James Drisko

Smith College · School for Social Work

Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS) 2015 add new research requirements focusing on multiple ways of knowing and culturally informed approaches to knowledge building. These new requirements link to indigenous ways of knowing that orient the worldviews of many non-Western cultures. This article identifies key issues that distinguish...

Evidence based practice [EBP] has had a strong influence on social work practice, research, and education. EBP is a multi-step process for health care decision making which includes relevant research findings in treatment planning together with the client’s preferences and clinical expertise. An empirically supported treatments [EST] is a designati...

The EBP practice decision-making process is implemented in six steps. This chapter outlines each of these six steps and their purposes. Following a thorough assessment, Step 1 is to identify practice information needs based on the assessment, Step 2 is to efficiently locate relevant information, Step 3 is to evaluate its quality and relevance to th...

Step 3 of EBP centers on evaluating research quality and relevance. This chapter explores sampling, measures, definitions of treatments, and the use of the correct statistical tests in EBP research evaluation. Level of measure, sampling distributions, and different types of statistics are addressed. Treatment manuals are described and illustrated....

This chapter examines models of assessment as the foundation of doing EBP in clinical practice. It details Step 1 of the EBP process: identifying practice information needs related to the client’s strengths, situation, and needs. Several assessment models are introduced and examined critically: the social work person-in-environment (PIE) model, the...

This chapter addresses several unresolved issues and challenges that practitioners and academics have raised about evidence-based practice (EBP) and evidence-based medicine (EBM). EBP/EBM has strong support from policy makers, funders, and administrators, though their standardized approaches often seem to leave out client values and preferences and...

This chapter explores opportunities and challenges in teaching evidence-based practice (EBP) and in supervising EBP in clinical practice. While support for teaching EBP is apparent, educators, administrators, and supervisors often work from different definitions of EBP and understand it in dissimilar ways. Educators and supervisors often conflate E...

Step 3 of the EBP process centers on evaluating the quality and relevance of research results. This chapter examines the aggregation and evaluation of multiple research studies using a method called the systematic review. Systematic reviews locate and combine the results of multiple studies using clearly defined and transparently reported standards...

Throughout this book, we have attempted to show how to implement the evidence-based practice (EBP) decision-making process in a way that feels manageable and realistic in everyday clinical practice. We hope that the previous chapters have provided practitioners with the tools and the knowledge necessary to have confidence in their ability to use EB...

Step 3 of the EBP process involves evaluating the quality and client relevance of research results you have located to inform treatment planning. While some useful clinical resources include careful appraisals of research quality, clinicians must critically evaluate the content both included in these summaries and what is excluded or omitted from t...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in work with Jennifer, a 23-year-old homeless white woman who has a history of loss and trauma and who fits criteria for a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. Issues of aggression and concerns about abandonment and loss are notable. Issues of assessment ar...

This chapter reviews the EBP practice decision-making process through the case of Jin, who is a 16-year-old Korean-American referred by his parents to an outpatient clinic due to concerns about abusing alcohol. He presents with both strengths and challenges. Issues of assessment are addressed, and the six steps of the EBP process are each explored...

This chapter addresses the origins and history of the evidence-based practice [EBP] movement. EBP is based on the pioneering work of Dr. Archibald Cochrane. The contemporary, four-part, definition of EBP is a practice decision-making process involving (1) the client’s situation, (2) the best research evidence, (3) the client’s values and preference...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in Employee Assistance Program work with a Bethany, 32-year-old, biracial woman who has come to a sudden awareness of her early trauma history. Issues of assessment are addressed, and the six steps of the EBP process are each explored in detail. How EBP is done in p...

Step 4 of the EBP process centers on discussing the relevant research results collaboratively with the client. It includes providing a plain language summary of the results to the client and actively exploring how the results fit with the client’s needs, situation, values, and preferences. This chapter examines why such an active, collaborative dis...

Step 2 of the EBP practice decision-making process centers on efficiently locating the best available and relevant practice research. This chapter will offer a detailed introduction to both print and online research information resources available for EBP. Both aggregated sources and individual article sources will be addressed. Approaches to effic...

