How to form Novice Counselors?

Counsellor biases, such as confirmatory bias and illusory correlation, lead to restricted and therefore less appropriate problem formulations. Based on Social Learning Theory, the traditional method of counsellor training, teaches skill-behaviours, such as paraphrasing, reflecting, and clarifying, for problem formulation. In this method, there is no way of checking that novice counsellors are using all the available information to help conceptualise the client''s problem. Therefore, an alternative cognitive and dispositional method was designed to counter bias, and to encourage a differentiated and integrated formulation of the problem.Moreover, the addition of cognitive and attitudinal measurement to a field dominated by behavioural evaluation shows promise in terms of developing a comprehensive evaluative procedure. The approach may be applicable in the evaluation of metacognitive training effects in other domains.