Effects of therapist title and substance abuse history on perceived competence.

Abstract

There is a commonly held belief in the field of drug and alcohol counseling that a personal history of recovery from an addiction is an important qualification for alcohol and drug abuse counselors. The few studies that have been conducted in this area have produced contradictory results. There is also research to suggest that a therapist's title has an effect on a client's perception of a therapist's competence. This study attempted to clarify the need for disclosure to the client of a counselor's personal substance abuse history and the effect of professional titles, by using a scale developed to elicit perceptions of a therapist's competence from 167 participants in a university setting. The participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups depending on the title and the substance abuse history of the therapist. Results indicated there were no significant effects for therapist history of substance abuse; however,there was a significant effect of therapist title on two items on the therapist rating scale. The results showed that a therapist's history of recovery had no significant impact on ratings of therapist competence. Also, the use of a professional title by a therapist had minimal practical effects on the way the participants rated the therapist on the rating scale.