Murdock Tamera B, Wendler Alicia M, Nilsson Johanna E
Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-Kansas City, Kansas City, MO 64110, USA.
J Subst Abuse Treat. 2005 Jul;29(1):55-64. doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2005.03.005.
This article reports on the development of the Addiction Counseling Self-Efficacy Scale (ACSES) through two studies. Exploratory factor analysis yielded a five-factor solution that accounted for 65% of the variance. The five factors obtained assess various aspects of addiction counselors' perceived self-efficacy for working with clients in the areas of (a) specific addiction counseling skills, (b) assessment, treatment planning, and referral skills, (c) co-occurring disorders skills, (c) group counseling skills, and (d) basic counseling skills. Reliability estimates suggest that the ACSES is internally reliable. Initial criterion validity is supported through comparisons of certified/licensed and noncertified/licensed addiction counselors on ACSES scores and among level of expertise in the addiction field, specific work activities, and ACSES scores. Preliminary evidence indicates that the ACSES is a reliable and valid instrument to use when assessing addiction counselors' self-efficacy for working with clients. The next steps in the development of ACSES are also discussed.