This chapter explores EBP from three different perspectives: first, its application in practice decision-making; second, its use in defining health-care policy, costs, and administrative practices; and third, its impact on privileging certain research methods and research funding. EBP was initially developed to bring research evidence into treatmen...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in work with Sam, age 68, who identifies as a gay Caucasian and who appears depressed. Sam was referred by his primary care physician for problems concentrating and changes in his daily routines and feeling very “tired.” Sam states he is isolated and has had several...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in work with Sally, a 12-year-old biracial girl whose adoptive parents and adoption social worker are concerned about her lack of turning to her parents for nurture when upset and her indiscriminate interactions with other adults. Sally also has both a potential med...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in work with Gabrielle, a 23-year-old African-American woman who became opioid dependent following a sports injury. Gabrielle self-referred with encouragement from many people in her life. Gabrielle has many strengths and no prior mental health history. Issues of as...

This chapter illustrates the EBP practice decision-making process in work with the parents of an adult male who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. The parents, Newman and Loretta, are experiencing high levels of stress as they watch their son experience more severe symptoms. They are also facing their own challenges associated with aging paired...

This chapter illustrates how the EBP practice decision-making process is undertaken in work with Ray, a 27-year-old white man who has had panic attacks and fears that they will continue and intensify. Ray is self-referred and has no history of mental health concerns, making his panic attacks novel and frightening. Issues of assessment are addressed...

Step 5 of the EBP process is to finalize the treatment plan with the client and to formally document it in the client’s record. Step 5 builds on the collaborative exploration of relevant and potentially effective treatments done in Step 4. Step 6 of the EBP process is to implement the treatment, including monitoring and evaluation of the client’s p...

This paper introduces models and techniques for synthesizing multiple qualitative studies on a topic. Qualitative research synthesis is a diverse set of methods for combining the data or the results of multiple studies on a topic to generate new knowledge, theory and applications. Use of qualitative research synthesis is rapidly expanding across di...

This response to Mercer’s article explores some additional ways of conceptualizing and treating reactive attachment disorder (RAD). The limitations of the DSM descriptive model are explored and alternate empirically supported models are described. One key limitation is DSM’s one person, medical approach, which fits poorly with issues of attachment...

The second edition of Evidence-Based Practice in Clinical Social Work continues to bridge the gap between social work research and clinical practice, presenting EBP as both an effective approach to social work and a broader social movement. Building on the models and insights outlined in the first edition, this new edition provides updated research...

This article details an approach to teaching the evidence-based practice (EBP) process using clinical case examples. This approach can also be used by classrooms educators, field instructors, supervisors in agencies, and agency leaders to enhance use of the EBP process in practice. We present an overview of EBP and the two main approaches to teachi...

This national survey of PhD faculty assessed the research preparation of entering doctoral social work students on a wide range of research knowledge and related skills. The prior literature shows that PhD programs repeat much BSW and MSW research course content. This study shows that the trend continues and has perhaps widened. PhD research facult...

This article begins with a brief history of the thesis as a part of MSW education in the United States. The merits and challenges of completing a master’s thesis are detailed, with a focus on its role in engaging students in active learning. The concept of active learning is defined and applied to an analysis of how the thesis promotes higher-order...

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a widely recognized concept in contemporary social work practice. However, recent studies have shown that social workers do not understand EBP correctly. Standardized administrative approaches to implementing EBP have led to confusion about its core practice decision-making process. This collaborative process is the...

Although social media use has grown dramatically, program policies have not kept pace. Some programs now state that student social media activities have led to professional conduct reviews and may violate ethical standards. This article reviews current social media policies and conceptualizes their key elements. A review of current social media pol...

This article examines the interdisciplinary literature in order to define core content areas and course structures used in teaching qualitative research. The available literature on teaching qualitative research is very small and consists mainly of “one off” papers that do not develop topics in depth. This article identified 10 broad topics as impo...

In this paper, we define clinical social work and the current context of practice. We then discuss social work education, the changes we have noted in the last 10–15 years, including those that have been detrimental to clinical social work training. Most prominent are the de-emphasis of supervision and of psychodynamic theories and practice. Next,...

This paper aims to provide a contemporary overview of evidence-based practice (EBP) in social work. As EBP is frequently misunderstood, we will define what EBP is as well as what it is not. In addition, we discuss some of the current challenges that social workers and the profession continue to face in integrating EBP into professional practice. Sp...

