MULTI-MEDIA TRAINING FOR SOCIAL WORKERS IN EVIDENCE-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PRACTICES

C4 Innovations, Llc, Needham MA

Investigators

Abstract

Despite a growing emphasis on implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) in clinical social work, a gap remains between research and practice. A report by the Institute of Medicine (2006) describes the disconnect between available EBPs and the lack of consistency in applying these treatments in community mental health settings. In response to the pressing need for wider dissemination of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in homeless service settings, the Center for Social Innovation, LLC (C4SI) responded to a request for proposals from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to provide web-based training for social workers. The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract (hhsn271200800027c) was awarded in September 2008, and Phase I of the project was completed in September 2009. For the Phase I pilot, we selected Critical Time Intervention (CTI), an EBP that is listed on the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (www.nrepp.samhsa.gov). It is one of the few EBPs designed specifically for people experi[unreadable]encing homelessness. While NIMH has supported seminal research evaluating the impact of CTI on people transitioning from shelters into housing, a gap persists between the growing body of evidence supporting the efficacy of CTI and its widespread use in homeless service settings. To begin bridging this gap, C4SI partnered with the nation[unreadable]s leading CTI experts, Dan Herman and Sarah Conover at Columbia University, to design and implement a web-based training curriculum. The proposed Phase II SBIR contract will build on the success of the Phase I Pilot product through improvements in curriculum design and technological capacity. During this phase of the project, we will also evaluate the impact of the online CTI course, not only among agencies and clinicians who implement CTI, but also in the lives of the people they serve. We will disseminate study findings through conference presentations, peer-reviewed journal articles, and posting of findings on websites such as www.center4si.com and www.criticaltime.org. Finally, we will prepare for full-scale commercialization of the product upon completion of Phase II.