Alcohol Treatment Training in Psychology Internship Programs

This investigation was designed to study alcohol treatment training by focusing on the components of training provided in psychology internship programs approved by the American Psychological Association. Data from 137 training sites revealed that two content areas-group psychotherapy and relapse prevention-were rated as most relevant to alcohol treatment training. Six other domains (aftercare. Alcoholics Anonymous, marital/family therapy, stress management/relaxation procedures, social skills training, and cognitive therapy) were rated as at least quite relevant. The extent to which interns were exposed to these content areas was variable. These findings are discussed in the context of issues surrounding alcohol treatment training among psychology interns and the provision of clinical services to alcohol-abusing patients.