The author examines holistic competence and its assessment as defined in the Council for Social Work Education (CSWE’s)-EPAS 2015. Draft 3 of CSWE’s EPAS 2015 requires the use of a holistic competency model by accredited BSW and MSW social work programs. The model is an efficient way to assess student competence and overall program outcomes. Yet, t...

Social work doctoral programs are not adequately preparing students to educate future clinical practitioners. Social work is predominantly a practice profession. Social work’s PhD programs must continue the education of excellent researchers while also educating for excellence in practice, teaching, field liaison, and the supervision of practice. N...

The Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education (GADE) promotes excellence in PhD education in Social Work. GADE’s 2013 Quality Guidelines for PhD Programs heavily emphasize preparation for research. Little is known, however, about the details of the contemporary social work PhD program structure and curriculum. Several prior surveys have exami...

This article explores competencies and methods for their assessment in higher education and in social works accreditation standards. Many contemporary policy and educational accreditation efforts employ the model of competency assessment. The current emphasis on accountability in higher education, including the Council on Social Work Educations 200...

The relationship of practice and research in social work has often been characterized as a ‘split’ in interests and in professional purposes. The same split also appears in social work education. This article examines several issues related to better integrating clinical practice and research in social work and in social work education. The article...

This article will examine what evidence-based practice (EBP) is and is not. EBP will be defined and distinguished from other different, but related, terms and concepts. The steps of EBP as a practice decision-making process will be detailed and illustrated. The kinds of evidence EBP values and devalues will be discussed in several contexts. The adm...

Evidence-based practice (EBP) has refocused social work practice and education. The current social work literature, and that of allied professions, includes very little discussion of assessment in EBP in direct practice. The authors argue that assessment is the hidden foundation on which EBP efforts are based, and that assessment in social work pra...

The common factors model advances the view that client, relationship, and clinician factors account for a greater proportion of therapeutic change than do specific techniques or types of therapy. In this era of evidence-based practice, in which specific techniques are heavily emphasized, this updated review of the common factors model focuses atten...

The International Qualitative Social Work Day is the great social work researcher get-together. Social work researchers from all over the world come together to exchange ideas and enjoy good company and food. Y'all come.

In this article, the authors provide background on evidence-based practice and then summarize the evidence base for short-term and long-term psychodynamic psychotherapies. The research included conforms to the hierarchy of evidence promoted by the evidence-based practice movement. Experimental research on psychodynamic psychotherapy reveals these t...

Evidence-based practice (EBP) now strongly influences medical and mental health practice, research and policy. In a relatively short time, it has become a major part of clinical training in all the mental health professions. Some authors even call it a “paradigm shift” in practice (Edmonds et al. 2006, p. 377). EBP has also become quite prominent i...

Sally is a 12-year-old biracial (African-American/white) child. She is tall and lanky with very neat cornrows. Her adoptive parents in conjunction with her adoption social worker referred her for services. Sally seems comfortable living in her adoptive home, with her African-American father, her white mother, and her younger biracial biological sib...

The Steps 5 and 6 of the evidence-based practice (EBP) model are (Step 5) to finalize the treatment plan and (Step 6) to implement it. Authors of books and articles on EBP frequently address these two steps only minimally as they mark the shift from making practice decisions back to ‘doing’ practice. We think these steps warrant some further explor...

In the preceding chapters, we have attempted to show how social workers can use evidence based-practice (EBP) to enhance practice with their clients, and how to incorporate the principles of EBP into clinical decision-making processes. We think that the EBP process is a “public idea” that is actively shaping public opinion about healthcare practice...

Step 2 of the evidence-based practice (EBP) practice decision-making process centers on efficiently locating practice research. This chapter will offer a detailed introduction to the key print and online research information resources available for EBP. It will guide clinical social workers to finding specialized research for clinical practice. We...

Ray is a 27-year-old single white man. He sought mental health services due to panic attacks and increasing concern that they would reoccur. This is despite the fact that he has had only four attacks in all, each occurring in the past six months. “The attacks are horrible, but now I am even more worried that they will come back.” He has only had pa...

