The Effectiveness of Counselor Skills Training and Its Relationship with Emotional Intelligence

There are two purposes of this study. The first purpose is to examine the impact of a specific intensive counseling skills training model (ICST) on counselor trainees' skill level and personal development. The second purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between emotional intelligence and counselor trainees' skill level. Discrete counseling skills (e.g., eye contact, empathy, reflection of feeling, caringly confronting) are correlated individually with emotional intelligence (EI) to determine the level of relationship. Participants comprised two groups: (a) 44 counseling students in a program accredited by the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) utilizing the ICST and (b) a control group of 8 lay counseling skills trainees in a master's-level counseling program. All participants completed a performance-based test—the Mayer Salovey Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT). Participants' first and last tapes of practice counseling sessions were rated by trained observers utilizing the Skilled Counselor Scale and the Counselor Skills Personal Development Rating Form. Results indicated that the ICST significantly increased trainees' skill and personal development over the control group. The implications for counselor training are presented, and the relationship between EI and clinical skill level among counselor trainees is also addressed. Recommendations for further research are provided.