| Summary: | "Juvenile crime and adolescent substance abuse often are co-occurring social problems. Researchers have demonstrated the relationship of one to the other and how continued involvement in substance abuse is positively correlated with continued involvement in the juvenile justice system (Altshuler & Brounstein, 1991; Dembo, Pacheco, Schmeidler, Fisher, & Cooper, 1997; Dembo, Schmeidler, & Williams, 1991; Hawkins, Jensen, & Catalano, 1988). Due to the overwhelming incidence of assigning adjudicated juvenile offenders to probation, the professional person most in contact with juvenile offenders is usually the Juvenile Court Counselor (Snyder & Sickmund, 1999). Therefore, the Juvenile Court Counselor might benefit from specialized education in the area of substance abuse, so as to more efficaciously address this issue, thereby decreasing the incidence of re-offending. Accordingly, this study seeks to identify the knowledge and skills regarding substance abuse most important for Juvenile Court Counselors, with the aim of creating a substance abuse specific educational curriculum for Juvenile Court Counselors. An on-line survey instrument, the Juvenile Court Counselor Alcohol and Other Drug (AOD) Abuse Training Needs Assessment Questionnaire, will be administered, with potential participants including 403 currently employed Juvenile Court Counselors in the state of North Carolina. Respondent survey results will then be analyzed using descriptive and factor analytic procedures to determine what knowledge and skills are considered most important for Juvenile Court Counselors and whether a specific factor structure exists that describes the knowledge and skills judged important for Juvenile Court Counselors in North Carolina. It is hoped that the knowledge gathered from this study will help inform possible future training and educational events for Juvenile Court Counselors, as well as providing some baseline information for those who provide instructional training to Juvenile Court Counselors and other mental health professionals."--Abstract from author supplied metadata
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