Development of an Attitudes Towards Complementary Therapies Scale for psychologists

Abstract

This study designed and tested a scale to measure psychologists' attitudes towards complementary and alternative therapies. The scale, derived from existing measures for medical professionals, was tested on a sample of psychology students (N = 163) using an online survey. The data were factor analysed and three correlated subscales were identified, assessing the perceived importance of knowledge about available therapies, attitudes towards integration with psychological practice, and concerns about associated risks of use. It is anticipated that this newly developed scale with be useful in gauging changes in attitudes towards psychology practice over time, as well as in planning educational initiatives within the field of psychology.

Keywords:

• Alternative therapies
• attitudes
• complementary therapies
• integrative therapies