Defense Date

2-19-2019

Graduation Date

Spring 5-10-2019

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Counselor Education and Supervision (ExCES)

School

School of Education

Committee Chair

Debra Hyatt-Burkhart, PhD

Committee Member

Gibbs Kanyongo, PhD

Committee Member

Yih-Hsing Liu, PhD

Keywords

substance use treatment, posttraumatic growth, professional quality of life, training, vicarious experiences

Abstract

There has been limited research on the potential for substance use helpers to have positive experiences as a result of their therapeutic work, previous research on the field of substance use treatment and the impact of working with individuals whom struggle with substance use disorders has been explored. The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between substance use helpers’ professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout) with posttraumatic growth. In addition, this study also sought to determine if a relationship exists between personal and professional characteristics of substance use helpers and posttraumatic growth. Suggestions for future research include exploration of specific personal and environmental characteristics such as length of employment, location (rural vs urban), level of care (residential vs outpatient), and how these may contribute to experiences of posttraumatic growth. Additionally, comparisons of substance use helping professionals’ experiences of posttraumatic growth with other helping populations could provide further insights into contributing factors to positive outcomes in vicarious experiences.

Language

English

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