Reading Room
Projective Techniques
in the Counseling Process
by Arthur J. Clark
page 3
Treatment Planning
Treatment plans for the process of counseling may
be clarified with information derived from projectives (Korchin Schuldberg,
1981; Rabin, 1981). A decision can be made as to whether the counselor should
continue to work with the client, consider a more extensive evaluation, or
refer the client to another counselor or related resource (Drummond, 1992).
Perspectives developed through the instruments, when combined with collateral
information from various other sources, may be used to establish goals and
objectives for the counseling process. Hypotheses about the client's
personality dynamics may be incorporated into a therapeutic treatment plan
(Oster Gould, 1987). In numerous instances, the delineation of pertinent client
issues early in the counseling relationship can save time and accelerate the
counseling process (Duckworth, 1990; Pepinsky, 1947).
Projective Counseling as a Tool in Counseling
How is it possible to reconcile the concerns about projective methods with
their potential as a measure to enhance the counseling process? Once again, it
is enlightening to consider Pepinsky's balanced perspective in integrating
projectives in counseling. He viewed projective techniques more as informal
assessment methods than as precise, empirically established appraisal
instruments. Pepinsky stated: "The hypothesis is advanced that responses
to such materials need not be standardized since they form a part of the
dynamic interview process and they vary from client to client" (1947, p.
135). Information obtained through projectives can be evaluated from an
idiosyncratic perspective that focuses directly on the client as a person.
Hypotheses Development
As individualized procedures, projective techniques are based on a client's
unique frame of reference for the development of hypotheses. This information
is tentative, providing leads or indications about a client's behavior that may
be later confirmed or invalidated. Anastasi supported this position when she
wrote about projectives: "These techniques serve best in sequential
decisions by suggesting leads for further exploration or hypotheses about the
individual for subsequent verification" (1988, p. 623).
For counseling purposes, the hypotheses generated are continuously tested
and modified as new information and insights are gained. Material about the
client is a part of the working notes of the counselor rather than data to be
included in a formal written report. In no instance should a particular
hypothesis be used singularly or as a final observation. It must be supported
by substantiating information; even then, leads should be open to further
inquiry and modification (Anastasi, 1988). This approach is supported in the
Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, in reference to projective
techniques as one of the methods that "yields multiple hypotheses
regarding the behavior of the subject in various situations as they arise, with
each hypothesis modifiable on the basis of further information" (American
Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, National
Council on Measurement in Education, 1985, p. 45).
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