Informed Consent to Participate in Research 

 

Information to Consider Before Taking Part in this Research Study

 

Title: Treatment Decisions of Clinical Mental Health Counselors  

Study # 00042191

 

Overview:  You are being asked to take part in a research study. The information in this document should help you to decide if you would like to participate. The sections in this Overview provide the basic information about the study. More detailed information is provided in the remainder of the document.

 

Study Staff:  This study is being led by Aaron Norton, who is a doctoral candidate in the Counselor Education program. This person is called the Principal Investigator.  He is being guided in this research by Tony Tan, Ph.D.  Other approved research staff may act on behalf of the Principal Investigator.

 

Study Details:  This study is being conducted at the University of South Florida’s College of Education.  The purpose of the study is to explore the relationship between the treatment decisions of licensed clinical mental health counselors in the United States and their demographic information.  It involves completion of an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete. 

Participants:  You are being asked to take part because you are a member of the American Mental Health Counselors Association.

 

Voluntary Participation:  Your participation is voluntary. You do not have to participate and may stop your participation at any time. There will be no penalties or loss of benefits or opportunities if you do not participate or decide to stop once you start. Your decision to participate or not to participate will not affect your job status, employment record, employee evaluations, or advancement opportunities.

 

Benefits, Compensation, and Risk:  We do not know if you will receive any benefit from your participation. There is no cost to participate.  You will not be compensated for your participation.  This research is considered minimal risk.  [Minimal risk means that study risks are the same as the risks you face in daily life.]  

Confidentiality:  Even if we publish the findings from this study, we will keep your study information private and confidential. Anyone with the authority to look at your records must keep them confidential. 

 

 

Study Procedures

If you take part in this study, you will be asked to complete an internet survey through Qualtrics that asks you demographic questions (such as age, sex, gender, race, ethnicity, states licensed in, number of years of counseling experience, primary work setting, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, political ideology, and political party registration). You will then be asked to identify how often you ask about certain things during an initial interview with a client (e.g., the client’s employment history, family history, hobbies, etc.).  Lastly, you will be given 11 brief clinical scenarios and asked how serious of a problem you think the client’s present problem is and how likely you would be to choose certain listed treatment interventions.  

 

Alternatives / Voluntary Participation / Withdrawal

You do not have to participate in this research study.

You should only take part in this study if you want to volunteer. You should not feel that there is any pressure to take part in the study. You are free to participate in this research or withdraw at any time.  There will be no penalty or loss of benefits you are entitled to receive if you stop taking part in this study.

 

Benefits and Risks

We are unsure if you will receive any benefits by taking part in this research study. This research is considered to be minimal risk.

 

Privacy and Confidentiality

We will do our best to keep your records private and confidential. We cannot guarantee absolute confidentiality. Your personal information may be disclosed if required by law. Certain people may need to see your study records. The only people who will be allowed to see these records are:  The Principal Investigator (Aaron Norton), the Study Coordinator (Tony Tan, Ph.D.), and the University of South Florida Institutional Review Board (IRB). 

 

It is possible, although unlikely, that unauthorized individuals could gain access to your responses because you are responding online. Confidentiality will be maintained to the degree permitted by the technology used. No guarantees can be made regarding the interception of data sent via the Internet.  However, your participation in this online survey involves risks similar to a person’s everyday use of the Internet. If you complete and submit an anonymous survey and later request your data be withdrawn, this may or may not be possible as the researcher may be unable to extract anonymous data from the database.

 

Data collected for this research will be stored at the College of Education, located at the University of South Florida in the United States.  

 

Your personal information collected for this research will be kept as long as it is needed to conduct this research. Once your participation in the research is over, your information will be stored in accordance with applicable policies and regulations. Your permission to use your personal data will not expire unless you withdraw it in writing. You may withdraw or take away your permission to use and disclose your information at any time. You do this by sending written notice to the Principal Investigator at the following address: alnorto2@usf.edu

 

While we are conducting the research study, we cannot let you see or copy the research information we have about you. After the research is completed, you have a right to see the information about you, as allowed by USF policies.

 

If you have concerns about the use or storage of your personal information, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the data supervisory authority in your country.  

 

Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about this study, call Aaron Norton at (727) 403-6208 or email to alnorto2@usf.edu. If you have questions about your rights, complaints, or issues as a person taking part in this study, call the USF IRB at (813) 974-5638or contact the IRB by email at RSCH-IRB@usf.edu. 

 

We may publish what we learn from this study. If we do, we will not let anyone know your name. We will not publish anything else that would let people know who you are. You can print a copy of this consent form for your records. 

 

I freely give my consent to take part in this study. I understand that by proceeding with this survey, I am agreeing to take part in research and I am 18 years of age or older.