A Preliminary Investigation of the Components of a Curriculum for the Preparation of Master's-Level Addiction Counselors

Abstract

This study identified the preliminary curriculum components for the preparation of graduate-level addiction counselors. A review of the related literature revealed no agreed upon standards for post baccalaureate instruction of addiction counseling. The Delphi method was used to establish curriculum items from a list of 198 previously identified work behaviors associated with graduate-level addiction counseling. A panel of 28 addiction counseling experts responded to three administrations of an evolving questionnaire and reached consensus on a final list of 89 curriculum items. Consensus of expert judgments was corroborated by a post hoc multivariate of analysis of variance (MANOVA) that revealed no significant differences in ratings of importance among panelist subgroups.

References

American Medical Association. (2005). Physician education, licensure and certification. [On-line]. Available: http://www.ama-assn.org/aps/physcred.html#physed

Bilban

, & Skibin

(2005). Presence of alcohol in suicide victims. Forensic Science International, 1(17), 3–9.

Clark

, & Scale

(1994). Qualifying characteristics of a graduate teacher education program in graphic communication: Results from a delphi research study. Counselor Education and Supervision, 34, 102–113.

Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP). (2006). [On-line]. Available: http://www.cacrep.org/index.html

Dalkey

N. C.

(1972). Studies in the quality of life. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books.

Fallon

, & Trevitt

(2006). Optimizing a curriculum for clinical hematology and biochemistry in sports medicine: A delphi approach. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(2), 139–144.

Hoge

Paris

Adger

, & Collins

(2005). Workforce competencies in behavior health: An overview. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 32(5), 593–631.

Libretto

S. V.

Weil

Nemes

Copland-Linder

, & Johansson

(2004). Snapshot of the substance abuse treatment workforce 2002: A synthesis of the current literature. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 36(4), 489–498.

Morgan

O. J.

Toloczko

A. M.

, & Comly

(1997). Graduate training of counselors in the addictions. Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling, 17, 66–76.

10.

Mustaine

West

, & Wyrick

(2003). Substance abuse counselor certification requirements: Is it time for a change? Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling, 23(2), 99–106.

11.

Norstrom

, & Ramstedt

(2005). Mortality and population drinking: A review of the literature. Drug and Alcohol Review, 24(6), 537–547.

12.

Nugent

F. A.

, & Jones

K. D.

(2004). An introduction to the profession of counseling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

13.

Page

R. C.

Bailey

J. B.

Barker

, & Clawson

T. W.

(1995). The development of a knowledge-based content area for the examination of master's level addiction counselors. Journal of Addictions and Offender Counseling, 16, 2–13.

14.

Pulcini

Wilbur

Hanson

, & Uphold

(2006). Determining criteria for excellence in nurse practitioner education: Use of Delphi technique. Nursing Outlook, 54(2), 102–110.

15.

Ritt-Olson

Miliam

Unger

Trinidad

Teran

Dent

(2004). The protective influence of spirituality and “health-as-a-value” against monthly substance use among adolescents varying in risk. Journal of Adolescent Health, 34(3), 192–199.

16.

Sori

, & Sprenkle

(2000). Training family therapists to work with children and families: A modified delphi study. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 30(4), 479–495.

17.

Vacc

N. A.

, & Loesch

L. C.

(2000). A professional orientation to counseling (3rd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Brunner-Routledge.

18.

Von Steen

(1996). Extent and structure of treatment of substance abusers in multi-service mental health agencies: A work behavior analysis. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

19.

Washton

, & Zweben

(2006). Treating alcohol and drug problems in psychotherapy: Doing what works. New York: The Guilford Press.

20.

West

Mustaine

, & Wyrick

(1999). State regulations and the ACA code of ethics and standards of practice: Oil and water for the substance abuse counselor. Journal of Addiction and Offender Counseling, 20(1), 35–47.

21.

Whittinghill

Carroll

, & Morgan

(2005). Curriculum standards for the education of professional substance abuse counselors. Journal of Teaching in the Addictions, 3(2), 63–76.

22.

Wiles

, & Bondi

(1998). Curriculum development: A guide to practice. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill Publishing Company.

23.

Yang

Lukoff

, & Lu

(2006). Working with spiritual issues of adults in clinical practice. Psychiatric Annals, 36(3), 168–175.