TPC-Journal-V1-Issue1

The Professional Counselor \ Volume 1, Issue 1 67 What are some of the factors that you consider when choosing a service? Cost (including transportation and session fees) 20 66.7 Schedule/frequency 21 70.0 Format (e.g., individual vs. group vs. psychoeducational vs. counseling) 16 53.3 How likely are you to seek an additional service(s) in the future? Very likely 9 30.0 Likely 8 26.7 Unsure 6 20.0 Unlikely 1 3.3 Very unlikely 0 0.0 If you were to receive an additional service(s), what would be the most likely format/venue? Individual counseling 15 50.0 Couples counseling 4 13.3 Family counseling 8 26.7 Group counseling 1 3.3 Support group 13 43.3 Parenting training individual sessions 4 13.3 Parenting training group sessions 6 20.0 Individual psychoeducational sessions 0 0.0 Psychoeducational group sessions 3 10.0 Coping skills—individual sessions 5 16.7 Coping skills—group sessions 3 10.0 Stress management—individual sessions 8 26.7 Stress management—group sessions 4 13.3 Note. Some of the items allowed multiple answers by a single respondent. Percentage of respondents for each item was measured based on the number of respondents corresponding to specific items. Some of the 74 respondents did not provide responses for all items. The respondent group included 67 females (90.5%) and 63 (85.1%) participants who identified themselves as Caucasian/White. Thirty-five respondents (47.3%) were between ages 31 and 40, and 58 (78.4%) were married. Fifty-nine of the respondents (79.7%) had one child with special needs and 31 (41.9 %) reported the child’s disability as moderate. In regard to stress levels, 33 respondents (44.6%) indicated that they had experienced a high degree of stress in the past month, and 45 (60.8%) indicated that they had experienced either a high or very high degree of stress in the past year. Twenty-three respondents (31.1%) indicated that raising their child with special needs contributed to about 61–80% of their total stress level, and 20 (27.0%) indicated that their financial concerns contributed to about 26–40% of their total stress level. In regard to help seeking, 45 (60.8%) indicated that they had never sought professional services (e.g., various possible therapies) to cope with the stress of raising a child with special needs. The most frequently cited ( n = 12, 27.9%) reason for not seeking support services was that they were unable to find services that they perceived to be helpful for their needs. Among the 30 respondents who had sought professional services, 22 (73.3%) indicated that they had sought individual counseling (which also was the most used type of service). The second most used type of service was support groups, in which 14 respondents (46.7%) indicated that they had joined or were current members of a support group. Among those who had received individual, couple, family, or any combination of counseling, 19 (73.1%) indicated that their stress levels were reduced to some or a great extent after receiving such service(s) and 16 (61.6%) responded that their outlook on raising their child with special needs became somewhat or greatly more optimistic. Survey Items No. of Responses % Responses