Examining Substance Use Education in Social Work: A Survey of MSW Program Leaders

Abstract

ABSTRACT Substance use is a chronic social issue that has a substantial effect on social welfare topics in the United States. As one of the primary professions responsible for providing mental health services in the United States, it is imperative that social workers are prepared to meet the challenges presented by this ongoing epidemic. However, several studies have indicated that Masters-level social work (MSW) programs are providing students insufficient instruction on how to adequately address substance use problems. To better understand the role and implementation of substance use education in social work, a survey of MSW program leaders was conducted to identify the perceptions of program leaders on: the emphasis, necessity, and importance of substance use education to social work; the preparedness of MSW students to implement substance use initiatives following graduation; and specific substance use education needs and barriers for MSW programs. The results of the survey indicated that program leaders perceive substance use knowledge to be highly important to the field, but that graduating students are not prepared to provide substance use services following graduation. Program leaders also indicated that a large number of substance use curriculum and resource limitations exist in the MSW educational field.