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The integration of informal information and communication technologies (ICTs) has transformed social work practice, yet the use of ICTs in practice is not commonly discussed in supervision. The aim of this sequential mixed methods study was to understand the factors associated with social workers’ discussion of informal ICT use in supervision, and the considerations that influence these discussions. A logistic regression was conducted using data from Canadian #socialwork survey participants in organisational settings (n = 958). Quantitative findings were integrated with the qualitative findings from a reflexive thematic analysis of participant interviews (n = 22), some of which occurred during and were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on our integrated findings, supervisory ICT discussion was highly dependent on organisational policy and supervisors’ interpretation of these policies. The setting in which the survey participants worked was also associated with ICT discussion in supervision. In making their decisions to discuss ICT use, interview participants further highlighted the importance of the supervisory relationship based on supervisor qualities and availability.

There have been longstanding debates about Master of Social Work (MSW) Advanced Standing programs. Many schools of social work offer Advanced Standing status to students with a Bachelor of Social W...

Social workers and other professionals providing mental health services are regularly required to make high-stakes decisions in situations characterised by conflicting demands. To better understand the factors that drive clinical decision making in situations of risk and uncertainty, we used a design-based research framework to pilot a new approach for improving professional decision making. The programme, which combined simulated interviews, a master class series and personal monitoring of real-time decisions, was designed to focus explicit attention on biological, emotional, cognitive and contextual influences on decision making. Preliminary results from a pilot study suggest that during and immediately following the intervention, clinicians demonstrated new insights into their decision making processes. In addition, they reported benefitting both from the opportunity to reflect individually and share reflections with others. Physiological data demonstrated an association between stressful decisions in real-world clinical practice, elevated heart rate and emotional responses. Qualitative data suggested that client risk represented only one aspect of decision making that resulted in emotional and physical responses, and others included team dynamics, socio-evaluative stressors and organisational and societal factors. This innovative decision making programme creates new opportunities for integrating research, practice and education and shows promise of improving social work practice.

Mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect highlights the challenges between the ethical and legal obligations of social workers and the need to maintain the therapeutic relationship with the client. The ability to bridge this tension is paramount to ensure continued psychosocial treatment and the well-being of children. This paper discusses a study to determine the decision-making factors of social work students and practitioners when facing a suspicion of child abuse and neglect, how they justify their decision to report or not report to child protection services, and the current and future relationship repair strategies used with simulated clients during an objective structured clinical evaluation (OSCE). Nineteen BSW, MSW, and experienced practitioners (N = 19) underwent an OSCE with one of two child maltreatment vignettes, physical abuse or neglect. Fisher's exact test was used to examine participants' historical and current reporting behaviors. Independent samples T-tests, Cohen's D, and qualitative content analysis was used to examine participants' decision making and relationship repair strategies when faced with suspected child abuse and neglect. Results showed that six participants discussed the duty to report during the OSCE while 13 participants did not. Participants' who discussed and did not discuss the duty to report during the OSCE articulated clear reasons for their decision and identified relationship repair strategies in working with the client. A sub-group of participants who identified the child maltreatment but did not discuss the duty to report, provided more tentative and complex reasons for their inaction and next steps in working with the client. All participants demonstrated a degree of competence and critical reflection in the OSCE, with integration for future learning. These findings are discussed and implications for future practice are offered.

COVID-19 changed the context for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use globally. With face-to-face practice restricted, almost all communication with clients shifted to ICTs. Starting in April 2019, we conducted semi-structured interviews with social workers from four agencies serving diverse populations in a large urban centre, with the aim of exploring social workers’ informal ICT use with clients. Approximately 6 weeks after the cessation of face-to-face practice in March 2020 due to COVID-19 measures, we re-interviewed social workers (n = 11) who had participated in our study. Second interviews were based on a newly developed interview guide that explored social workers’ use of ICTs with clients in the context of COVID-19. Analysis of transcribed interviews revealed that the context of COVID-19 had generated two main themes. One, a paradigm shift for social workers was characterized by (a) diverse ICT options, (b) client-driven approach, and (c) necessary creativity. The second theme entails the impact of this transition which involved (a) greater awareness of clients’ degree of access, (b) confidentiality and privacy, and (c) professional boundaries. We discuss these themes and sub-themes and present implications for practice and research in a Post-COVID-19 world.

Recognizing that despite what has been termed a ‘crisis’ in field education or practice learning, there exists a robust contemporary empirical literature illuminating a range of issues related to o...

