Scale Development of Non-Specialist Family Counselors Types: Specialists’ Perspectives in East Region of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

This study’s main objective is to examine the types of family counselors considered from the perspective of specialists in Saudi Arabia. It is an attempt to highlight the differences among the beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of family counseling services, in terms of their attitude towards family counselors. The study also identified the differences between professional practitioners and academic specialists in terms of their attitude towards the same. The study adopted a self-administered questionnaire distributed to 237 specialists, both professional and academics, from which 120 were males and 117 were females. The study made use of the Unprofessional Family Counseling Types Scale. Data was statistical analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), t-test and percentage. Only 10% of the sample showed positive attitude towards family counselor, majority (65%) showed neutral attitude, while the remaining 25% showed a negative attitude. Significant differences were noted between practitioners and academic professionals in their point of view concerning family counselors (for cross-browser and peer group), weighing in, in the practitioners’ directions. Significant differences were also found between beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries of family counseling in the latter’s direction (in troubled pattern) and in positive direction for non-beneficiaries.