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Master of Science in Addiction Counseling

2021-2022 Annual Report

The Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP) requires that programs make certain information publicly available each year.

This report was generated using data and information from Fall 2021, Spring 2022, and Summer 2022. MSAC is an abbreviation for “Master of Science in Addiction Counseling”; NR = Not Reported.

Program completion rate is computed based on the retention of students during the specified academic year: (Current students + Graduates) / Total Students.

Employment rate indicates the proportion of students who secured employment within six months of graduation. The credentialing exam pass rate indicates the proportion of graduates who took and passed a counseling licensure or certification exam during the prior preceding academic year.

Past Year Student Data and Vital Statistics:

• Minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree: 60
• Currently enrolled in MSAC: 32
• Graduates in 2021-2022: 10
• Program Completion/Retention Rate: 95.4%
• Employment Rate: 100% (Does not include Summer 2022 graduate data)
• Credentialing Exam Pass Rate: 100%

Sources of Data

• Student performance on final practicum and internship ratings from instructors and site supervisors.
• Student performance on departmental comprehensive exam and specialty capstone final exam from instructors and program director.
• Admissions, enrollment, and graduation data from 2021-2022 academic year.
• Systematic follow-up surveys of graduates regarding employment.
• Professional Disposition Evaluations (PDE) conducted annually, as well as within clinical courses.

Program Objectives & Major Program Activities

The program faculty engaged in a number of counseling relevant activities during the 2021-2022 Academic year. The following are highlights of faculty engagement and accomplishments:

• The MSAC program had two currently enrolled students designated as Addiction Counseling Fellows through the National Board for Certified Counselors – Minority Fellowship Program.
• Dr. Townsend served as a Trustee on the NBCC Foundation Board of Trustees.
• Dr. Sneed was appointed to serve as the Co-Editor-in-Chief for the Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly.
• The MSAC program faculty collaborated with the Dr. Sarah Wakefield in the Department of Psychiatry on several projects to secure funding to support the counseling workforce expansion and to establish an Adolescent Substance Use Disorder Services (A-SUD) project.

          MSAC Program Evaluation Findings
 

SLO 1: Knowledge of Addiction Counseling:

MSAC students will develop the knowledge, attitudes and skills necessary to practice as qualified addiction counselors in a wide variety of contexts.

1. Measure 1: Departmental Comprehensive Exam
   • Target: It is expected that 75% of students pass the counseling core domains with a score of 70% or higher on the comprehensive exam on their first attempt. Students are also required to complete this exam as a graduation requirement.
   • Findings: 100% of students that took the exam (n = 5) passed and the average score was 80.74%. 
2. Measure 2: Professional Disposition Evaluation
   • Target: MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 out of 5 across all 9 categories on the Professional Disposition Evaluation (PDE) prior to graduating from the program. Scoring a 3 indicates that the student is developing toward competency, and is meeting the expectations of an addiction counseling student.
   • 100% of current MSAC students (n = 34) were evaluated in the past academic year and scored a 3 or greater across all 9 domains on the PDE.

SLO 2: Ethical and Cross-Cultural Preparation:

MSAC students will develop the ability to implement culturally responsive and ethically sound counseling practices throughout their careers.

1. Measure 1: Multicultural Competency
   • Target: 90% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (out of 5) in the area of Multicultural Competency.
   • Findings: 100% of current MSAC students (n = 34) were evaluated in the past academic year and scored a 3 or greater for Multicultural Competency.
2. Measure 2: Professional Ethics
   • Target: 90% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (on a scale from 1 to 5), in the area of Professional Issues.
   • Findings: 100% of eligible students who completed clinicals during the 2021-2022 academic year had a mean score of 3 or higher.
3. Measure 3: Exit Survey
   • • Target: The MSAC graduates will report scores higher than 4.0 (out of 5) on the School of Health Professions Exit Survey. The MSAC program utilizes this survey to gauge program effectiveness from the perspective of graduates.
     • Finding: The MSAC program received a rating of 4.51 for the past academic year, indicating graduate satisfaction and that the program performed well preparing students for clinical experiences and/or employment after graduation.

SLO 3: Evidence-Based Practice

MSAC students will demonstrate evidence-based addiction counseling practices in clinical training settings..

1. Measure 1 – Supervisory Clinical Evaluation:
   • 75% of eligible MSAC students will pass, with a score of 3 or higher (on a scale from 1 to 5), in the area of Professional Issues.
   • Findings: 100% of eligible students who completed clinicals (n = 11) during the 2021- 2022 academic year had a mean score of 3 or higher.
2. Measure 2 – Interprofessional Experience within Counseling Practicum:
   • Target: 75% of MSAC students will pass, with a score of 80% or higher..
   • Findings: 88.2% of MSAC surpassed this benchmark

Summary:

Overall, the MSAC program was successful during the 2021-2022 academic cycle. This cycle represented the fifth full year for the MSAC program. Our third cohort reached the clinical rotation stage and the program continues to grow. We have a total of 34 students specializing in addiction counseling. The MSAC program contributed to the overall mission of �����Ƶ in several ways. First, we provided innovative training opportunities designed to positively impact the health of people struggling with addiction and behavioral health. Also, for the second consecutive year we assisted the Office of Interprofessional Education to provide meaningful experiences to all �����Ƶ students through faculty volunteerism and Dr. Sneed served as a SME and keynote speaker for a university- wide event focused on reducing stigma.

Regarding research and clinical services our faculty partnered with the department of psychiatry to create the Adolescent Substance Use Disorder (A-SUD) program. This program will implement a validated multicomponent tiered treatment approach, starting in the 2022-2023 academic year. This project was conducted in collaboration through the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) program. TCHATT is one of the four main programs developed by the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC). The MSAC faculty continue to present at regional, state and national conference and publish in respected journals