Knowledge for clinical social work practice is ever evolving and consists of underlying explanatory concepts, practice models, and intervention skills. Conceptualization and identification of competencies for practice provides a bridge from knowledge and understanding to actual skills needed in clinical sessions. Articulating competencies also guides education of students and provides grounded skills and behaviors needed for clinical research. Analysis of simulation-based practice provides a useful methodology to identify generic practice competencies as well as competencies in specialized fields of practice. This paper presents a simulation education model and illustrates how the use of simulation enabled clinical scholars to articulate core competencies in specialized areas of social work practice. Case examples and related competencies for practice with adolescents, victims of elder abuse, and in mental health practice will demonstrate this process. Examples are drawn from reflections on practice wisdom, analysis of experienced social work practitioners, and relevant literature. Resulting competencies contribute to scholarship for clinical practice.

Teaching students about culture and diversity in social work practice is a complex and important task for social work educators. In this study, we assessed students’ conceptualization of culture an...

Integrating contextual competency frameworks into health social work education and practice can bolster student training and staff supervision strategies. This article describes the iterative devel...

Social workers engage with and hold the emotional context of clients, while managing their own cognitive and affective reactions. As such, the importance of attending to social work students’ emoti...

Purpose: This article presents a scoping review that synthesized empirical studies on simulation in social work (SW) education. The review maps the research examining characteristics of simulation studies in SW education and emerging best practices. Method: Using Arksey and O’Malley’s scoping review framework to develop the methodology and following the PRISMA-ScR checklist, we selected 52 studies for this review. Results: Most studies were published in North America and included quantitative (37%), qualitative (31%), and mixed methods (33%). Simulation was used to teach generalist and specialized practice with interprofessional practice as the highest area of specialization. Simulation was also used for assessment purposes, and the Objective Structured Clinical Examination was a commonly reported method. We identified several facilitators and barriers to using simulation effectively for teaching and assessment. Conclusions: Our analysis permitted us to identify emerging best practices that can be used to guide teaching. Implications for SW research, teaching, and practice are discussed.

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have transformed social realms and professional fields of practice including social work. Research is lacking on informal ICT use and its impact on clinical social work. The purpose of the current study was to examine social workers’ informal ICT use with clients between sessions as an adjunct to face-to-face practice, and thus contribute to the paucity of literature on this phenomenon. An online survey, #socialwork, was distributed among social workers with direct client contact, across Canada (n = 2609) and the U.S. (n = 1225), to capture informal ICT use. Findings indicate that informal ICT use by social workers is ubiquitous and consistent across both countries. Older and more experienced practitioners, and social workers in private practice settings and who provide psychotherapy were among the highest users. The findings related to social media and increased interaction outside of work hours reveal that ICTs are impacting the working relationship. Many of the social workers were not aware of a workplace policy on informal ICT use and report that they do not talk with either their supervisors or peers about their informal ICT use with clients. Given the frequency of informal ICT use within social work practice, significantly more attention is required in research, education and practice.

Social workers play a critical role in assessing and treating individuals and families with mental health and addiction concerns. Although social workers are key professionals in the mental health ...

As future mandated reporters, social work students face the dual challenge of rendering accurate reporting decisions while concurrently maintaining the therapeutic relationship in an effort...

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. Co...

There has been a call for social work programs to better prepare students for field education. This qualitative study examined an innovation titled Practice Fridays developed to enhance competence ...

Two Special Issues of the Clinical Social Work Journal have been dedicated to building on the social work discipline’s tradition and commitment to the supervision of staff and field education of students. The first issue included papers on the supervision of professional social work staff. The focus of this issue is field education of students, the signature pedagogy of social work (CSWE in Educational policy and accreditation standards, CWSE, Alexandria, 2008, 2015a). Attention is given to macro structural issues impinging on the profession’s capacity to provide quality learning experiences, in addition to the integration of concepts into our educational practices, and research studies that provide systematic approaches to training practicing field instructors and providing clinical supervision for students. In this Introduction, we share the salient aspects of the articles published, as they relate to contemporary field education, with implications to guide field instructors as they provide learning experiences for students.

Feedback is an important mechanism that enhances student learning in supervision and field education. Constructive feedback that is specific, timely, and based on observations; bridges theory and practice, enhances self-awareness, and builds holistic competence in social work students. There is scant social work research examining how this teaching mechanism facilitates student learning. In this qualitative study we examined the role of feedback in student learning using a simulation-based learning activity aimed at developing holistic competence in the classroom to prepare students for field learning. The study examined the impact of feedback on student learning and the key elements that facilitated learning related to feedback. We identified four themes that described the impact of feedback on student learning: (1) feedback enhanced knowledge, (2) feedback improved skills, (3) feedback developed professional judgment, and (4) feedback increased self-reflection. The processes influencing the impact of feedback were the source of the feedback, type of feedback given, and delivery of feedback. The results deepen our understanding of feedback as a learning mechanism with implications for field education.

