Client verbal responses to counselor empathy

The effects of counselor empathy on client expression of experiencing, verbal productivity, and length of utterance were investigated using four interview analogues. Two counselor confederates, one male and one female, each had one 45-minute initial interview with each of two clients, one male and one female. Counselors switched from a behavioral condition to an empathic responding condition at 10-minute intervals in an ABAB or BABA design. Transcripts of the interviews were processed by the Computer Assisted Language Analysis System (CALAS) to obtain the dependent measures. It was expected that high rates of counselor empathic responding would result in increases in each of three dependent measures: (a) client expression of experiencing, (b) verbal productivity, and (c) length of utterance. Results indicated no significant differences in the dependent variables between treatment conditions. The results are discussed in light of client-centered theory and research; limitations of the study are noted; and recommendations for future research are made.