Barriers to Using Immediacy Scale – BUIS
Measures therapists' perceived barriers to utilizing immediacy in psychotherapy across client reactions, therapist reactions, negative beliefs, and skill deficits.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Barriers to Using Immediacy Scale – BUIS was developed by Justin W. Hillman, Judith A. Gerstenblith, Greta Jankauskaite, Jonathan J. Mohr, & Clara E. Hill (2023). It is designed to measure Therapist barriers to using immediacy. The scale is intended for use with Therapists and trainee therapists.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 16 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Concerns About Client Reactions, Concerns About Therapist Reactions, Negative Beliefs About Immediacy, Lack of Skills for Using Immediacy.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Concerns About Client Reactions | 1,4,9,12 | 4 |
| Concerns About Therapist Reactions | 3,5,8,15 | 4 |
| Negative Beliefs About Immediacy | 2,7,11,13 | 4 |
| Lack of Skills for Using Immediacy | 6,10,14,16 | 4 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Strongly disagree, 2 = Disagree, 3 = Neutral, 4 = Agree, 5 = Strongly agree.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 16 to 80. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Barriers: 16 – 37
- Moderate Perceived Barriers: 38 – 59
- High Perceived Barriers: 60 – 80
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha .87 – .89.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.