206 The Professional Counselor | Volume 14, Issue 2 Two-Dimensional IWI Model In the initial instrument development and score validation study, Bennett et al. (2023) found support for the internal structure validity of scores on both unidimensional and two-dimensional IWI models. However, in the present study, we found questionable internal consistency reliability and poor internal structure validity evidence of scores on the two-dimensional IWI model. Differences in the normative samples might account for the discrepant findings between Bennett et al. (2023) and the current study. The present study was comprised of a non-clinical sample of U.S. adults, and Bennett et al. (2023) sampled child welfare professionals, who were defined as mental health professionals who were working “directly and indirectly in public child welfare agencies to ensure the safety, protection, and well-being of children” (p. 122). Mental health professionals have training in providing mental (and sometimes physical) health care to clients in need of support services. Perhaps mental health professionals’ clinical training and work experience is what led to them understanding IW as a two-dimensional construct. In other words, mental health professionals’ training in interpersonal communication might have contributed to their recognizing both internal and external dimensions of IW (the two-dimensional model), whereas IW might have a unidimensional meaning among a nonclinical sample of adults living in the United States. Future research is needed to test this possible explanation for this finding. Implications for Practice The results of this study show strong psychometric support for the unidimensional IWI model with a sample of U.S. adults, which has a number of implications for counseling practitioners. The National Board for Certified Counselors (2023) encourages professional counselors to use screening tools with validated scores as one way to enhance clinical practice. In fact, professional counselors have an ethical duty to make sure that screening tools have valid and reliable scores with representative client samples to ensure their proper use (AERA et al., 2014; Lenz et al., 2022; National Board for Certified Counselors, 2023). CFA and MCFA are rigorous tests of construct validity and evidenced that the IWI accurately appraised the intended construct of measurement (IW). The results of the present study extend the generalizability of IWI scores from child welfare professionals (Bennett et al., 2023) to adults in the United States. Accordingly, as one implication for practice, professional counselors can use the IWI to measure their clients’ IW. This is a particularly salient implication for practice, as demonstrating measurable treatment outcomes is becoming increasingly important in professional counseling and related health care settings (de Ossorno Garcia et al., 2021). In particular, professional counselors are expected to provide evidence of measurable client goals and outcomes. The IWI has potential to help professional counselors demonstrate such goals and outcomes. Suppose, for example, that a professional counselor is working with a client who is struggling with IW, which can manifest in a number of ways, such as struggles with self-efficacy and/or one’s sense of self-worth being dependent on external validation from others (Bennett et al., 2023; Glasser & Lowenstein, 2016). The counselor can use the IWI to track their client’s IW throughout treatment. The client’s test scores might serve as one way to quantify their progress throughout therapy. The NHA has been implemented for decades to help individuals grow their IW and reduce workplace stressors (e.g., burnout) as well as increase resilience (Bennett et al., 2023; Glasser & Lowenstein, 2016). However, to date, there is a dearth of empirical NHA studies in the extant literature, as a screening tool for measuring IW (the primary outcome variable in NHA) did not exist until recently. The results of the present study build on the initial score validation study by Bennett et al. (2023). Specifically, the MCFA in the present study took construct validity testing to another level by demonstrating that IWI scores have the same meaning across important demographic factors among a national sample of U.S. adults. Collectively, the results of CFA, MCFA, and convergent validity testing
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