Social Work Training Program Research Articles

Digitising Experience: The Creation and Application of Immersive Simulations in the Context of Social Work Training

Background: Detailed and elaborate spatial simulations are commonly used in the education and training of healthcare professionals. Learners benefit from replica operating theatres and clinical skills environments that enable them to gain insight from the hands-on aspect of authentic scenarios that permit them to apply there what they have learned in context. However, these physical recreations are expensive to build extremely rare in the context of social work training. Digital learning spaces are typically two dimensional. Virtual learning environments (VLEs) consist of pages that can be scrolled through and content such as text, images and video, which can be embedded to provide learners with input material and tasks. In this paper, we will explore the creation and deployment of three-dimensional digital spaces that afford social work students the opportunity to explore and interact within simulations of authentic real-world environments.Objectives:We will also examine how digital inscription—the addition of information such as questions, prompts and interactive media—can be used to support students in the development of observation skills and critical thinking. Our objective is to improve the learning experience for social work students, train safer social workers, and explore the feasibility of using digital simulations to train real-world skills.Method: Within all UK social work training programmes there is an expectation that students will practise skills in a suitable environment prior to service-user contact. Therefore, we decided to investigate the practicalities and impact of creating immersive digital media to explore real-world scenarios that would otherwise be extremely challenging to access at this point in their training. For instance, a service user’s home and a psychiatric facility. This included a number of 360-degree immersive exercises to facilitate deep learning through the act of placing oneself in the shoes of another in order to understand their behaviour. This approach to teaching and learning has the added benefit of not only aiding meaningful learning, but also supporting students’ development of a wide range of social and professional skills.Outcome: This is an ongoing multi-disciplinary project and, so far, the results indicate that students engaging with the 360-degree video scenarios have been able to grasp threshold concepts that would otherwise been difficult to teach. In addition to this, there is also accumulating evidence that the use of this technology has produced higher levels of engagement and an overall improvement in module evaluation. Data is still being collected and the results will be shared at the workshop in 2018. These training packages have been integrated into other health courses, including mental health nursing and approved mental health professional (AMHP) training.Implications: The application of immersive, interactive digital learning scenarios will improve learning and have a positive effect on student engagement and satisfaction.

Promoting SBIRT Training for Social Work Students Across Field Settings

We report on our experience of implementing an interprofessional social work Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) training program in which didactic content was integrated with field education opportunities to practice SBIRT in various settings. Mentored field instructors supervised SBIRT field learning activities in behavioral health clinics, primary care clinics, inpatient and outpatient psychiatry care, and mental health and addiction service settings. Input regarding program implementation was gathered from students and field instructors. Student use of SBIRT varied by field setting. We report on field instructors’ perceptions of site-specific challenges to successful implementation of SBIRT and describe lessons learned for social work training programs.

Attitudes toward guardianship, social work goals, and perspectives of disability among social work students

Purpose: Guardianship of people with disabilities has been under growing scrutiny, leading some welfare states to offer supported decision-making as a legal alternative. This study examined the attitudes of Israeli social work students toward guardianship and supported decision-making and the relationship between these attitudes and the perceived importance of social work goals, as mediated by perceptions of disability.Materials and methods: Participants were 414 undergraduate and graduate level social work students from Israel. Participants completed a structured questionnaire that measured: attitudes toward guardianship and supported decision-making, importance of social work goals, and perception of disability.Results: Although social work students tended to support limiting the scope of guardianship, they did not clearly oppose it. Individual model perspective of disability mediated the association between the social work goal of social control and attitudes toward guardianship. Social model perspective of disability mediated the association between the social work goal of social justice and attitudes toward guardianship.Conclusion: To reduce guardianship appointments, social work educators should educate students better regarding current supported decision-making trends, emphasize the importance of social justice goals, and discuss critically the necessity of social control. Further, educators need to embrace the social model of disability, in particular its view of autonomy and interdependence.Implications for rehabilitationThe UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has urged limiting guardianship practices, and developing instead less restrictive alternatives, especially supported decision making.In order to fully implement the Convention’s vision, efforts must be placed in social work training programs on discussing the limitations of guardianship, the dilemmas it raises and the advantages of other less restrictive alternatives, including that of supported decision-making.Social work educators should also emphasize the importance of social justice goals and discuss critically the necessity of social control.Similar emphasis should be placed on exposing students to the social model of disability, including its view of autonomy and interdependence.

