The Counseling Needs and Their Relationship to ‎Psychological Tranquility Among Freed Prisoners in the ‎City of Jenin ‏

This study aimed to explore the relationship between counseling needs and psychological tranquility among freed prisoners in the city of Jenin by analyzing the effect of meeting these needs on their psychological well-being. The significance of the study stems from the transitional phase experienced by released prisoners, which requires specialized counseling support to facilitate their psychological, social, and professional adjustment. The study employed a descriptive quantitative approach. A questionnaire was developed consisting of a modified Counseling Needs Scale with 26 items distributed across four domains (psychological, social, familial, and personal/professional), along with a Psychological Tranquility Scale comprising 21 items. The validity and reliability of the instruments were verified, with Cronbach's Alpha reaching 0.982 for the counseling needs scale and 0.941 for the psychological tranquility scale, indicating high internal consistency. The study sample consisted of 254 randomly selected freed prisoners residing in Jenin. The findings revealed a high overall level of counseling needs among freed prisoners, with social and familial needs being the most prominent, followed by psychological and personal/professional needs. The level of psychological tranquility was moderate, with positive indicators such as social participation and future optimism contrasted by feelings of meaninglessness, low self-expression, and diminished self-confidence. A statistically significant positive correlation was found between counseling needs and psychological tranquility, especially in the familial domain.