Developing mental health and addiction competencies in social work students using simulation-based learning

ABSTRACT

Social workers are one of the core professionals on the mental health workforce and most work with individuals, families, and communities with mental health and addiction concerns. Schools of social work have a responsibility to adequately prepare students for practice in the field of mental health and addictions, but there are gaps in social work education and training. This paper describes a social work practice in mental health course that has been re-designed to focus on developing student competence in mental health, addictions, and suicide risk assessment. We formed an advisory committee consisting of faculty, MSW and PhD students, as well as community social workers. The re-designed course uses simulation-based learning and a form of blended learning known as a flipped classroom approach. We developed educational online modules that provide opportunities for students to increase knowledge on mental health and addictions and give more time to focus on practice in the classroom. Simulation-based learning provides students with opportunities to practice in the classroom with a simulated client. This paper will describe how simulation can be used to teach and assess mental health and addiction competencies. We will discuss implications for social work education and practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Mental health
• addictions
• suicide
• assessment
• social work education
• simulation-based learning

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the support and assistance of the MSW students who participated on the advisory committee and in the research study, as well as current and former PhD students Anne Kirvan and Karen Sewell, and Jim Moore (FIFSW) for his support making the videos. This project was the result of a partnership with two social workers - Megan McCormick and Dale Kuehl at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The Centre for Teaching Support and Innovation (CTSI) provided tremendous support on this project and we also received support through the University of Toronto Teaching Fellowship (UTTF 2018-20). We would also like to thank Larry Enkin for his support of the simulation program at our faculty.

Disclosure statement

There are no relevant financial or non-financial competing interests to report. The paper has not been submitted elsewhere and is not under consideration by another journal.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Toula Kourgiantakis

Toula Kourgiantakis, PhD, RSW, CCFT is an Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto. Her research focuses on family-focused practices in mental health and addictions, accessibility, equity, and culturally adapted mental health services for emerging adults and families, and simulation-based learning and social work education in mental health and addictions. Dr. Kourgiantakis is a Registered Social Worker and Certified Couple and Family Therapist with over 25 years of clinical experience that informs her teaching and research.

Eunjung Lee

Eunjung Lee, PhD, MSW, RSW is an Associate Professor and Endowed Chair in Mental Health and Health at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto in Canada. She is a psychotherapy process researcher focusing on cross-cultural clinical practice in community mental health. Using critical theories in language, discourse and power, her research focuses on everyday interactions in clinical practice and simulation-based learning in social work education, as well as immigration, transnationalism, and politics of multiculturalism and welfare state.