Exploring Professional Identity Development in Alcohol and Drug Counselors in the 21st Century

Professional identity development is an emerging area for alcohol and drug counselors. Few studies have investigated professional identity in alcohol and drug counselors (Ogborne, Braun, & Schmidt, 2001; Massella, Simons, Young, Haas, & Toth 2013). The goal of the current study is to add to...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inJournal of alcohol and drug education Vol. 61; no. 2; pp. 40 - 61
Main Authors Simons, Lori, Haas, Deborah, Massella, John, Young, Jared, Toth, Paul
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Lansing Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education (JADE) 01.08.2017
American Alcohol and Drug Information Foundation
American Alcohol & Drug Information Foundation
Subjects
Addictions
Addictive Behavior
Alcohol Abuse
Alcohols
Analysis
Behavioral health care
Behavioral medicine
Behavioural medicine
Certification
Counseling Techniques
Counselor Characteristics
Counselor Training
Counselors
Drug Abuse
Educational Attainment
Employment Level
Ethnicity
Females
Gender Differences
Identity
Occupational health
Online Surveys
Professional Development
Professional Identity
Professionals
Racial Differences
Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation counselors
Substance Abuse
Substance abuse treatment
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Summary:Professional identity development is an emerging area for alcohol and drug counselors. Few studies have investigated professional identity in alcohol and drug counselors (Ogborne, Braun, & Schmidt, 2001; Massella, Simons, Young, Haas, & Toth 2013). The goal of the current study is to add to this area of research. A total of 1, 333 certified addiction professionals were recruited to take part in an online survey about professional and recovery identity and professional development. The survey response rate was 20.7%. Most participants were White females with a graduate degree. Less than half of the participants identified themselves as in recovery from substance abuse. Alcohol and drug professionals with a recovering identity work with different populations, use different modalities and subscribe to different theoretical orientations compared to those professionals without a recovering identity. The need to recognize and promote alcohol and drug professionals’identity is paramount for securing addiction counseling as a distinct discipline or counseling specialty in the behavioral health field.
ISSN:0090-1482
2162-4119