Mapping social work education in the West Africa region: Movements toward indigenization in 12 countries’ training programs

This article presents the results of a systematic mapping of social work training programs in countries throughout West Africa, a region historically under‐represented in global discussions of the social welfare workforce. The research illuminates how social workers and related professionals are trained to engage in social work practice in a number of West African countries. The research was conducted in two phases. In the initial phase, the research team collected documents from 12 West African countries and conducted phone interviews with relevant individuals. The second phase included field research in five West African countries − Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal − where the research team conducted semi‐structured interviews and group discussions with 253 individuals. Framed by indigenization theory, this study describes social service training institutes in West Africa and highlights the varying degrees to which programs have been adapted to indigenous and endogenous realities in the postcolonial era.

Evaluation of a Fast-Track Postgraduate Social Work Program in England Using Simulated Practice

Objective: Using data from our evaluation of the Frontline fast-track social work training program, introduced by the Government in England, we compare the performance of the first cohort of Frontline trainees with students from regular social work programs using simulated practice. Method: Forty-nine Frontline trainees were compared with 36 postgraduate students in high-tariff universities and 30 students from a range of other regular programs. Kruskal–Wallis tests were used to compare the performance of the three groups in interviews and written reflections. Results: Frontline trainees were rated significantly higher than comparison groups for the quality of their interviewing and written reflection. Despite these higher ratings for practice quality, the Frontline trainees’ rating of their own confidence in their abilities was lower than their counterparts on regular programs. Conclusions: The practice quality of Frontline graduates is promising. Longitudinal research is needed in real practice settings.

"Trauma, stress, and self-care in clinical training: Predictors of burnout, decline in health status, secondary traumatic stress symptoms, and compassion satisfaction": Correction to Butler, Carello, and Maguin (2016).

Reports an error in "Trauma, stress, and self-care in clinical training: Predictors of burnout, decline in health status, secondary traumatic stress symptoms, and compassion satisfaction" by Lisa D. Butler, Janice Carello and Eugene Maguin (Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, Advanced Online Publication, Sep 12, 2016, np). In the article, there was an error in Table 4 of the Results. The Outcomes and Predictors columns were not clearly categorized from one another. The corrected table is present in the erratum. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-43766-001.) Objective: Courtois and Gold (2009) have called for the inclusion of trauma in the curriculum for all mental health training programs. The present study investigated the impact of trauma-related content, stress, and self-care (SC) on trainees in such a program. Method: The study examined potential risk factors (trauma exposures in training [being faced with or reacting to trauma-related field work experiences and course content] and perceptions of stress in field and coursework) and protective factors (SC effort and importance) in relation to burnout (BO), health status (HS), secondary traumatic stress symptoms (STSS), and compassion satisfaction (CS) among 195 students in a graduate social work training program. Results: All students reported trauma exposures in their field placements and/or coursework, including retraumatization experiences that were associated with higher STSS and BO. Field stress and SC effort were both consistent predictors across outcomes. Higher field stress levels predicted higher BO and STSS, a greater likelihood of decline in HS, and lower CS. Lower SC effort was also associated with higher BO and STSS, and a greater likelihood of decline in HS, while higher SC effort predicted higher CS. Older students, those with traumatized field clients, and those whose field work addressed trauma, also reported higher CS. Conclusions: These findings suggest that clinical training involving trauma content can be both rewarding and stressful, and may evoke distress in some trainees. Given that learning about and working with trauma are essential to adequate clinical training, the authors suggest adopting a trauma-informed approach within clinical training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Trauma, stress, and self-care in clinical training: Predictors of burnout, decline in health status, secondary traumatic stress symptoms, and compassion satisfaction.

