Do Master’s in Social Work Programs Teach Empirically Supported Interventions? A Survey of Deans and Directors

Abstract

Objective: A questionnaire to examine efforts toward the teaching of empirically supported interventions (ESI) was mailed to the 165 deans and directors of Council on Social Work Education-accredited Master’s in social work (MSW) programs; 66 (40%) responded. Method: Questions included program characteristics and items assessing both faculty and official program positions on ESI, which were summed to provide scores as an index of commitment to ESI. Results: Informal faculty commitment to teaching ESI was significantly higher than official program commitment, and offering more clinical practice courses was associated with greater program commitment. Factor analysis extracted two components from program emphasis on theoretical models in the overall practice curriculum: (a) experiential and (b) behavioral/systems; correlation of factor scores for these two components, as yielded from regression, with commitment scores, showed that the behavioral/systems component was significantly associated with greater faculty and program commitment. Conclusion: Study limitations are discussed and recommendations address how the findings apply to social work educators and innovations for promoting empirical practice in the MSW curriculum.

Teaching Evidence-Based Practice: Strategic and Pedagogical Recommendations for Schools of Social Work

“…Authors of a related investigation concluded that "while the profession may continue to struggle to define EBP, it is hard to justify the lack of training in psychotherapies that are supported by clear research evidence and a seeming preference for those lacking the support of research evidence" (Bledsoe et al, in press). Woody, D'Souza, and Dartman (2006) also recently reported less than encouraging findings from a survey of social work deans and directors (or their designees) examining whether and how their programs teach empirically supported interventions. They observed that only 31 programs, less than half, had endorsed teaching specific ESI [Empirically Supported Interventions] content; still fewer, 26, had designated courses to teach specific ESI content; and of the 31 programs that had endorsed teaching ESI, very small numbers required ESI training materials designed for teaching students the skills and techniques for implementing the interventions.…”

“…They observed that only 31 programs, less than half, had endorsed teaching specific ESI [Empirically Supported Interventions] content; still fewer, 26, had designated courses to teach specific ESI content; and of the 31 programs that had endorsed teaching ESI, very small numbers required ESI training materials designed for teaching students the skills and techniques for implementing the interventions. (p. 474) Woody et al (2006) cautiously concluded that "the present sample is not overrepresented by programs with faculty who are visibly or highly engaged with the EBP movement" (pp. 474-475).…”

An Investigation of Counselor Educators' Attitudes Toward Evidence‐Based Practices

“…Regarding organizational factors that affect the perception of barriers toward the diffusion of EBPs in educational programs, researchers from the aforementioned disciplines have noted such things as (a) program type (i.e., master's‐granting programs vs. doctoral‐granting programs; Woody, D'Souza, & Dartman, 2006); (b) accreditation status (i.e., CACREP accreditation vs. non‐CACREP accreditation; Hoge, Tondora, & Stuart, 2003; Scott, 2000); and (c) faculty position (i.e., core faculty [e.g., full professors, associate professors, assistant professors] vs. noncore faculty [e.g., visiting instructor, adjunct, lecturer]; Beasley & Woolley, 2002; Rubin & Parrish, 2007).…”

Educating a New Generation of Social Workers: Challenges and Skills Needed for Contemporary Agency-Based Practice

“…In order for this collaboration to succeed, faculty must partner with agency administrators, practitioners, and field educators in a more comprehensive and systematic way. Those social work educators in academic and field settings with expertise and experience in the use of evidence-based practice models are well positioned to lead the training effort needed which can ultimately benefit the profession by providing clients and communities with effective services (Woody et al 2006). …”

“…Wheeler and Goodman (2007) believe that social work students need additional skills in the retrieval, evaluation, and synthesis of information for decision-making in clinical social work practice. Woody et al (2006) address the importance for field supervisors and instructors to be actively involved in curriculum development and agency-based training in evidence-based practice and evidence-supported interventions. Finally, Howard et al (2007) advocate that schools of social work provide field instructors with training in evidence-based practice methods and provide access to websites with links to searchable computerized bibliographic databases in order to enhance the ability of social work students to deliver treatments that are supported by research evidence.…”