Addiction Counseling Self-Efficacy of Mental Health Counselors-in-Training

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the level of mental health counselors-in-training self-efficacy in providing addiction counseling and the modalities of addiction related counseling education. In addition, the statistically significant differences between the level of self-efficacy and the modalities of addiction counseling education were investigated. The results indicated that participants had a moderate to high level of self-reported counseling self-efficacy on the Addiction Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale (ACSES). Ninety percent of the participants received some addiction or addiction related education through an addiction-specific course and/or integration throughout the mental health counseling curriculum. The results indicated that there was no statistically significant difference in the self-efficacy level by education modality. The findings of the study were discussed and implications for counselor educators and counseling programs were presented, as well as limitations of the study and recommendations for further research.