[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 9(4) of Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (see record 2016-54155-001). In the article, there was an error in Table 4 of the Results. The Outcomes and Predictors columns were not clearly categorized from one another. The corrected table is present in the erratum.] Objective: Courtois and Gold (2009) have called for the inclusion of trauma in the curriculum for all mental health training programs. The present study investigated the impact of trauma-related content, stress, and self-care (SC) on trainees in such a program. Method: The study examined potential risk factors (trauma exposures in training [being faced with or reacting to trauma-related field work experiences and course content] and perceptions of stress in field and coursework) and protective factors (SC effort and importance) in relation to burnout (BO), health status (HS), secondary traumatic stress symptoms (STSS), and compassion satisfaction (CS) among 195 students in a graduate social work training program. Results: All students reported trauma exposures in their field placements and/or coursework, including retraumatization experiences that were associated with higher STSS and BO. Field stress and SC effort were both consistent predictors across outcomes. Higher field stress levels predicted higher BO and STSS, a greater likelihood of decline in HS, and lower CS. Lower SC effort was also associated with higher BO and STSS, and a greater likelihood of decline in HS, while higher SC effort predicted higher CS. Older students, those with traumatized field clients, and those whose field work addressed trauma, also reported higher CS. Conclusions: These findings suggest that clinical training involving trauma content can be both rewarding and stressful, and may evoke distress in some trainees. Given that learning about and working with trauma are essential to adequate clinical training, the authors suggest adopting a trauma-informed approach within clinical training programs. (PsycINFO Database Record

Practice Education Network for Social Work (PENSW): Evaluation of an online resource

The Practice Education Network for Social Work (PENSW) is an online resource for networking and sharing knowledge and information that is accessed by all the professionals and partner agencies involved in providing social work placements and supervising social work students at the University of Suffolk (UOS) in the United Kingdom (UK). This research explored the ease with which such networks can be set up, and offers an evaluation from network members. Given limited national resources and the need to provide more localised resources; this evaluation demonstrates the importance of providing an easily accessible virtual space for organisations and professionals to access resources, network, and share best practice. The findings suggest that all social work training programmes should consider providing a localised network to support the social work placement process by ensuring that supervisors of social work students have access to necessary documentation, research, and information so that they can effectively fulfil their roles, and stay connected to the programme provider and other professionals involved in social work student practice placements.Keywords: social work placements; supervision; networking; resources; information sharing; practice education.

Selected Recent Articles About Chinese Instrument/Scale Development and Intervention Research

We are pleased to present this special edition of Research on Social Work Practice based upon a set of recent selected empirical studies on Chinese instrument/scale development and intervention research. Specifically, these selected articles reflected the types of designs submitted for publication to Research on Social Work Practice in 2015–2016 and also their methodological quality. Prior to presenting introductory comments about these articles, we would be remiss not briefly contextualizing the state of the social work research in China and Hong Kong. China the country and Hong Kong a geographically designated special administrative region within it have seen much growth in the past two to three decades. The landmark SinoBritish Joint Declaration transferred the sovereignty of Hong Kong back to China on July 1, 1997, after 100 years of British rule, under the current idealized ‘‘one country, two systems’’ agreement. Hong Kong and Mainland China have undergone considerable growing pains both separately and together. Social work was first introduced to China in the 1920s but was eliminated in the early 1950s by the Communist government. After almost 30 years, it was restored to the university curriculum in 1988 because social service was deemed useful in addressing social problems triggered by the introduction of the ‘‘Open-Door’’ economic policy of China (Yuen Tsang & Wang, 2008). In 2006, the 16th Central Committee meeting of the Chinese Communist Party released a document which stated the necessity to establish ‘‘a grand team of professional social workers’’ to help in building a more harmonious society. This marked a new chapter for the development of social work in China (Yuen Tsang & Wang, 2008). At present, it is estimated that there are at least 310 tertiary education institutes that have a social work undergraduate program and about 104 with a social work masters’ program in China (Sim & Lau, 2016). Nonetheless, to date, intervention research is not well developed in China. Sim and Lau (2016) analyzed the content of n 1⁄4 206 practice research articles in Chinese journals published in the Peoples’ Republic of China since 1915 and found that only a few studies used quasi-experimental designs (3.4%) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (1.9%). Compared to Mainland China, Hong Kong has much fewer government-funded/supported universities. Hong Kong has only eight government-funded universities, of which five of them offer bachelor(or above) level social work training programs, including The University of Hong Kong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and Hong Kong Baptist University. However, the social work educational system in Hong Kong is more structured with layered progressions and clearly articulated role differentiations between different types of programs: higher diploma in social work, bachelor of social work, bachelor of social work (honors), bachelor of social sciences (honors) in social work, bachelor of arts (honors) in social work, bachelor of social science in social work, master of social work, master of social sciences in social work, master of social science in social work, and doctor of social work. Unlike North America, the titles of these Hong Kong degrees in social work still have a very applied social sciences connotation in their respective programs. Hong Kong formally started its social work education in the early 1950s, and since then, it has developed considerably. At present, graduates with either a recognized diploma/associate degree or a degree entry-level training in social work are eligible for registration with the Social Workers’ Registration Board, with the practice designation ‘‘registered social worker.’’ On the whole, the quality of these programs is high, even when compared to international standards. Hong Kong scholars are also very productive in social work research publications. A simple search via the Social Science Citation Index (SSCI) database in June 2016 indicated that there were N 1⁄4 752 articles related to Hong Kong or China categorized under ‘‘social work’’ in the SSCI. Among the top 10 authors constituting 19% of this set of social work articles related to Hong Kong or China, 9 were Hong Kong Chinese

