Redefining Islamic Counseling According to the Perspective of Malaysian Muslim Counselors

There are arguments by some Malaysian counselors whether Islamic counseling really exists in Malaysia due to the unapparent definition of Islamic counseling. This study was conducted to identify the definition of Islamic counseling among Malaysian Muslim counselors. This qualitative study employed the Grounded Theory methodology and the data was collected through a semi-structured interview from respondents in the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. The results of the study demonstrate there were some disagreements among the respondents regarding on the use of the 'Islamic Counseling' term, but most of them are not reluctant to use that term. Malaysian Muslim counselors defined Islamic Counseling in three dimensions; firstly, traditional Islamic Counseling, secondly, modified or Islamized mainstream (Western) counseling and thirdly, integrated Islamic Counseling.