Ruptures, including racial microaggressions, are inevitable in therapy. Because they are subtle and subject to alternative explanations, identifying and illustrating racial microaggressions have be...

Simulation, the use of trained actors as simulated clients, has gained empirical support as an effective teaching and assessment method in social work education. The associated costs involving the use of live simulation, however, often pose a barrier and prevent less resourced schools from implementing this pedagogical approach in the classroom. Social Work Serial is a pedagogical project that used video-recorded simulated client sessions as an alternative to live simulation. In this teaching note, we will describe step-by-step production and implementation processes involving the project and discuss the implications of video-based simulation for social work education.

Although the use of human simulation has recently gained much attention in social work education, many schools continue to rely on peer role-plays as a predominant teaching method. This qualitative study examined BSW students' perceptions of simulation versus role-play when learning interviewing skills. Individual interviews were conducted with second-year BSW students (n=17). The following four themes emerged as to how students view simulation versus role-play as an approach for developing interviewing skills: (1) the relationship in role-play versus simulation, (2) normalizing skills acquisition, (3) authenticity of simulation, and (4) seriousness of simulation. This study suggests that observational approaches within these pedagogical methods normalize the stress of learning interviewing skills and that social work educators need to find ways to increase the level of authenticity of the role-play format.

Simulation-based learning (SBL) is a powerful tool for social work education, preparing students to practice in integrated health care settings. In an educational environment addressing patient health using an integrated care model, there is growing emphasis on students developing clinical competencies prior to entering clinical placements or clinical practice settings. This article highlights the importance of SBL in the development of the clinical competencies of graduate social work students enrolled in a Social Work Practice in Health course. The development and implementation of an educational initiative using a family-based simulation scenario to enhance classroom learning for health social work practice is described, and recommendations for future educational initiatives using SBL are provided.

To strengthen students’ preparation for engaging in field learning, an innovation was implemented to teach and assess foundation-year students’ performance prior to entering field education. An Objective Structured Clinical Examination informed the final evaluation of students’ performance in two companion courses on practice theory and skills. The evaluation was used by field instructors and students to develop the field learning plan. This article reports on a qualitative study that examined field instructors’ and faculty field liaisons’ experiences and reactions to using this new approach and its impact in shaping students’ field learning goals. Implications for supporting adoption of innovations that strengthen the link between classroom and field teaching are offered, including new institutional policies that resulted from ongoing evaluation.

With increasing diversity in therapeutic dyads, there has been renewed attention to the process of ‘joining’ in cross-cultural encounters. Inspired by discourse analysis, we conducted a close reading of therapy transcripts between a Pakistani immigrant mother-daughter dyad and a Canadian white female therapist in an outpatient clinic. Our findings illustrate detailed discursive interactions for joining techniques – selective joining, confirmation, and tracking – (1) where the therapist facilitates joining moments with the family and (2) where the same techniques are used to preclude further exploration of the family's cultural views. Consequently, the joining process is at times limited by the therapist's enactment of her own assumptions about the family's culture. Due to the doxic nature of cultural assumptions, a discursive analysis may help to prevent therapists from silencing their clients’ cultural voices and to be more reflexive of their assumptions, thus promoting joining. Practitioner points Joining in family therapy is a dynamic process The detailed analysis of joining moments can serve as an example for training therapists to examine their moment-to-moment responses to culturally diverse clients Therapeutic constructs/techniques (e.g. joining) cannot be decontextualized or conceptualized as apolitical and acultural Critical reflexivity may prevent therapists from unknowingly oppressing culturally diverse clients’ experiences and cultural identities

This article examines graduating students' conceptualizations of their generalist social work practice and their views for future skill development. Twenty 4th-year BSW students underwent an objective structured clinical examination that involved interviewing a simulated client and then responding to reflection questions. Reflections were analyzed using thematic analysis. Four patterns surfaced: foundational versus theoretical knowledge, deepening perspectives of diversity, managing client emotional intensity, and openness to learning. Implications for social work education include greater emphasis on teaching advanced social work practice concepts, more attention to complex and nuanced forms of diversity and assisting students with affect regulation for themselves and the client.

