Counseling Troubled Adolescents: An Evaluation of a Statewide Training Program

Authors

Susanne Mitchell, University of Utah
Anne White, University of Utah
Wynn S. Wright, University of Utah
Peter J. Pecora, University of Utah

Abstract

Susanne Mitchell was a graduate student at the School of Social Work, University of Utah. Anne White, M.S.W, is a staff social worker at the Diabetes Health Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. Wynn S. Wright, M.S.W., was the Project Coordinator of the Utah Child Welfare Training Project, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Utah; and currently is psychiatric social worker at Primary Children's Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah. Peter 1. Pecora, Ph.D., is Associate Professor and Principal Investigator of the Child Welfare Training Project at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Utah. The research for this article was supported by Grant No. 08-CT0054101 from the Administration of Children, Youth, and Families. The authors thank Mr. Paul Bestock for providing an exceptional training experience to the social service staff.

This article describes the methods and results of a training evaluation project that assessed behavioral change following training. Child welfare workers were trained in counseling methods for working with adolescents who behave in ways that challenge conventional therapeutic techniques. As part of the training, participants developed action plans, which were lists of behaviors they wanted to implement in their counseling. Training participants were interviewed by telephone two months after the training. Results indicated that a number of action items were successfully implemented and that workers found the action process to be helpful in this regard. Results also indicate that success could have been enhanced if certain supports had been included in the training or in a follow-up session.

Recommended Citation

Mitchell, Susanne; White, Anne; Wright, Wynn S.; and Pecora, Peter J. (1989) "Counseling Troubled Adolescents: An Evaluation of a Statewide Training Program," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 16: Iss. 3, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.1910
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol16/iss3/8