Substance Abuse Counselor and Client Reports of Mental Health Screening and Enhanced Practices

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine mental health screening practices and attitudes from both counselor and client perspectives in the U.S. Marine Corps substance abuse program. Method: This study examined mental health screening practices and attitudes of 23 substance abuse counselors and 442 clients from six Marine Corps substance abuse counseling centers. Results: After receiving training on screening and enhanced counseling practices, 76% of counselors reported that they almost always screened their clients for post-traumatic stress symptoms. Seventy-three percent of clients agreed that substance abuse counselors should ask about their clients stress concerns. Conclusion: Overall, implementing screening for common mental disorders was feasible in this setting. Counselors may need further support to increase collaboration with mental health professionals and adapt treatment plans to address co-occurring mental health conditions.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2012
Accession Number
ADA615807

Entities

People

  • Cynthia M. Simon-arndt
  • Jenny A. Crain
  • Robin M. Mcroy
  • Suzanne L. Hurtado

Organizations

  • Naval Health Research Center

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Brain Injuries
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Drug Abuse Therapy
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Marine Corps
  • Medical Personnel
  • Mental Disorders
  • Mental Health
  • Military Medicine
  • Physicians
  • Surveys
  • Training
  • Traumatic Stress Disorder

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

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