ....................No 20. Would you recommend the MSU A dult Counseling Service to a member o f your fa m ily or to a close frien d ? N=72 1 ....................Yes 2 ....................No xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx OTHER ITEMS 21. Do you know o f any a d u lt career counseling services in or near your community? I f so, what kinds o f services are they? (school, agency, church, o th e r) N=76 Coded by number o f service mentioned in kind o f service ca te­ gories in separate columns. Do you know o f services? 1 ....................Yes 2 ....................No S c h o o l/C o lleg e /U n ive rs ity Agency Church P riv ate Other 22. Do you fe e l th a t among your acquaintances there are those who would take advantage o f such a service i f i t were availab le? N=62 1 ....................Yes 2 ....................No xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx We welcome your fu rth e r comments and any suggestions which you have fo r improving the MSU Adult Counseling S ervice.