With the high prevalence of mental health concerns within the adolescent population and the shortages of qualified mental health clinicians, it is paramount to ensure that mental health counselors are prepared to work with this population. In 2009, Mellin and Pertuit suggested that coursework specializing in child and adolescent concerns was the most efficient method of counselor preparation, while further stating that infusing youth-specific coursework into the core classes may be more practical. In this original research study, members of the American Mental Health Counselors Association were surveyed about their training experiences related to adolescent populations. Highlighted in this presentation will be the degree to which specialized coursework was offered and if adolescent content was infused into the core curriculum.
