I never expected that my computer could help me be a better counselor. Or that it could help me help others solve family problems. But with the aid of several programs designed for use by pastors or laypeople, my machine has moved from the realm of electronic data transfer to improving communication on a very human level.
The programs that have helped here are simple psychological tests that give printouts designed to help people better understand themselves and others.
Family Communications, produced by Target Communications Corporation, Box 1814, Mason City, Iowa 50401 (phone 515-423-8038), seems to be quite accurate in its appraisals. Its goal is to help families communicate better. I have administered it to more than 30 people, and been quite satisfied with the results. Each person in the family, age 10 and above, takes the test. The six-page printout of results is upbeat and self-explanatory, and is meant to be given to the counselee.
The first page of the report is an introduction that instructs the person to "read and discuss each report with the whole family." The rest of the report describes how the person who took the test tends to communicate with the family, and how other family members can best communicate with him or her. At the end of the report is a work sheet for taking notes and designing action plans for better communication.
One woman who took the test along with her family told me that within two days the family members were getting along much better simply because they had learned what to do and what not to do in talking with each other.
Family Communications is available for IBM-compatible computers, and is sold by units. The program contains an internal counter. If you pay for 10 tests, the program will allow you to administer only that many. Once you have used it 10 times, all you can do is reprint a test result. Ten tests cost $25, but the tests are far cheaper in larger quantities. The price for 100 tests is $120.
WellnessPublications, Inc., P.O. Box 2397, Holland, Michigan 49422 (phone 616-396-5477) produces Personality Profile, Marriage Analysis Profile, and Life Stress and Coping Strength Inventory. The first two tests are fashioned somewhat after the Taylor Johnson Temperament Analysis. The third tests 15 different stress areas and one's ability to cope with the various stresses.
Each of these tests gives a four-to six-page printout that includes a graph of scores, explanation of the scores, and suggestions for personal improvement. The results are generally self-explanatory, but best results will be obtained when a counselor who can explain terminology and help the person relate to the results interprets them. Even though the printouts are written as tastefully and gently as possible, the truth can still hurt.
None of these tests is meant to be a highly professional or powerful instrument. They tend to use subjective questions and are somewhat transparent in other words, a person trying to prove something can fairly easily see the intent of the questions and purposely skew the results. But if the one taking the test realizes this and resolves to learn rather than deceive, the results can be very enlightening.
