Appraising Counselor Attendance in Counseling: The Validation and Application of the Revised Fit, Stigma, and Value Scale

Abstract

This study investigated counselors' rates of attendance in counseling and used factor analysis to validate the revised Fit, Stigma, and Value Scale, a questionnaire designed to appraise barriers to seeking counseling with a large sample of practicing counselors. Results indicated that 90.3% of practicing counselors had been in counseling, with larger percentages of female than male counselors attending. Logistic regression analysis showed that the value subscale was a significant predictor of counselors' attendance in counseling. The importance of counselors' attendance in counseling for reducing problems of professional competence and the utility of the scale for enhancing the practice of clinical mental health counseling are discussed. Recommendations for future research are provided.