The effects of substance abuse training on vocational rehabilitation counselors' attitudes toward persons with substance abuse disabilities

This research was initiated to determine if training in the area of substance abuse affected the subsequent attitudes of vocational rehabilitation counselors toward chemical abuse and chemical abusers. To conduct this research, ninety-one vocational rehabilitation counselors, employed by the Tennessee Division of Rehabilitation Services (TDRS), were surveyed to assess their attitudes and beliefs concerning substance abuse and substance abusers. Two questionnaires were used for this purpose: The Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS), and an independently developed demographics questionnaire.

It was determined that those counselors having had education or training in substance abuse scored significantly higher, at the .05 level of confidence, on the SAAS. These findings support the notion that vocational rehabilitation counselors with training on substance abuse issues tend to have more optimistic attitudes toward such clients, and that the training received may play an important role in the fostering of such beliefs.