The therapeutic attitudes and behavior of social work clinicians with and without substance abuse training

This study examines the influence of substance abuse training on social wor kers in nonaddiction treatment settings. Eighty-one Masters level social wo rkers who completed a 9-month training program were compared with a matched sample of 78 Masters level social workers who did not enroll, with supervi sors as collateral informants. Subjects and supervisors were blind to the p urpose of the study. Measures included behavior, clinical skills, and self- rated attitudes. After training, trainees were significantly more likely th an comparisons to 1) work with substance-abusing clients, 2) have "substanc e abuse"-related roles, 3) seek jobs that increased their opportunities to work with substance-abusing clients, 4) assess and intervene with substance abuse, and 5) obtain high ratings of optimism, confidence, and competence.