Preparing MSW Students to Provide Mental and Behavioral Health Services to Military Personnel, Veterans, and Their Families in Rural Settings

The prevalence of mental health disorders constitutes a nationwide public health crisis. Estimates suggest that more than 90 million people live in areas designated mental health professional shortage areas, with almost 6,000 additional practitioners needed to meet the service needs in these areas. Military personnel and veterans have greater mental health needs compared to the general population. As social workers and other professions strive to fill the shortage of practitioners prepared to provide mental health services to military personnel, veterans, and their families, graduate programs that offer targeted training in this area of practice are critically needed. This article describes the implementation of a specialized master’s of social work training program supported by a Mental and Behavioral Health Education and Training grant.

Examining Inclusion of Evidence-Based Practice on Social Work Training Program Websites

Websites represent a visible medium for social work programs to communicate information about social work research, academics, and professional training priorities, including evidence-based practice (EBP). However, few studies have examined the content of social work program websites. This exploratory study aimed to answer the question: Are EBP efforts in social work reflected on school websites? A guided content analysis of 40 randomly selected websites for schools of social work was used to identify how training, implementation, dissemination, and research related to EBP were represented through this medium. Implications for social work education, practice, and research are discussed.

Language and Addiction: Choosing Words Wisely

Two recent articles in the American Journal of Public Health discussed the importance of educating trainees in social work1 and medicine2 in screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) technique for approaching patients with substance use disorders. In both articles the terms “substance use” and “substance abuse” were used somewhat interchangeably. Both articles contribute to the important recognition that training in addictions must be an integral part of any medical or social work training program. However, the language used to convey this educational content is important. In medicine we use words as tools. Just as we utilize the bell and diaphragm of the stethoscope to transmit the inner landscape of cardiac pathology, we synthesize and communicate our clinical assessments with the language we choose. Every day, medical students and residents give patient presentations to the attending physicians who serve as guides, teachers, and role models. Trainees are coached explicitly and implicitly, guided to choose the proper terms to express their thoughts with the recognition that language shapes our medical judgments. Firefighters salute as a hearse passes for the funeral procession of 7-year-old Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victim Daniel Gerard Barden, at the firestation outside of the entrance to the school, on December 19, 2012, in Newtown, CT. Photograph ... In recent years, as cultural competency has been recognized to be a key component in reducing health disparities, curricula on this topic have been required for medical schools to retain accreditation.3 Teaching culturally sensitive language is now an expected component of medical training. Professionalism, another trait identified as crucial in physician development, hinges on communication. One suggested means of assessing professionalism is whether trainees “communicate in culturally appropriate language with a variety of different patients.”4(p1364) To teach professionalism, the most effective approach is faculty role modeling of ideal behavior.4 And yet within the medical community we have done a better job of this for some topics than others. When it comes to addiction, we describe patients as “substance abusers”; we refer to urine toxicology screens as “dirty” with drugs; with our language we imply patients are inflicting the morbidity of the disease on themselves and are thus undeserving of care. “Abuse” is arguably the most pernicious and poorly chosen word in our medical addiction vernacular. No other syndrome in medicine in its very naming explicitly labels the patient as the perpetrator of disease. From a purely semantics approach the word is also technically incorrect. To suggest that the addict mistreats the object of his or her deepest affection is a ridiculous notion. Alcoholics do not abuse alcohol… nor do addicts abuse drugs. Addicts, more than anyone, treat these potions with the greatest devotion and respect.5(p4) While “abuse” is defined in the Oxford Dictionaries as to “use (something) to bad effect or for a bad purpose,”6 which arguably could apply to addiction, the term “abuse” carries with it a history of moral condemnation. From the Latin word abusus, meaning “an abusing, using up,” the word has been used to reference shameful and willful commissions since the 14th century when abusion referred to a “wicked act or practice, a shameful thing, a violation of decency.”7 “Abuse” is a term anchored in our collective minds in association with behavior such as rape, domestic violence, and child molestation. To use such a term to refer to a chronic, treatable brain disease ignores decades of scientific research indicating the role of genetics, trauma, and exposure in the neurobiology of the illness. It favors instead a moralistic view that individuals “choose” such an outcome. Even highly trained mental health professionals are more likely to think that a patient is personally culpable and deserving of punitive measures when they hear the patient is described as a “substance abuser” as compared with having a “substance use disorder.”8 Thankfully, in the upcoming fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, “substance use disorder” will take the place of “substance abuse” and “substance dependence.”9 Historically, language has been used as a tool for alienation and the identification of out groups. But the reshaping of language has also been important in the recognition of equality and as a means of liberation from prior disenfranchisement. Patients with addiction continue to suffer from the stigma associated with the disease. Not surprisingly, they fear judgment and mistreatment when they encounter the medical system. That expectation often results in an interpretation of even subtle clues as evidence of a physician’s condescension and hostility.10 Using language that demonstrates an understanding and acceptance of the disease model of addiction will go a long way toward improving the medical treatment of patients struggling with this challenging disease.

