Social work and interprofessional education: integration,intersectionality, and institutional leadership

Over the last decade healthcare policies and practices in the US have placed significant emphasis on healthcare integration, mental health parity, and implementation of team-based practice models to improve quality, safety, and affordability of service. With these incentives in mind, schools of social work have joined with national and international health education organizations to reduce disciplinary silos and increase shared learning opportunities across professions and programs. The social work profession has long supported collaborative practice however, students are rarely paired with others in the classroom or intentionally taught about counterparts’ roles and expertise. Social work leaders are also responsible for addressing the intersectionality between collaborative competencies and sociocultural factors. The 2015 EPAS and 2016 Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice create multi-level opportunities for social work educators to provide Interprofessional Education (IPE) innovation and leadership across common curricula and educational settings. The authors examine historic challenges to integrating IPE in social work curricula, provide three examples of IPE/social work initiatives in higher education, describe the intersectionality of the EPAS and the IPEC competencies, and identify institutional benefits associated with the integration of IPE in schools of social work culture and curriculum.     

Navigating stormy waters: Challenges and opportunities for social work in mental health

The reforms driven by the National Mental Health Strategy have created both opportunities and challenges for social work as a profession. This paper examines the rapidly changing context for practice in mental health, including policy change, and developments in the education and training of the mental health workforce. Key practice issues identified for social work include: (i) the need to establish a viable paradigm for practice; (ii) a more positive response to the challenge of evidence-based practice models; (iii) a national agenda for education and training; and (iv) the importance of working collaboratively with consumers and families in a way that values their human rights and the lived experience of mental illness.     

Translating knowledge into practice: using simulation to enhance mental health competence through social work education

ABSTRACT

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is an innovative experiential teaching method where students and instructors interact with a simulated client to foster students’ holistic competence in practice. Considering the context of North America where social workers are the largest service provider in the field of mental health, it is critical for educators to enhance competencies in students during the social work program. Guided by competency- and simulation-based, adult learning frameworks, this paper illustrates the development and integration of a range of educational activities into a treatment-focused advanced mental health course in the social work curriculum. We conclude by discussing how SBL enhances students’ mental health competence and provide recommendations when developing SBL in the mental health curriculum in social work education.     

Private Pain,Public Choices: Influence of Problems in the Family of Origin on Career Choices Among a Cohort of MSW Students

This study draws on a survey of 126 graduate social work students from a large school of social work in the United States to investigate the impact of family problems on career choices. Sixty‐nine percent of the students indicated they had a family history of problems related to substance abuse (44%), psychopathology (43%), compulsive disorders (17%), and/or violence (35%). Students who report more indicators of psychopathology and violence were more likely to see their family history as influential in their career choice. These students were also more likely to select mental health/health as a practice area. However, no differences were found between students without a family history of problems and those who did not see their family history as influential. Students' history of family problems and their perceptions of its influence on career choice did not affect the likelihood of selecting a practice method. The authors discuss the implications of these findings and conclude with a series of recommendations for social work education.     

Going social: Championing a holistic model of mental distress within professional education

Within the context of current debates as to how to raise the profile of social perspectives within mental health social work education, this paper seeks to assemble various elements that might belong within a social (or psychosocial) model of mental health practice. A clarification of what may actually be meant by a social model would be helpful in starting to set the parameters of future social work curricula, both at qualification and post-qualification levels, in terms of an appropriate value base and theoretical orientation. This may be seen to be important if social workers are to be properly prepared for taking on some form of leadership around the promotion of social approaches within the practice of multi-disciplinary teams.     

What mental health professionals in Israel know and think about adolescent problem gambling

Mental health professionals are well versed in addressing multiple adolescent risky behaviours and play a primary role in the identification of and referral process and service provision for young people who engage in such behaviours. Given their ‘person-in-environment’ approach, training in multi-sectoral collaboration, and awareness of social policies, social workers are especially equipped to provide needed mental health services to young people. The aim of the current study was to examine Israeli mental health professionals’ awareness of and attitudes towards adolescent high-risk behaviours, including gambling. Child psychologists, social workers and school counsellors (N = 273) completed an online survey addressing concerns related to high-risk behaviours. Findings revealed that social workers perceived gambling as being among one of the least concerning adolescent mental health issues and reported feeling the least confident in their abilities to provide services to young people with gambling problems. The results suggest the importance of youth gambling addictions being incorporated into social work training curricula.     

