Too Hard to Find with Too Little Time: What School Social Workers Want in Online Resources for Evidence-Based Practice

Abstract

School mental health practitioners, including social workers, are mandated through federal, state, and professional entities to provide evidence-based practices to students. Nevertheless, rates of use of evidence-based practices among mental health professionals in schools remain low, even as knowledge about effective practices increases. This study aimed to further knowledge about how to promote and support the use of evidence-based practices among school practitioners using online technology. School social workers attending a summer professional development event took part in focus groups exploring (a) their current perceptions of evidence-based practices, (b) their experiences finding evidence-based practice information online, and (c) their preferences for the formatting and content of online resources. Participants described a willingness to use evidence-based practice, efforts to find information, and difficulties encountered with online sources. Preferences for readily available, searchable, brief, and understandable online information were expressed. Implications for meeting the needs of school social workers with online resources are discussed.

Practice in a Pandemic: School Social Workers’ Adaptations and Experiences During the 2020 COVID-19 School Disruptions

“…Recent research on SSWs practice choices has shown that SSWs with less than 10 years' experience and working in states that require an MSW and some state certification are more likely to endorse the primary prevention work embedded in MTSS, and the ecologically informed practice work that involves providing direct support and services to families and communities (Shaffer & Fisher, 2017;Thompson et al, 2019). Other studies have shown that SSWs are eager to find ways to adapt their practice to their schools' evolving expectations while preserving what they perceive as their central clinical role (Phillippo et al, 2017;Webber, 2018), providing school-wide prevention services (Peckover et al, 2013), and finding ways to stay up-to-date with the best available evidence (Patak-Pietrafesa et al, 2019;Thompson & Frey, 2020).…”