Experiences of Collaborative Behavioral Health-Care Professionals: Implications for Social Work Education and Training

ABSTRACT

Although interprofessional literature increasingly emphasizes collaboration in delivery of integrated health-care services, practitioners’ views on service implementation are less known. This study explored provider perspectives on collaboration in two Los Angeles County health-care initiatives based on the chronic care model: one focused on provider collaboration, the other on service access and organization-level collaboration in designated neighborhoods. De-identified transcripts were analyzed from a public health-care forum featuring professionals (five social workers, a psychologist, an educator, and a paraprofessional health promotor) purposively selected from the initiatives. Core themes pertained to benefits, challenges, training needs, and potential social work roles in these integrated health-care settings. Results offer recommendations for high-quality collaborative health-care service provision and development of social work curricula and workforce training.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Notes on contributors

Ann-Marie Yamada

Ann-Marie Yamada is associate professor at the University of Southern California.

Suzanne L. Wenzel

Suzanne L. Wenzel is the Richard and Ann Thor Professor in Urban Social Development and chair of the Department of Adult Mental Health and Wellness in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.

Judith A. DeBonis

Judith A. DeBonis is associate professor at California State University, Northridge.

Karissa M. Fenwick

Karissa M. Fenwick is a doctoral candidate in the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at the University of Southern California.

Monique Holguin

Monique Holguin is a doctoral student at the University of Southern California.