TPC Journal V7, Issue 2 - FULL ISSUE

The Professional Counselor | Volume 7, Issue 2 161 of the variance. There were two Q sorts that were mixed cases (i.e., they had significant loadings on more than one factor) and were removed from the study. Factor 1: Application-Oriented Learners A total of 12 participants loaded onto Factor 1, accounting for 17% of the variance, and their demographic traits were unremarkable when compared to the other two factors. Participants of Factor 1 were application-oriented learners who preferred their professors to be pragmatic, supportive and active leaders during class. Factor 1 individuals preferred it when their professors demonstrated specific techniques or skills they could envision directly applying to their counseling practice. As one participant noted: “I am a visual learner, so seeing helpful behaviors and how I could act with a client helped me visualize what a therapy technique could be like [in session]. I feel like I was used to seeing good counseling behaviors so it felt more natural to do them myself.” When introducing a new concept in class, individuals of Factor 1 perceived it as more helpful when their teachers provided context of why and how it would be useful to them as a professional counselor (item 21). Individuals of Factor 1 also perceived it as helpful when they were able to hear relevant clinical anecdotes from their teachers (items 12, 16), as they served as a practical way of remembering important lessons that applied to real-world counseling situations. This was described by a Factor 1 participant: “Learning by hearing about my professors’ experiences is the easiest way for me to apply information and the easiest way for me to remember it.” Another participant broadly stated, “Real life examples were the biggest influence on my education.” Persons of Factor 1 preferred it when their teachers were active leaders in the classroom and used their knowledge and experience to efficiently instruct students. They perceived teachers as having a more credible viewpoint than themselves or their classmates because of their advanced training and experience in counseling. Factor 1 individuals did not perceive it as important that their teachers be experts (item 33) or skilled clinicians (item 31), so long as they could effectively lead class by teaching practical information, demonstrating relevant clinical skills and providing them with strength-based feedback. This preference was evident in a desire for receiving strength-based feedback from their instructors (item 18) rather than engaging in self-critique (item 6) and receiving feedback from their peers (items 1, 7). A Factor 1 participant elucidated, “Getting feedback from peers is not effective, mostly because they didn’t know any more than I did about the subject matter and I don’t value their opinion as much as the professors.” In addition to the belief that peer feedback was unhelpful, persons of Factor 1 also expressed concern about being critiqued by their peers: “I hated showing my video/audio tapes to others because I felt like I was being judged by peers and not being provided helpful suggestions.” Factor 1 individuals also expressed that high expectations from their teachers (item 23) provoked worries of “not being able to measure up” and were perceived as less helpful. One participant narrated, “The words ‘high expectation’ really struck me as negative. I feel afraid that I won’t be able to meet those expectations. I want my professor to be hopeful about my development as a counselor and not have high expectations.” Teachers who created a safe space for mistakes (item 5) through having a person-centered way of being (item 15), were transparent about their own difficulties as a counselor (item 16) and used strength-based feedback (item 18) were perceived as being more helpful, as they helped mitigate worries present in the Factor 1 viewpoint. Describing this viewpoint, one participant responded: I appreciated knowing that making mistakes was part of the class and that any expectation to be perfect was unreasonable. Also, it felt safe to grow and take risks when I feel empathy and