Refinement and factor structure confirmation of the Inventory of Therapist Work with Client Assets and Strengths (IT-WAS)

ABSTRACT

Strength-oriented practices and an emphasis on the positive characteristics of clients is a grounding value in United States Counseling Psychology. However, few efforts have, historically, been undertaken to empirically substantiate both the importance of strength-oriented practice and its relationship to outcome. The Inventory of Therapist Work with Client Assets and Strengths (IT-WAS) is one such measure developed to assess the importance therapists ascribe to being strength-oriented. However, the scale, originally developed with 38-items, has not been subjected to additional psychometric testing to confirm its factor structure and foster response efficiency. Our purpose was to apply Rasch Item Response Theory (IRT) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) tests to further substantiate the psychometric properties of the scale. Using a data set of mental health professionals responses (N = 380) to measures about their clinical work, we refined the scale, resulting in a 19-item revision with a new 5-point response scale. We refer to this scale as the IT-WAS-R. CFA led to confirmation of the original factor structure with the revised scale. Findings are discussed in light of the psychometric steps taken and the value of assessing therapists’ work with clients’ strengths both clinically and in training.

KEYWORDS:

• Strength-oriented practice
• positive psychotherapy
• Rasch IRT
• confirmatory factor analysis
• therapist factors

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Theodore T. Bartholomew

Theodore T. Bartholomew is an assistant professor of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University. His research interests include psychotherapy processes and outcomes (e.g., cultural factors, positive processes, and therapist effects), culturally diverse conceptualizations of mental illness and psychological healing, mental health in Namibia, refugee mental health, and the application of diverse methodologies in psychological research.

Andres E. Pérez-Rojas

Andres E. Pérez-Rojas is Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology at New Mexico State University. His research interests include psychotherapy process and outcome, with particular emphases on the therapeutic relationship, therapist effects, training and supervision, and college student mental health. He is also interested in various aspects of culture and multiculturalism, particularly on topics related to language and bilingualism, acculturation, Latino/a mental health, and the role of culture in psychotherapy.

Ellice Kang

Ellice Kang is a doctoral student of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Her research interests include cultural and racial factors in mental health and identity development, cross-generational communication issues, and social justice issues among marginalized populations.

Eileen E. Joy

Eileen E. Joy is a research assistant and doctoral student in Counseling Psychology in the Department of Educational Studies at Purdue University. Her research interests include therapeutic processes and outcomes for diverse clients, the impact of contextual factors and poverty-related stressors on mental health, and therapists' conceptualizations of diagnosis and treatment.