205819 Tobacco training in graduate clinical psychology programs

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

JoAnn Kleinfelder, MEd , Department of Public Health and Rehabilitative Services, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
James H. Price, PhD, MPH , Department of Public Health, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Joseph A. Dake, PhD, MPH , Division of Health, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Timothy R. Jordan, PhD, MEd , Department of Health Education and Rehabilitative Services, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH
Joy A. Price, MD, PhD , Zepf Community Mental Health Center, Toledo, OH
Background: About 60% of adults with mental illnesses smoke tobacco versus 21% of the general population. Psychiatrists and psychologists often do not address tobacco cessation with patients because they feel unprepared to do so. Thus, the purpose of this study was to survey the status of smoking cessation training and curriculum content in graduate clinical psychology programs.

Methods: A valid and reliable survey was mailed to directors (n=200) of all accredited doctoral level clinical psychology programs. A three-wave mailing process was used.

Results: There were 102 returned surveys for a response rate of 51% (102/200). The majority of respondents (82.4%) indicated they did not offer formal training on how to conduct smoking cessation activities with clients and had no plans to implement formal training in the future. Insufficient time in the teaching schedule (52.9%) and tobacco training was not a curricular priority (48.2%) were the leading barriers to smoking cessation training. Furthermore, 90.6% did not require students to learn smoking cessation techniques with clients and 85.9% did not evaluate students' competence in smoking cessation counseling. Most directors (81.2%) indicated that inclusion of smoking cessation education in the curriculum was “Not at all Important.” Analysis by institution location, gender, and age categories will be reported.

Conclusion: Clinical psychologists are not being trained to help reduce the tobacco use epidemic in the mentally ill and program directors do not see such training as important.

Learning Objectives:
1. Explain the status of tobacco cessation training in graduate clinical psychology programs. 2. Identify the leading barriers to implementing smoking cessation in clinical psychology programs. 3. Explain the importance of clinical psychologists being involved in smoking cessation activities.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the primary researcher and this is my dissertation topic.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Mental Health Poster Session V
See more of: Mental Health