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ERIC Number: ED530725
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 147
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-1246-9250-0
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Formal Instruction of Psychopharmacology in CACREP-Accredited Counselor Education Programs
Sepulveda, Victoria I.
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Toledo
Counseling professionals and researchers have advocated for counselor training in psychopharmacology in order to heighten counselors' awareness of client needs and treatment standards (Ingersoll, 2000; King & Anderson, 2004; Smith & Garcia, 2003). There has been a lack of this training within counselor education graduate programs (Buelow, Hebert, & Buelow, 2000), which has been validated through studies of mental health practitioners' knowledge and self-reported training in psychopharmacology (Bentley et al., 1991; Brammer et al., 2000; Escobedo et al., 2001). The "2009 CACREP Standards" (CACREP, 2008a) outline the need for counselors to have understanding in the area of psychopharmacology within three specialty areas of counseling; however, psychopharmacological coursework is not mandated for professional counselor licensure. Counselor educators must consider how formal instruction in the area of psychopharmacology will assist counselors within all specialties to (a) communicate with diverse client populations, (b) refer clients for pharmacological interventions when needed (Buelow et al., 2000), and (c) promote client welfare (ACA, 2005). An exploration of what factors predicted the availability of psychopharmacology within counselor education programs was necessary in order to recognize how these programs provided psychopharmacological education to students, and if counselor educators viewed this area as necessary to the counseling profession. The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors (institutional, demographic, or perceptional) predicted the availability of formal instruction in psychopharmacology within CACREP-accredited counselor education programs. A 33-item questionnaire was developed that served as an extension of previous research completed by others who have investigated the area of psychopharmacology in human service educational programs (Bentley et al., 1991; Escobedo et al., 2001; Scovel et al., 2002). The survey was distributed as an online questionnaire through a secured website to a population of 232 CACREP program liaisons, and a total of n = 101 participants' data were analyzed through logistic regression. Educators' training in psychopharmacology, educators' geographic region, and educators' perceived need for training in psychopharmacology were revealed as factors that could be used to predict the availability of psychopharmacology within their CACREP-accredited programs. Descriptive data also were collected to explore how psychopharmacology coursework was incorporated into the participants' CACREP-accredited counselor education programs. The findings from this exploratory study may assist in conducting future research about the availability and necessity of psychopharmacology within counselor education. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A