Counselor perceptions of organizational factors and innovations training experiences

Because work environment is central to understanding job performance, drug counselor perceptions of their programs and their skills were examined in relation to their attitudes about innovations training and its utilization. Latent profile analysis of measures on organizational climate and staff attributes for 1047 counselors from 345 programs defined three categories of counselors-labeled as isolated, integrated, and exceptional. All had generally positive views of their professional skills, although the isolated group scored lower on scales representing professional growth and influence on peers. They were less positive about the "climate" of programs in which they worked and were higher on stress. Program resources predicted the counselor groups, with the isolated having more limited resources. Counselor categorizations also differed in terms of workshop training experiences, with the isolated group of counselors reporting significantly less exposure, satisfaction, and program-wide use of workshop training.