[[alternative]]A study of the development of college-level novice counselors’ counseling abilities during a semester’s practicum training.

[[abstract]]The purpose of this study was to explore the developmental changes of college-level novice counselors’ counseling abilities during a semester’s practicum training, and the factors affecting the development of their counseling abilities. The participants of this study were 16 voluntary college-level novice counselors who came from the department of guidance of a university. They were divided into three subgroups. The focus group interview were conducted and held once a month and accumulated up to four times. The main findings were as follows: 1.The results indicated developmental changes in six dimensions of counseling ability, including counseling believes, interaction skills, conceptualization skills, helping skills, self-awareness, and professional ethic. Novice counselors respected the individual differences of their clients, acknowledged that counselors could have their own viewpoints. They finally knew how to interact with their clients more efficiently, and made a significant improvement in data-collecting. They emphasized the use of helping skills. They tried to bring the skills into practice, but not appreciated the spirit of the skill or unified planning with due considerations for all concerned. They tended to make a self-examination after a session and had good sense of the awareness of their own emotional arousal. In the long round, they found out their deficiency in some issues and looked forward further supervision. Besides, novice counselors could abide by the confidential principle as well. 2.The factors affecting the development of their counseling ability were: novice counselors’ study background and personal believes, teacher’s instructions, supervisor’s supervision, and the environment of the school where they practiced practicum. Accumulation of their own counseling experience can also have some effect.. Suggestions for counselor education and supervision as well as future research were provided based on the findings and limitations of this study.