Bias in the counseling process

Question 1

Availability Heuristic

Answer 1

How available relevant information is in your memory. ie you make the judgment that just because something is more accessible in your memory it is also more likely in life.

Question 2

AV example

Answer 2

ie. counselors working with substance abuse in teens may acutally over estimate how likely this is to occur because of their experience.

Question 3

Representativeness Heuristic (RH)

Answer 3

what are prercieved as salient features of an object are compared with characteristics of certain groups to determine the object fits into that catergory.

Question 4

RH example

Answer 4

Child may determine unfamiliar animal is a bird because of characteristics (feathers, beak, flies etc)

Question 5

RH example

Answer 5

Counselors may make inferences about client based on characteristics ie if they are poor they also have received little education. They are a man therefore they like professional wrestling.

Question 6

RH avoidance

Answer 6

consider base rates of disorders or the reliability of the information obtained.

Question 7

Research

Answer 7

Psychodynamic therapists had different impression of video tape of the same person based on whether they were told the individual was applying for a job or seeking therapy. No differences were seen in bhaviorists.

Question 8

what to take note of?

Answer 8

seemingly less important details and details with which you are less familiar.

Question 9

How to question the client>

Answer 9

Tailor inquiries to each individual regardless of similarities to previous clients.

Question 10

Sound clinical judgement

Answer 10

Do not use just your previous experience, use the DSM

Question 11

different angles

Answer 11

adopt a view point of a counselor from a different theoretical background, see how diagnosis may differ.

Question 12

Base Rates

Answer 12

always look at how common the disorder is, and ask how likely is it that this individual with these characteristics fits this diagnostic category?

Base rates among general public and sub populations/clincal populations should be considered.

Question 13

Fundamental Attribution Error (FAE)

Answer 13

you attribute your actions factoring in situational factors. You attribute other’s actions more to stable personality dispositions.

Question 14

Issue

Answer 14

Counselors may focus on client contribution to problem while downplaying situational factors that need to be addressed. Also causes a fundamental disagreement between counselor and client.

Question 15

other problems

Answer 15

Counselors may develop unrealistic negative perceptions of clients, while clients may due the same to themselves to align with counselors opinion.

Question 16

Awareness

Answer 16

Just be aware that you will try to attribute client problems to the client not to the situation

Question 17

Alternate Hypothesis

Answer 17

formulate ideas about the case that focus purely on situational factors.

Question 18

Perspective

Answer 18

Put yourself in the client’s shoes.

Question 19

Treatment

Answer 19

Don’t only treat the individual, look at ways that client can find resources that aid in situational factors ie welfare, community agencies, etc

Question 20

Anchoring

Answer 20

when intial beliefs or pre-conceptions are not revised in light of new contradictory information.

Question 21

Prior Knowledge

Answer 21

can increase anchoring. Ie if you are give information on a client before meeting them.

Question 22

Labeling

Answer 22

ie if you are given a diagnosis

Question 23

Research on Prior Knowledge

Answer 23

When shown a tape of a “normal” individual vs an “abnormal” individual. No psychotic features were found in the healthy label group 94% of clincians labled the confederate as psychotic in the abnormal label group.

Question 24

Rosenhan Study

Answer 24

They over simplified the research causing the reader of this article to make assumptions without a full picture for the sake of brevity.

Question 25

Timing of label

Answer 25

Study on labels had clients with lable of anorexia nervosa first vs other positions among the diangosis. The closer the anorexia dianosis was to the first statement made on the client, the more the clincian achored that diagnosis.

Question 26

when to look at previous medical/case notes

Answer 26

After making your own notes.

Question 27

Referal source reliability

Answer 27

THey are also susceptible to biases. Do not think that the person who saw client before you made the best clincal judgement on the client.

Question 28

who to ask

Answer 28

ask client to check if info is correct.

also ask collegues to evaluate the existing information.

Question 29

how to check if info is correct.

Answer 29

challenge yourself to look for information that actually contradicts your preconceptions

Question 30

Diagnosis

Answer 30

Original diagnosis and treatment plan may not stick. You must periodically re-evaluate client individually and with client to ensure early impressions are valid.

Question 31

changing probabilities

Answer 31

allows you to examine all logical possibilites on a continuous basis.

Question 32

Confirmatory Hypothesis Testing (CHT)

Answer 32

once intial iimpressions have been formed it becomes more difficult for clincian to test accuarcy of hypothesis in an unbiased fashion.

Question 33

CHT problem

Answer 33

counselor is likely to ask questions and intitate discussion that confirm the hypotheses they have formed about the client.

Question 34

what to ask

Answer 34

ask both questions that may confirm or disconfirm your original hypotheses.

Question 35

Openess

Answer 35

welcome information that is contradictory to your conceptualization of the client.

Question 36

Hypothesis

Answer 36

test them, think of reasons why they might be wrong. Even ask client.

Question 37

Impression

Answer 37

Make them explicit by writing them down. That way they don’t influence you willy nilly they exist outside of you and can be systematically tested and revised.

Question 38

reconstructive memory

Answer 38

when people inadvertantly fill gaps or alter memories to be consistent with present experience.

Question 39

memory confidence

Answer 39

many people are inappropriately confident in there memory and misconstrue their recolections for fact. Vividness does not = realness

Question 40

case notes

Answer 40

can help remember essential details based in reality. The longer you wait to complete them though, the less likely they are to be accurate and contain essential information.

Question 41

case notes

Answer 41

have to be done, and have to be done in a timely fashion. bad for the client, also bad for you if there is legal involvment.

Question 42

tape sessions

Answer 42

can help keep a record, and for accuracy checking.

Question 43

polocies

Answer 43

talk about this with collegues and try to influence polocies that make it easer to keep good records.