Effect of counselor training on skills development and psychosocial status of volunteers with systemic lupus erythematosus

Volunteers with systemic lupus erythematosus were recruited for a telephone service to provide psychosocial support to peers. The volunteers attended an 8-week counselor training program. The aim was to evaluate the impact of the training on counselors' skill development and to record possible changes in the counselors' psychosocial status. A second group of trainees (n = 15) was used as a delayed control for the first group (n = 14). The data were analyzed using multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance. Tests chosen to monitor psychosocial status included: Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales Anxiety and Depression subscales, Arthritis Helplessness Index, Wallston General Self-Efficacy Scale, University of California at Los Angeles Loneliness Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem, and Campbell Personal Competence scales. Tests selected to measure skills and knowledge development included the Carkhuff Communications and Discrimination Skills Inventories and the Applied Knowledge Assessment scale. The latter was developed in-house and tested for reliability. Only the Carkhuff Communications Skills (P < 0.001) and the Applied Knowledge Assessment (P < 0.001) showed significant changes pre- and post-test within subjects. These results persisted at the 6-month level.