Hong Kong and Western people have different expectations of counselling: a Hong Kong study of the Expectations about Counselling – Brief Form

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to provide an overview of Hong Kong Chinese clients’ expectations towards counselling and to test whether the EAC-B (Expectations about Counselling-Brief Form) three-factor structure established in the West can be applied in a Chinese Hong Kong population. Three hundred and three Hong Kong Chinese undergraduate students, who were going to receive counselling, completed the traditional Chinese version of the EAC-B. Confirmatory factor analyses indicate that the original EAC-B factor model, which is made up of Personal Commitment, Facilitative Conditions, and Counsellor Expertise, can be replicated and applied among Hong Kong Chinese university students. They demonstrate, furthermore, that a more parsimonious three-factor model can be created using nine of the 17 EAC-B subscales.