The purpose of this research was to describe and evaluate the changes that occurred in the verbal stroking behaviors (VSB) of ten clients and a counselor in eight individual treatment sessions. Specifically, the following changes were examined: (1) changes in client verbal stroking behaviors, (2) relationships between clients' and counselor's perceptions of changes in clients' verbal stroking behaviors, (3) changes in counselor verbal stroking behaviors, (4) relationships between clients' and counselor's verbal stroking behaviors, and (5) counselor's perceptions of clients' progress in treatment. Verbal stroking behaviors were investigated within the theoretical framework of Transactional Analysis (TA). Ten females aged 19 to 50 years were chosen by convenience from the population seeking professional treatment through a private counseling office. Data were obtained from self-report counselor and client forms of the Barry Stroke Questionnaire (BSQ), personal information form, counselor progress notes, and from content analysis of audiotape transcriptions recorded on the Barry Content Analysis Graph (BCAG). All instruments were developed for this research. Content validity of the BSQ and BSAG were demonstrated by 100% agreement of expert reviewers. Cronbach alphas for the 16-item BSQ ranged from .78 to .87. At least 75% agreement among raters was maintained on use of the BCAG. Client and counselor data from sessions one, four, and eight were analyzed using pair-wise t-tests, Pearson product-moment correlations, and descriptive statistics. Significant changes in perceptions of clients' verbal stroking behaviors over the course of treatment were found; the vast majority of these changes were positive ones. The clients perceived themselves to change in positive ways; the counselor also perceived positive changes in clients' behaviors. Independent raters perceived no change in either client or counselor behaviors based on audiotape transcriptions. Content analysis revealed that the majority of the client-counselor interactions were positive. Results of the research based on content analysis of transcriptions did not reveal support for TA theory. However, results based on client and counselor data did support the views of TA theorists and the clinical observations of the investigator, that is, that people changed in positive and measurable ways over the course of counseling treatment. In addition, the research yielded instruments by which to measure those changes.Ph.D.Educational psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/159506/1/8324139.pd
