Counselors are experts in handling mental health issues, however many mental health issues are reported to primary care providers. Collaboration between counselors and healthcare providers is increasing yet little is known about counselors’ attitudes toward this challenging practice. In this study 165 counselors completed surveys related to their attitudes and social anxiety levels toward interacting with healthcare professionals. Counselors in this study reported having slightly negative attitudes toward healthcare professionals. There was no significant relationship between attitudes and social anxiety. Social anxiety was inversely related to frequency of collaboration, however, only a few counselors reported social anxiety. More importantly, most counselors in this study reported collaborating to benefit clients which is promising considering the growing mental health needs. Implications for Counselor Educators and Supervisors for promoting collaboration as a standard of care are provided
