Ethical Dilemmas of Arab Female School Counsellors: A Qualitative Thematic Analysis

ABSTRACT Background School counselling work that is based on Western individualistic cultural values and focuses on the individual's self‐fulfilment sometimes clashes with the collectivistic, authoritarian, patriarchal and traditional values of Arab society. Consequently, Arab women face unique ethical dilemmas and challenges in their work as school counsellors, especially in cases that require reporting to the legal authorities. Method This paper presents qualitative research based on semi‐structured interviews with 16 Arab female school counsellors. Findings Five main themes of dilemmas emerged from an analysis of the interviews: dilemmas at the personal level, pupil level, school staff and administration level, family and community level, and institutional level. Conclusion This research underlines the complex nature of the work of Arab school counsellors considering the gaps between Arab culture and the values of the counselling profession, and the gender‐related disparities in power between female counsellors and male school principals. Therefore, a blind and culturally insensitive application of the core principles of counselling may be detrimental in some ways, just as acting blindly in accordance with the values of Arab society may be harmful in other ways, especially vis‐à‐vis individual rights.