Journal ArticleDOI
Professional competencies and training needs of professional social workers in integrated behavioral health in primary care
TLDR
Results indicate that social workers feel prepared for general practice in IBH settings, but would benefit from additional training in IBh-specific competency areas identified in the survey, which can help guide social work training to improve workforce preparedness for practice inIBH settings in the wake of health care reform.Abstract:
The Affordable Care Act has led to a widespread movement to integrate behavioral health services into primary care settings. Integrated behavioral health (IBH) holds promise for treating mild to moderate psychiatric disorders in a manner that more fully addresses the biopsychosocial spectrum of needs of individuals and families in primary care, and for reducing disparities in accessing behavioral health care. For behavioral health practitioners, IBH requires a shift to a brief, outcome-driven, and team-based model of care. Despite the fact that social workers comprise the majority of behavioral health providers in IBH settings, little research has been done to assess the extent to which social workers are prepared for effective practice in fast-paced primary care. We conducted a survey of social workers (N = 84) in IBH settings to assess the following: (1) Key competency areas for social work practice in IBH settings and (2) Self-rated preparedness for effective practice in IBH settings. Online snowball sampling methods were used over a period of 1 month. Results indicate that social workers feel prepared for general practice in IBH settings, but would benefit from additional training in IBH-specific competency areas identified in the survey. Findings can help guide social work training to improve workforce preparedness for practice in IBH settings in the wake of health care reform.read more
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
Moving Toward Integrated Health: An Opportunity for Social Work
TL;DR: This paper defines integrated health and how the PPACA promotes integrated health care through system redesign and payment reform and considers how social workers can prepare for health care reform.
Journal ArticleDOI
Integrated Primary Care and Social Work: A Systematic Review
Mark W. Fraser,Brianna M. Lombardi,Shiyou Wu,Lisa de Saxe Zerden,Erica L. Richman,Erin P. Fraher +5 more
TL;DR: The findings suggest that, compared to routine services, integrated primary care provided by interprofessional teams that include social workers significantly improves the behavioral health and care of patients.
Journal ArticleDOI
A pilot feasibility study of virtual patient simulation to enhance social work students' brief mental health assessment skills
TL;DR: Preliminary feasibility and acceptability data on the use of virtual patient (VP) simulations to develop brief assessment skills within an interdisciplinary care setting are presented and preliminary evidence for an association between engagement in VP practice simulations and improvements in diagnostic accuracy and clinical interviewing skills is offered.
Journal ArticleDOI
Social work: Integral to interprofessional education and integrated practice
TL;DR: A case vignette is included to demonstrate how interprofessional teams can use the skills of social workers to offer brief, evidence-supported interventions and inform team-based care.
Journal ArticleDOI
Virtual patient simulations for brief assessment of mental health disorders in integrated care settings
TL;DR: It is indicated that virtual patient simulations have sufficient levels of usability and acceptability as a tool for developing brief clinical interviewing skills, and that participants found this method of instruction to be a valuable adjunct to traditional classroom or field based training.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Innovative Training for Integrated Primary Health Care Teams: Creating Simulated/Standardized Patient Training in an International Context.
Journal ArticleDOI
Social Work in Health Care in 2025: The Landscape and Paths of Transformation
Kathleen Ell,Besty Vourlekis +1 more
TL;DR: The profession’s practice, research and educational communities must take actions now to guide the necessary transformation of social work in health care and, in the process, significantly influence the delivery of behavioral and psychosocial health care.