Student mental health needs: survey results and implications for service.

In preparation for planning counseling and mental health services at Columbia University, the authors conducted a mental health needs assessment survey that sampled representative numbers of students. Respondents were most concerned about academic and school-related issues, followed by concerns in the area of love relationships. Multiple regression analysis revealed certain subgroups that were more likely to have these concerns and certain health and mental health problems that were significantly associated with these concerns. The study identified serious psychological problems, including suicidal/homicidal thoughts and sexual abuse, and surveyed respondents' treatment preferences. Finally, the authors discuss how the study findings contributed to sharpening and expanding focus on different aspects of program development in the collaboration between mental health and health education.     

Building a better mental health workforce: 8 core elements

The field of behavioral health is facing a national crisis surrounding its workforce. Critical issues include problems in recruitment and retention and a serious lack of relevant preparation for work in mental health settings. This article identifies the challenges inherent in providing effective education and training to mental health staff who hold a bachelor's degree or less formal education. Key theories, concepts, and general principles of critical importance to all staff expected to work in a redesigned or transformed mental health system are described. Best and promising practices are contrasted with current practices, and specific recommendations including core concepts and competencies are listed, leading to the development of a training curricula targeted to meet these needs.     

SUBSTANCE ABUSE TRAINING AND PERCEIVED KNOWLEDGE: PREDICTORS OF PERCEIVED PREPAREDNESS TO WORK IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE

As frontline mental health care providers, social workers need to be prepared to confront and properly manage substance abuse issues in practice. This study examined predictors of recent master of social work (MSW) graduates' perceptions of preparedness to practice in the area of substance abuse. A cross-sectional design was used, and 232 recent MSW graduates completed a mail-in survey (65.7% response rate). Respondents were more likely to perceive themselves as prepared to work with substance abuse issues if they received more formal academic training in substance abuse and had higher knowledge of substance abuse concepts and models. The findings support the need to include substance abuse education in social work curricula.     

Responding to student mental health concerns in social work education: reflective questions for social work educators

In this paper, we explore ways in which social work educators might respond to students who report that mental health issues underlie their difficulty in meeting core competencies, or otherwise use the language of mental health to describe their struggles to succeed in social work programs. We discuss various trends in policy responses in Canada, the US, the UK, and Ireland. While there are general policy trends, it is clear that responding to these kinds of issues requires the development of highly flexible and situated policy processes that can respond to student realities, concern for students’ rights and privacy, and an awareness of potential discrimination against students. These processes also need to meet the specificities of practicums, particular institutional policies, the mandates of relevant professional bodies, and the precise local legislative framework that shapes these situations. Given these varying contexts, in this conceptual paper, we used a framework on disability that is informed by critical theory to engage existing school policies and propose a set of reflective questions that can guide schools of social work to create an overall responsive environment. These reflective questions are designed to help social work educators balance the rights and needs of students with the professional and institutional demands that students meet core competencies in their education.     

Group Work in Graduate Social Work Education: The Price of Neglect

Abstract

Although social work practice with groups is on the rise, social work education has neglected to prepare students for group work practice. The results of a 1991 survey show that graduate education has practically eliminated group work as a specialized area of study. Most schools offer group work only as an elective, and few students graduate with a course in this subject. Additionally, students in foundation courses learn little about group work theory and have limited or no group field work experience in which to develop practice skills. The authors discuss the consequences of this lack on student learning, faculty development, field education, and the social work curriculum. They make recommendations for schools and CSWE to revitalize group work in the curriculum.     

The mental health dimension in the new social work degree: starting a debate

The Mental Health in Higher Education Project (mhhe) aims to increase networking and debate about the learning and teaching of mental health, both within and across the disciplines and professions in higher education. Despite the recent prominence that has been given to mental health in terms of policy development and new practice models, there has so far been little discussion as to what should constitute the mental health component of the new social work degree that is currently being introduced in England. This paper sets the context for the debate and reports on the outcome of an mhhe workshop on this theme held at the 2003 Social Work Education Conference in Warwick.     

