Role of Disclosing Psychological Distress and Intention to Seek Counseling in the Relationship between Attitude, Stigma and Working Alliance: A Conceptual Paper

Abstract

Various psychotherapeutic approaches have acknowledged the crucial component of working alliance in the helping relationship. Utilization of counseling service by university students is very low despite easy accessibility with minimal or no fees. Avoidance of counseling, even when a student may benefit from it, may lead to unattended psychological problems that are likely to affect their academic achievement. If a student does enter counseling, the counselor has an important role to ensure a strong working alliance in the relationship. The working alliance component is fundamental in the helping process to facilitate better life outcomes for clients. Ruptures in the working alliance may lead to reduced motivation to return to counseling. While attitude and stigma are known factors associated with counseling avoidance among university students in the Malaysian context, the three working alliance components based on Bordin’s (1979) working alliance conceptualization have not been adequately examined. The three components to the working alliance concept are as follows: (i) Goal; (ii) Task; and (iii) Bond. This conceptual paper discusses the working alliance and the role of distress disclosure and intention to seek counseling in the relationship between attitude and stigma amongst university students seeking professional psychological help in Malaysia. The Theory of Reasoned Action is the main theoretical framework referred in guiding the discussion of this conceptual paper.   Pelbagai pendekatan psikoterapi telah lama menyokong peranan penting pakatan kerja terapeutik dalam proses perhubungan menolong. Penggunaan khidmat kaunseling di kampus oleh pelajar universiti masih sangat rendah walaupun perkhidmatan itu tersedia di kampus tanpa bayaran atau dengan bayaran yang sangat rendah. Mengelak daripada menggunakan khidmat kaunseling yang boleh membawa manfaat mungkin boleh menyebabkan masalah psikologi menjadi lebih teruk seterusnya berkemungkinan mengganggu pencapaian akademik pelajar. Sekiranya pelajar mula menggunakan khidmat kaunseling, kaunselor berperanan untuk memastikan pakatan kerja yang kuat terbina dalam hubungan kaunseling bersama pelajar. Komponen pakatan kerja adalah penting dalam proses pertolongan untuk memudahkan hasil kehidupan yang lebih baik untukpelanggan. Kemusnahan pakatan kerja dalam hubungan kaunseling mungkin boleh mengurangkan motivasi pelajar untuk kembali menggunakan khidmat kaunseling. Sikap dan stigma terhadap kaunseling telah dikenalpasti sebagai punca rendahnya keinginan menggunakan khidmat kaunseling di kalangan pelajar universiti di Malaysia. Namun, konsep pakatan kerja oleh Bordin (1979) kurang diberi perhatian dalam kajian-kajian terdahulu di Malaysia. Tiga komponen pakatan kerja tersebut adalah: (i) Matlamat; (ii) Tugasan dan (iii) Pertalian. Kertas konsepsual ini membincangkan tentang pakatan kerja dan peranan pendedahan kesusahan serta keinginan mendapatkan kaunseling dalam hubungan antara sikap dan stigma di kalangan pelajar universiti di Malaysia. Teori Tindakan Beralasan (Theory of Reasoned Action) merupakan panduan utama dalam membincangkan kertas konsepsual ini.