Differential effects of three vocational counseling treatments

Compared 3 treatments which included 2 self-administering counseling modes, Holland's Self-Directed Search (SDS), a modification of the SDS entitled Individual Vocational Planning (IVP), and traditional vocational counseling. 113 undergraduates seeking counseling at a college counseling center were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 treatment or control groups. Pre- and posttest scores were obtained on frequency and variety of vocational information seeking, satisfaction with treatment, and other measures. In addition, differential costs of providing the treatments were examined. Results indicate that all treatments were about equally effective as measured and the college users appeared equally satisfied with them. Cost analysis indicated that the traditional counseling treatment cost 6 times more per S than SDS and 4 times more than the IVP. Low delivery cost and comparable effectiveness provide evidence for the self-administrable treatment modes as additional alternatives to traditional methods.