Case Study on Perceptions of Recovered Licensed Professional Counselors (LPCs) and Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LCADC) Who Counsel Co-occurring Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser (MICA) Clients
General Material Designation
[Thesis]
First Statement of Responsibility
Nurse, Ronald A.
Subsequent Statement of Responsibility
Sparks, Cathy
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Capella University
Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.
2020
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION
Specific Material Designation and Extent of Item
236
DISSERTATION (THESIS) NOTE
Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree
Psy.D.
Body granting the degree
Capella University
Text preceding or following the note
2020
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This study explored the psychological demands of being a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and a Licensed Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (LCADC) in recovery who counsel Mentally Ill Chemical Abuser (MICA) clients. The research answered the question: What are LPCs and LCADCs in recovery's perceptions of the psychological demands in providing services to MICA clients? The purpose of this study was to understand the challenges and skills that are learned from the experiences of subjects' psychological demands acquired from delivering services to MICA clients. Historically, the field of substance abuse treatment has been dominated by professionals who themselves have a history of substance use disorders and have maintained recovery. Being a counselor in recovery has presented both opportunities and challenges. The strengths of employing LPCs and LCADCs with substance abuse recovery were demonstrated in the literature. The research added to the existing literature by examining perceptions of the LPCs and LCADCs in recovery who provide MICA counseling. However, little is known about the psychological demands of LPCs and LCADCs in recovery from treating MICA clients. A qualitative case study research design was implemented because the data collection concerned human behavior. Four common themes and 11 patterns emerged from this study, using interviews, data analysis, and synthesis. The case study method used interviews to examine subjects' attestations in depth. The purposive sampling was used to recruit 10 subjects. The subjects were LPCs and LCADCs in recovery for at least a year and practicing counseling in MICA milieus for a year. The results concluded that participants found their profession to be stressful, traumatizing, and challenging, while they were clear about their level of empathy, positive attitudes, and compassion. The research found the challenges are learned from the psychological demands of being an LPC and LCADC in recovery that is effective for delivering services to clients with co-occurring conditions. The main findings in this study were all participants attested that vicarious traumatization, compassion fatigue, stress, and therapeutic approaches had some impact on their psychological demands. The study provides valuable information that adds to evidence-based practices for supervisors and administrators and assists with informing the general public and training purposes. Personal and professional lives are affected by the psychological demands LPCs and LCADCs experience because of their work and the coping skills they manage. Future research on the experience with the psychological demands of helping professionals not in recovery is recommended.
TOPICAL NAME USED AS SUBJECT
Forensic psychology
Licensed certified alcohol and drug counselor (LCADC) in recovery