The knowledge base of groupwork and its importance within social work

This paper considers knowledge base of groupwork and its importance within social work. It describes how theoretical knowledge, factual knowledge and practice knowledge are conceptualized and applies this conceptual framework to group work. The paper then examines the National Occupational Standards in relation to groups and groupwork. It argues that for practitioners to meet these requirements, groupwork skills need to be taught on social work training programmes and that more opportunities need to be made available for practitioners to use these skills, particularly in the statutory sector. The paper also identifies the way that groupwork theory and practice can inform other areas of social work, including work with individuals, families, teams, communities, networks and organisations. This includes multiprofessional and interprofessional areas of practice, and the systems that underpin these structures. Where research – and teaching and training - is conducted in groups, this too calls for an understanding of groups. The reason for emphasizing the importance of groupwork’s knowledge base, and its relevance to different areas of practice, is to maximise the opportunity for change, growth and development that groupwork can offer. The experiences described are drawn from the author’s work as a groupwork lecturer, practitioner, trainer and consultant.

Psychometric Properties of Attitudes towards Lesbians and Gay Men Scale with Chinese University Students

The 10-item Attitudes Towards Lesbian and Gay Men Scale was translated into traditional Chinese, with slight modification in item wordings (by replacing the words such as "lesbians" with "female homosexuals" and "gay men" with "male homosexuals"). Data were collected with a convenient sample of 462 Chinese undergraduate students in social work training programmes from three Hong Kong universities. Analysis of the data showed responses to the scale and its two subscales were internally consistent and a one-factor structure was found on the total scale and separately on each of its two subscales. Differences by religious belief and sex were observed using the total scale scores, as in previous studies using this scale. Researchers could consider using this scale with Hong Kong Chinese and in subsequent cross-cultural studies involving a wider range of Chinese respondents.

Social Justice Through the Education of a Rural and Tribal Child Welfare Workforce

The state of California has developed an infrastructure to address the workforce development needs of public human service agencies via the Title IV-E Social Work Training program. However, a recent analysis of student retention data indicates that the current infrastructure is not adequately addressing workforce needs for the rural and remote areas of the state. This article reports on a study conducted with county, tribal, community college, and staff stakeholders to explore rural workforce needs and possible solutions. Through the needs-assessment process, a collaborative pilot project using a blended learning model has been designed and initiated. Implications for the dual goals of improving rural workforce development and addressing the core social work value, social justice, through education are discussed.

