Counselor assessments of training and adoption barriers.
The prevailing emphasis on adopting evidence-based practices suggests that more focused training evaluations that capture factors in clinician decisions to use new techniques are needed. This includes relationships between postconference evaluations and subsequent adoption of training materials. We therefore collected training assessments at two time points from substance abuse treatment counselors who attended a training on dual diagnosis and another on therapeutic alliance as part of a state-sponsored conference. Customized evaluations were collected to assess counselor perceptions of training quality, relevance, and resources in relation to its use during the 6 months after the conference. Higher ratings for relevance of training concepts and materials to service the needs of clients, desire to have additional training, and level of program support were related to greater trial use during the follow-up period. Primary resource-related and procedural barriers cited by the counselors included lack of time and redundancy with existing practices.
Bartholomew
Norma G
NG
Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX 76129, USA. n.bartholomew@tcu.edu
Joe
George W
GW
Rowan-Szal
Grace A
GA
Simpson
D Dwayne
DD
D003156:Community Mental Health Services; D003376:Counseling; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D010465:Perception; D015397:Program Evaluation; D040841:Resource Allocation; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000628:therapy*