A Survey of Trauma Education in Social Work Programs in the United States and Canada

ABSTRACT

In the past 2 decades, social work education has increasingly advocated for inclusion of trauma-related content in educational programming. Yet, to date, little is known about the current state of trauma education and training in social work programs. The aim of this study is to describe trauma education and training in accredited, North American social work programs. The data are from an online survey of 192 social work educators from 165 universities with accredited social work programs in the United States (n=151) and Canada (n=14). Participants were asked whether trauma-specific education is offered, and if so, to provide the formats used to deliver the content, the type of curriculum used, and evaluation efforts. Most programs (67.9%) reported integrating trauma education into existing courses, with 61.4% of BSW programs and 65.4% of MSW programs offering some form of trauma education. Results suggest that social work educators are recognizing the importance of including trauma education in their programming. However, more evaluation is needed to identify specific trauma content being presented.

Notes

¹ Throughout the article, social work education includes U.S. and Canadian social work programs, unless otherwise specified. Although each country has its own accrediting body (the CSWE for the United States and the Canadian Association of Social Work Education for Canada), there has been a long-standing memorandum of understanding that all social work degrees from one accrediting body are recognized and seen as equivalent by the other.

² We recognize efforts in Canada to expand the language to trauma- and violence-informed care. Hereafter, we use the term trauma-informed for simplicity but acknowledge the relevance of the added language.

³ This count includes programs that offer BSW only, MSW only, or both BSW and MSW.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shamra Boel-Studt

Shamra Boel-Studt, PhD, MSW, is an Associate Professor at Florida State University’s College of Social Work and a faculty affiliate of the Florida Institute for Child Welfare. Dr. Boel-Studt has over a decade of experience in practice, training/technical assistance, research, and evaluation in child welfare. Her practice experience and research focuses on developing and evaluating methods of addressing trauma in children and families. Subsequently, she began exploring and promoting the inclusion of trauma education in undergraduate and graduate social work programs with the aim of incorporating empirical knowledge to promote the development of trauma-competent social workers. Dr. Matthew Vasquez is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa. His current area of research focuses on the effects of body-based interventions (e.g., Tai Chi, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga) on trauma and mental health, along with the evaluation of affiliative, body-based interventions in school settings (e.g., Rainbowdance and Kinnect). His other research interests include examining the benefits of infusing trauma-informed care practices in residential treatment facilities, in-patient mental health units, and school-based curricula, along with how to effectively educate social workers on the salient neurobiological aspects of trauma. Dr. Karen Randolph is the Agnes Flaherty Stoops Professor in Child Welfare at Florida State University's College of Social Work. Dr. Randolph has worked extensively with the child welfare system in Florida and has focused on prevention services with families. Much of her research has focused on substance abuse interventions and prevention programs for high-risk youth. Her research interests include at-risk youth, child welfare, social work in healthcare, and research methodology. Taylor Dowdy-Hazlett MSW, is a doctoral student in the College of Social Work at Florida State University. Her research interests include childhood trauma and neurobiology and child welfare.