One hundred years of college mental health

Although the first student health service is credited to Amherst College in 1861, almost 50 years passed before Princeton University established the first mental health service in 1910. At that time, a psychiatrist was hired to help with student personality development. Although other schools subsequently established such services, the first 50 years of college mental health were marked by a series of national conferences. At the American Student Health Association's annual meeting in 1920, "mental hygiene" was identified as critical for college campuses to assist students to reach their highest potential. However, it took another 40 years before mental health and psychological counseling services became common on college and university campuses. The American College Health Association formed a Mental Health Section to serve mental health professionals in 1957, and most colleges and universities have now developed mental health and counseling programs commensurate with the size of their student bodies.     

Creation and evaluation of a maternal mental health course

Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) engender significant and increasing personal, social, developmental, and economic burdens to women, children, families, and global public health. In the US, a Master of Social Work (MSW) elective course, Introduction to Maternal Mental Health, was created to prepare future social workers to better understand, detect, intervene, and advocate with women struggling with perinatal mental health concerns. A pilot study used pre–post-surveys (N = 10) and a focus group to examine students’ knowledge acquisition, course satisfaction, and perceived self-efficacy. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed a statistically significant difference between pre- and post-survey course content knowledge scores. Positive focus group feedback and survey outcomes suggest that students benefitted from the course in terms of increased learning and professional efficacy in maternal mental health; however, the study should be replicated using a larger sample and comparison group. The course outline provided may be used to develop a similar course or to infuse maternal mental health content into existing courses. The paper concludes with implications and recommendations for social work educators.     

‘Health in all Placements’ as a Curriculum Strategy in Social Work Education

The convergence of health and social perspectives that aim to improve the quality of life of individuals, groups and communities through advancing the social determinants of health provides an important context for social work education. The adaptation of global initiatives such as Health in All Policies (HiAP) to a `health in all placements' approach in social work education is suggested as a curriculum initiative to support learning about health inequalities and enable students to locate their practice in the social, political, environmental and economic context of health and wellbeing. The integration of this approach with principles of social justice, social inclusion and the theoretical framework of transformative learning in field education is also discussed. It is argued that the approach supports the inclusion of global and local perspectives in social work curricula and pedagogical imperatives in higher education.     

Response to Nazneen Mayadas

California has actively engaged in the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative. Subsequently, the California Social Work Education Center Aging Initiative conducted a university survey of gerontology education in California graduate social work schools (N?=?17). In 2005, students taking aging courses were 12% in comparison to a national report of 7% by the Council on Social Work Education and an earlier 1993 national survey of 3%. Still, the number of gerontology students remains less than needed numbers. However, California social work schools are well-prepared with infused curricula for all social workers and exceed previous standards for gerontology faculty and aging field placements. The implications for California are discussed as well as recommendations for updating the earlier gerontology curricula criteria.     

Current Implementation of and Opinions and Concerns Regarding Suicide Education for Social Work Undergraduate Students in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study explored the current implementation status of and opinions and concerns regarding suicide education at schools of social work in Japan. We conducted a survey of faculty members who taught at least one of the social work subjects. About half the respondents had given a lecture of some kind on suicide, and more than 80% agreed that suicide is an important topic to include in social work program curricula. However, more than half indicated they did not have enough knowledge or skills to teach students about suicide, and more than 60% were concerned about adverse psychological effects of suicide education on students. Our findings highlight the importance of providing faculty members with guidelines for teaching students about suicide.     

The Implementation of Mental Health Evidence Based Practices from the Educator,Clinician and Researcher Perspective

Within the different arenas of social work practice, community based mental health is among the most advanced in terms of defining a set of evidence based practices (EBPs). Social workers play a major role in the delivery of community based mental health and are at the forefront of efforts to implement these practices through state and federal initiatives. One such initiative is The New York Office of Mental Health Evidence Based Project, which is designed to increase the knowledge and skills related to evidence-based practice among New York’s mental health human services workforce. The project had a social work component, which trained students in implementing EBP’s through specially designed curricula and field placements. The students participating in the project encountered numerous challenges in the field including lack of agency “buy-in” and infrastructure support; inadequate training and resources; poor supervision; and provider resistance. From the multilevel perspectives of educator, clinician and researcher, this paper addresses these challenges and makes recommendations to facilitate the implementation of EBPs.