Communication skills training for paraprofessional helpers.

The purpose of the present study was to develop and evaluate a training program for paraprofessional helpers. Twenty dormitory counselor candidates were given 20 hours of communication training while 15 other candidates were given no training. The results indicated that the trained subjects demonstrated significantly higher levels of empathy than the untrained subjects and that they maintained their level of empathy after 6 months. Results are discussed in terms of the lasting effects of the training program and the advantages of being able to use trainers with only limited experience.