Summer Camp Counselor Experiences: The Influence of Training, Self-Efficacy, and Organizational Cohesion

Many overnight camps use Counselor-in-Training (CIT) programs to prepare adolescent campers for the counselor role. Although research has investigated the effectiveness of individual CIT programs, studies have not compared the experiences of previous CIT participants (CITs) to the experiences of new, non-CIT counselors across camp types. We recruited 314 camp counselors (130 previous CITS and 185 non-CITs) from camps across the United States and Canada for an online survey with items assessing their self-efficacy, organizational cohesion, and experiences as first-year counselors. Although we did not find a significant effect of the completion of a CIT program on any of the primary variables, individual and camp factors such as job fit, satisfaction with training, and comfort talking to administrators were significantly associated with self-efficacy and organizational cohesion. More between-camps and longitudinal research is needed to more deeply understand the impacts of training, overall climate, and the efficacy of CIT programs.