Position Paper 4

NAME: NUR FARAHIYAH BT YAHAYAMATRIC NO: 0737718



“Since most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture, Muslim counselors should not use standardized assessment instruments at all.” Discuss.


Typically, assessments in counseling includes gathering and integrating information about a client in a properly manner that promote effective treatment. It provides wide range of assessment in a variety of setting. After that, counselor will interpret all these data and formulate hypothesis that related to the client’s strengths and weaknesses. Besides, assessment is important as a guide in development and evaluation of school counselor’s preparation for program, workshop, and seminar. School counselors also use assessment to evaluate their own professional development. Moreover, clients require academic, career and personal issues assessment. All these important to clients to know what they should focus on. Although, some may strongly disagree, it is firmly believe that assessment is very important in counseling process. In my opinion, Muslim counselors can use standardized assessment instrument that in the market were made based on American culture because research show that most of these assessments were effective on clients so why not Muslim counselors should not use all these standardized assessment instruments at all if it give benefits to the clients.
In addition, school counselors should have competencies in assessment because effectiveness in assessment is critical to effective counseling so if Muslim counselors do not use all these assessments just because of it were made based on American culture, actually, it is not an intelligent reason. Although, most of the assessment instruments in the market were made based on American culture but there are ethics stages to formulate assessment such as literature reviews, observe, interview, factor analysis and so on. It shows that it is not easy to formulate assessment.
Furthermore, school counselor also should concern about the assessment that they want to use on clients. If the assessment absolutely show the opposite and against of Islamic teaching and Islamic value and may be lead to deviate the akidah of Muslim client, counselor should disregard it. Counselors have to choose the suitable assessment that they want to use on their client.
However, school counselor have to use standardized assessment although most of it were made based on American culture because in our country there are no standardized assessment that we made based on Islamic culture that reach world. Besides, beyond of our power to change or modified the standardized assessment to follow the Islamic culture but what we can do is to choose the suitable assessment. Choose here mean if in that assessment, most of the question are opposite with Islamic culture so do not use it and if just a few question that opposite with Islamic culture so counselor can tell the clients to disregard that few question.
In conclusion, assessment is important in counseling process because it provides description of knowledge and skills to counselor and provide directions and information to the client. I hope that one day we will have our own standardized assessment that based fully on Islamic culture. So, we do not have too depended 100% for the standardized assessment from country like America. It is not impossible to have standardized assessment in counseling that was made by Muslim people.