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Abstract Number: 2024

Effect of a Revised Counselor Training on Skills Development and Knowledge of Volunteers with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Melissa T. Flores1, Jillian A. Rose2, Priscilla Toral1, Roberta Horton1 and Janice Karbachinskiy3, 1Social Work Programs, Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 2Hospital for Special Surgery, New York, NY, 3New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell, New York, NY

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords: Counseling, Education, Lupus, patient and trainee

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Session Information

Date: Monday, November 14, 2016

Session Title: ARHP III: Education and Community Programs

Session Type: ARHP Concurrent Abstract Session

Session Time: 2:30PM-4:00PM

Background/Purpose: A needs assessment was conducted on an evidenced-based, national lupus telephone peer counseling service, ongoing since 1988, with 30,000+ client contacts to date. We have reported on the evolution of this hospital-based program at previous ACR/ARHP annual meetings. Trained peer volunteers have proven to be skilled providers of psychosocial support for SLE & other chronic illnesses. Findings from staff & veteran peer counselors trained in 1988 & 1994 using an 8-week, 20-hour curriculum on peer counseling skills & impacts of lupus, pointed to the need to update the training program. Recommendations included more hands-on learning opportunities, increased preparation for the initial call, integration of new technology to enhance communication & shortening the length of training.

Methods: The training was revised to a 6-week, 18-hour program. The core curriculum components were maintained & included updated materials, a culture/diversity module, counseling tools, enhanced resource guide & a workbook-style trainee manual. After a comprehensive recruitment process, 8 women from diverse backgrounds, mean age 47, were selected & participated in the new training. Two instruments were utilized pre & post training to assess trainees: the Applied Knowledge Assessment (AKA), a validated 30-item multiple choice test that measures knowledge of SLE & counseling skills, & the Communications Exercise (CE), a 21-item test with rating scale & open-ended questions to assess communication skills. Paired t-tests (α=.05) were conducted to examine differences in mean scores.

Results: AKA results indicated that most trainees (75%) showed an increase in overall scores. The mean pre & post test scores (59 & 68 respectively) were significantly different, t(7) = 3.457, p=011. The relative change from pre to post was 16%. Types of questions were categorized into two groups: peer counseling skills & medical impacts of SLE. Stratified results showed that most trainees (88%) showed an improvement in counseling skills, with one trainee improving by 50%. Similarly, 75% trainees showed an increase in medical knowledge, with one trainee improving by 75%. For the CE, most trainees (88%) showed improvement in overall scores after the training. The mean pre & post test scores (60 & 83 respectively) were significantly different, t(7) = 2.808, p=026. The relative change from pre to post was 38%, with one trainee improving by 200%. Open-ended responses assessing trainee’s ability to respond to hypothetical callers underscore improved effective communication, including increases in empathy, reflecting feelings, summarizing & utilization of open-ended questions. Decreases in premature problem-solving, advice-giving & closed-ended questions were also noted.

Conclusion: Despite limitations due to a small sample size, our results highlight overall improvement in counseling skills, medical knowledge of SLE & communication skills. Results indicate that we were able to successfully enhance the training while retaining the core elements of the original curriculum. Furthermore, this training program continues to be a relevant model to effectively prepare peers to support patients with chronic illness, supporting previous findings.


Disclosure: M. T. Flores, None; J. A. Rose, None; P. Toral, None; R. Horton, None; J. Karbachinskiy, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Flores MT, Rose JA, Toral P, Horton R, Karbachinskiy J. Effect of a Revised Counselor Training on Skills Development and Knowledge of Volunteers with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/effect-of-a-revised-counselor-training-on-skills-development-and-knowledge-of-volunteers-with-systemic-lupus-erythematosus/. Accessed January 28, 2023.
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