Two Special Issues of the Clinical Social Work Journal have been dedicated to building on the social work discipline’s tradition and commitment to the supervision of staff and field education of students. These issues bring together contemporary theorizing, clinical supervisory and field education practice experience and wisdom, and research studies to contribute to the knowledge base for practicing supervisors and field educators. As the first of the Special Issues, this issue has been dedicated to the supervision of staff. In this Introduction, we share the salient aspects of the articles published, as they relate to contemporary social work supervision, relational considerations within the supervisory dyad, models of supervision for fields of specialization, as well as measurement and evaluation. Implications are shared, with highlights and connections for practicing supervisors made throughout.

Field Education faces a number of challenges, not least in terms of the supply and sustaining of quality field education sites. At the same time, questions have been raised about preparation and levels of competence of new graduates. This chapter focusses on the latter concern. It provides an overview of how issues of leadership are conceptualized within social work professional practice education drawing on evidence from empirical studies, recent developments in teaching and learning and academic debate. It considers how new teaching technologies and innovations such as holistic competence and simulation-based education can advance preparation for professional practice. Such innovations require strong leadership in supporting experimentation and generating innovation and encouraging related empirical work to underpin pedagogic development.

One of the most challenging aspects of my role as editor in chief has been writing editorials that I thought would be of interest to the readers of this journal. Over the past four years I have wri...

This study aimed to examine field instructors’ perceptions of foundation year students’ readiness to engage in field education in a delayed entry field model. Eighteen field instructors were interviewed and an additional 68 field instructors responded to an online survey about information they received about students’ performance in simulated situations. Their expectations and impressions of foundation MSW students were also elicited. Responses were analyzed using descriptive qualitative methodology. Themes emerged related to instructors’ perceptions about students’ anxiety, the importance of the field instructor–student relationship, and issues that can negatively affect student learning, such as ageism.

Suicide risk assessment is a critical component of mental health practice for which the stakes are high and the outcomes uncertain. This research examines the consistency with which clinicians make determinations of suicide risk and factors influencing clinical confidence. Seventy-one social workers interviewed two standardized patients performing in scenarios depicting suicidal ideation, judged whether the patient required hospitalization, and completed standardized suicide risk assessment measures. Self-ratings and qualitative interviews explored participants’ confidence in their judgment of risk. Participants had highly divergent views regarding whether or not the risk of suicide was sufficiently high to require hospitalization. However, regardless of the ultimate decision reached, participants were equally confident when recommending either clinical course of action. The variation in risk assessment appraisals in this study, despite at times high rates of confidence in risk appraisals, speaks ...

Few studies have examined social work students’ reflections on and experiences working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and questioning persons and addressing the intersection of race/ethnicity and sexuality within practice. This study explored current master’s of social work student (n = 11) and recent graduate (n = 7) reflections on conducting an objective structured clinical practice interaction with an African Canadian youth coming out as a lesbian. Narrative thematic analyses of reflective dialogues highlighted a variation of competence in gay affirmative practice across attitudes (managing personal reactions), knowledge (addressing diversity; terminology and information), and skills (readiness; challenging heterosexism). Curriculum development and agency-based training is recommended to address gaps in knowledge and competence regarding gay affirmative approaches.

Field education is arguably the most significant component of the social work curriculum in preparing competent, effective, and ethical clinical social workers. Students and alumni characterize it as such, and national accrediting bodies, both in the United States and internationally, recognize its crucial impact on the quality of social work services delivered to the public. In addition, there is likely more scholarship and research conducted on field education than on any other component of the curriculum. And yet, field educators anecdotally describe a crisis in their ability to implement the best pedagogical practices for students. This paper will discuss the developing evidence-base highlighting best practices for field education, the changing context of field education, and analyze current challenges and potential responses.

Professional judgment in complex clinical situations such as the assessment of suicide risk encompasses a multifaceted cognitive understanding of the substantive issues, technical expertise, and emotional awareness. This experimental design study investigated the degree to which the previous work-related experiences of clinicians and their preexisting emotional state influence professional judgment regarding acute risk in patients presenting with suicidal ideation. Experienced social workers and social work students conducted suicide risk assessments on 2 standardized patients performing in scenarios constructed to depict individuals presenting with suicidal ideation. This study revealed significant variations in clinical judgments of practitioners assessing suicide risk. While scores on standardized risk assessment measures were the strongest predictor of judgments regarding the need for hospitalization to ensure the safety of the patient, other influences included clinician age and levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Mental health clinicians and organizations that employ them should be aware of possible individual influences on professional judgments related to suicide risk.