Moving Towards an ‘Indigenous’ Social Work Education in Vietnam

Professional social work has been reintroduced to Vietnam recently as part of the effort to deal with increasing levels of social problems arising from changes in economic policy. It is estimated that about 25% of the population is in need of social work services. Though social work has not yet been officially recognized as a profession in Vietnam, programmes of social work education have been offered since the early 1990s. Following the issue of a government training code in 2004, social work education is considered to be the most developed aspect of the professionalization of social work in Vietnam. Social work education is now being offered in increasing numbers of training institutions. Nevertheless, social work education in Vietnam faces many challenges. As has happened elsewhere, Western models of social work education have influenced social work education in Vietnam. From this phase of ‘adoption’ of Western models, Vietnam is in an ‘adaptation’ phase, in that making social work education appropriate for Vietnam is the current major issue. Vietnamese social work educators are striving to develop social work training programmes that meet core international professional standards as well as fitting the Vietnamese cultural, political and economic background. This paper describes and discusses these developments.

‘You've Got to be a Saint to be a Social Worker’. The (Mis)operation of Fitness to Practise Processes for Students Already Registered onto English Social Work Training Programmes

This article seeks to promote a debate about the operation of fitness to practise procedures for students who have been registered onto social work training programmes in England. Information is provided about the General Social Care Council (GSCC) requirements, university procedures and five exemplars are used to tease out some of the key issues in relation to the operation of these processes. From this exploratory position major concerns are raised about the operation of the current process which promotes surveillance of students in all aspects of their lives, is secret, and lacks accountability. At present it is unknown whether these processes are being operated in a fair or just manner, whether they target particular student communities or whether they are being operated equitably across England. This is a highly unsatisfactory position and is in sharp contradiction to social work's avowed commitment to social justice.

Assessing the Influence of Religious Beliefs and Practices on Parenting Capacity: The Challenges for Social Work Practitioners

The 1989 Children Act emphasizes the importance of giving due consideration to the child's religious persuasion. Yet, government assessment guidance provides practitioners with very little assistance in terms of establishing ways in which religious beliefs and practices influence family life. This is concerning at a time when considerable attention is being paid in the media to the negative influences of religious beliefs on parenting and Britain is becoming increasingly diverse. Drawing on a literature review of seventy-seven papers on religion and parenting, consideration is given to some of the challenges encountered by social workers when assessing the influence of religious beliefs on parenting. These challenges include: a lack of clarity with regard to what is meant by ‘religion’; small-scale research studies with limited scope; a focus on perceptions of the influence of religious beliefs; disregard for both social workers' own views about religion and the ways in which these views are likely to influence practice. Moreover, poor preparation on social work training programmes and minimal support from supervisors mean that practitioners do not feel confident exploring religious beliefs and practices with families. All these factors lead to a significant influence in many families' lives being ignored.

Preparing our future counselling professionals: Gatekeeping and the implications for research

AbstractSocial science research specific to the identification and prevalence of unsuitable students within counselling, psychology, and social work training programmes is briefly reviewed in this article. This area of enquiry relates to the gatekeeping responsibilities of professional educational programmes, to ensure that their graduates are competent to provide ethical and effective practice to the public. Key issues which impede the usefulness of this gatekeeping literature to counselling educators are raised. These include: methodological inconsistencies which limit the comparison of findings and hence the drawing of sound conclusions; the lack of definitional clarity relating to the construct of gatekeeping; and the confusing array of nomenclature used to represent students’ failure to meet acceptable professional standards. It is apparent from this overview that there are common factors irrespective of nomenclature that are associated with students at risk of not becoming competent entry‐level practitioners. This suggests that a structured approach to terminology is appropriate. There is also evidence to suggest that encountering such students is a regular occurrence for faculty, with students indicating higher numbers of impaired students than educators. A working definition of gatekeeping is provided and nomenclature suggested.

Empirically Supported Psychotherapy in Social Work Training Programs: Does the Definition of Evidence Matter?

Objectives: A national survey finds that 62% of social work programs do not require didactic and clinical supervision in any empirically supported psychotherapy (EST). The authors report the results of analysis of national survey data using two alternative classifications of EST to determine if the results are because of the definition of EST used in the national survey. Method: Psychotherapies in the national survey are classified by three definitions of EST. Data are weighted to provide estimates generalizable to the population of social work programs. Results: The classification of EST does not have a major impact on the findings of the national survey. The national survey definition produce estimates of training in any EST in social work that fall between the two alternate definitions. Conclusions: Regardless of which definition is used, the data clearly show that the majority of social work programs offer little training in EST.