Ghazi-Moghadam, Saba2010-02-102010-02-102009-11https://hdl.handle.net/11299/57460University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. November 2009. Major: Educational Psychology. Advisor: Michael P. Goh. 1 computer file (PDF); v, 95 pages, appendices A-D.Since the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (ATSPPHS; Fisher & Turner, 1970) was developed more than 30 years ago, the ATSPPHS and other similar instruments have attempted to capture the essence of individuals' help-seeking attitudes across cultures and countries. However, the majority of published studies in this area has focused on college students as subjects and studied mainly Asian and Asian-American populations. With the ever-changing population of the United States and current multicultural social and political environment, there is a definite need for investigation of the willingness to seek professional psychological help in other cultural and demographic groups. This study explored common attitudes toward counseling, as well as the effective psychological practices among Iranians residing in the United States. The study's goal is to understand the general attitudes of Iranians toward mental health and seeking help, and to provide practitioners with ideas for working with this population. Sixteen Farsi-speaking Iranian therapists, 5 men and 11 women, were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Sixteen interviews were transcribed and analyzed using an inductive qualitative method and consensual qualitative research principals. Six domains and 21 themes emerged. The domains were: 1) Clients' Expectations/Preferences in Therapy; 2) Therapists' Approach to Therapy; 3) Relationship/Rapport Building; 4) Boundary Setting; 5) Gender Roles; and 6) Help-Seeking Barriers. Implications for working with Iranian clients are discussed.en-USAttitudeCounselingHelp SeekingIraniansPsychologyTherapistEducational PsychologyThesis or Dissertation