POSITION PAPER (4).

CROSS-CULTURAL COUNSELING (EDG 4008)
SUZIELAWATI BT OMAR @ ABDUL AZIZ (0816548)

“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….

Assessment can be a valuable tool in screening, diagnosis, placement, program planning, and evaluation of the programs. The main aim in order to developmental of assessment is important in understanding cognitive, interpersonal, and moral and so on as client’s progress through the various stages of their life.
Beside that, in order to develop an assessment, a counselor should be aware of the historical factors that lead to positively or negatively to the client’s functioning. Furthermore, in order to have an effective assessment to the client, counselor should investigate about the client’s current educational, social and psychological needs. So that, the establishment of assessment can be develop as well.
According to the title above, I strongly believed that a Muslim counselor should not use standardized assessment instruments which based on American culture. My question is, why we have to use the assessment instrument which have been made by non Muslim society, meanwhile our ultimate source for Muslim is based on the Qur’an and Sunnah? Why not we develop an assessment by our own which based on our lifestyle?
On the other hand, some may assume that it is no doubt for a counselor to use the assessment instrument in the market were made based on American culture as long as it is not contrary with Islam culture and Muslim norms of life. Then, people also believed that a counselor can use the American assessment in counseling, but it can be converting or changed when it is not suitable or can lead to harm to our society.
Then, whatever some people assumed, my final assumptions about the topic is I’m strongly agree that a Muslim counselor should not use standardized assessment instruments in the market that were made based on American culture. This is because I believed that when a counselor used assessment instruments which based on American culture, I aware that it could be touch a sensitive way of Muslim culture, so that it may lead to the chaos among the societies. Lastly, my suggestion is ‘Lembaga Counselor’ in Malaysia should investigate and built an assessment which is suitable for a Muslim culture that can be used in counseling session. This is because, with an effective assessment that been used in counseling, it will assist a counselor to be aware and deep understanding about the client’s situation as well.