Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Jay Greiner

Abstract

Prior to 2020, telehealth, the remote delivery of health care via digital information and communication technologies, was rarely used in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment facilities. The onset of COVID-19 quickly created a shift to telehealth services for the safety and health of providers and patients. Researchers have explored many aspects of telehealth, including the client and counselor/client experience, but have not studied the counselor experience separately. The purpose of this qualitative study was to better understand counselors’ lived experiences pertaining to telehealth use; perceptions of how it impacts clinical performance, self-efficacy, and training; and beliefs about its effectiveness when working with clients with SUD. Bandura’s self-efficacy theory was the theoretical framework for the investigation, which featured interpretative phenomenological analysis. Twelve counselors who worked at SUD treatment facilities participated in semistructured interviews. Thematic analysis of the interview data occurred by manually coding the data to identify themes, categories, and subcategories. The findings showed that telehealth had benefits for both the client and the counselor, including flexibility, counselor availability, safety from COVID, and the ability to communicate with clients despite the lack of in-person counseling. The findings also revealed a need for more training on developing counseling skills through telehealth services. The positive social change implications of the study include providing a better understanding of the use of telehealth to assist community members and the need for flexible support systems for counselors. Such systems may improve clinical performance and counselor efficacy in delivering telehealth services to patients with SUD.

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