Integration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Suicide Prevention in Social Work Practice

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the integration of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for depression and suicide prevention (CBT-SP) into social work practice with youth after a 2-day training and 3 months of group consultation. Method: A purposive sample of 22 clinical social workers completed a one-group pre–post and 3-month follow-up assessment to evaluate knowledge of CBT and CBT-SP, utilization, and barriers to utilization of CBT treatment and skills. Results: Knowledge of CBT and CBT-SP skills improved following training. All trainees integrated at least one new skill into practice and increased use of prior skills. No trainees integrated the full-manualized CBT-SP intervention into practice. Participation in group consultation increased the likelihood of integrating CBT-SP skills into practice for males and trainees with more practice experience. Discussion: The findings support the importance of training clinicians in common element skills of CBT and CBT-SP rather than only focusing upon integrating full-manualized treatments into social work practice.