A key goal of this book is to examine evidence-based practice (EBP) in a balanced and thorough manner. We have detailed the EBP decision-making process in several chapters. We have also pointed to a number of implementation challenges or controversies related to EBP in clinical practice. We see EBP as having both important strengths and unresolved...

Appraising the quality of research studies for practice use is Step 3 of the evidence-based practice (EBP) practice decision-making process. It can be a difficult task and requires professional expertise quite distinct from doing clinical assessment (Step 1 in EBP) or locating research resources (Step 2 in EBP). Chapter 6 addressed the key role of...

Throughout this book, we have attempted to show how to implement the evidence-based practice (EBP) decision-making process in a way that feels manageable and realistic in everyday practice. We hope that the previous chapters have provided clinical practitioners with the tools and the knowledge necessary to have confidence in their ability to use EB...

Step 4 of the evidence-based practice (EBP) practice decision-making model centers on developing a shared, collaborative, treatment plan with the client. The goal is to determine how the most likely effective options fit with the client’s goals, values, and preferences. This requires the clinical social worker to summarize the results of the litera...

Arthur was brought to the hospital by his parents, Newman and Loretta, after Arthur reported that he was hearing voices that were telling him to hurt himself. This is not the first time that Arthur has heard such voices, but this time his parents felt that he was “taking them more seriously” than he has done in the past. They were concerned that he...

Sam is a 68-year-old Caucasian male with bright white hair. He has an athletic build, and stands just over six feet tall. Despite his apparent excellent physical health, he walked into the therapy room slowly and looked very tired. He stated his primary care doctor referred him to this small group psychotherapy practice after his doctor ruled out a...

Jin is a 16-year-old Korean-American male who was referred to your clinic after his parents found him “passed out and dead drunk” for the second time in two months. His parents report that they are very concerned about his drinking and that he has “changed recently,” which includes a decline in his grades at school. He is also “more disrespectful”...

This chapter will examine evidence-based practice (EBP) from three different vantage points. As discussed in Chapter 1, there are several definitions of EBP, often shaped by the role the individual has within the EBP process. To clinical social workers, EBP is most often understood as a practice decision-making process. This is indeed one key appli...

We have seen that the evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based practice (EBP) movements follow the overall goals of Dr. Archibald Cochrane who sought to increase the use of effective treatments while reducing the use of ineffective and harmful treatments. In addition, EBP is usefully understood via three different perspectives in the social...

Jennifer is a 23-year-old white female. She was referred for mental health services by a staff member at a community homeless shelter. They arrived together, with the staffer doing most of the talking initially. Jennifer had been involved in several verbal and physical altercations with other residents at the shelter, and was finally asked not to r...

Step 3 of the evidence-based practice (EBP) decision-making process is to critically evaluate the relevant research on your topic. In the previous two chapters, we have examined the role of research design and other methodological issues in evaluating individual practice research reports. These chapters explored how researchers design and report in...

Once you have located some research reports that can help answer your practice question, Step 3 in the evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based practice (EBP) decision-making model is to appraise the quality and relevance of this research. An initial inspection of materials should help differentiate those that are relevant for your purposes...

I. What is Evidence Based Practice and How It Influences Clinical Practice?- Introduction and Overview.-Three Perspectives on Evidence Based Practice.-The Steps of EBP in Clinical Social Work: An Overview.- Assessment in Clinical Social Work and Identifying.-Practice Information Needs.- Locating Practice Research.- Evaluating Research: Research Des...

Leichsenring and Rabung’s meta-analysis of long-term psychodynamic psychotherapy offers a useful summary of available research data. Their adaptation of meta-analysis has many merits as well as some important limitations. Their work provides preliminary support for the effectiveness of this therapy, a widely used method of treatment that also has d...

Purpose: Reactive Attachment Disorder [RAD] is a serious mental health problem affecting many children in foster and adoptive care or with abuse histories. Strong attachment promotes social and educational progress, while RAD undermines social and educational gains (Karen, 2008). There is no empirically validated best treatment for RAD (O'Connor &...

This study examined how qualitative research is taught in foundation MSW courses using a content analysis of syllabi and a survey. The Council on Social Work Education required qualitative research content in 1994 and several authors advocate for greater inclusion of it. Yet no research about what qualitative content is included on syllabi is prese...

Reactive attachment disorder (RAD) is a relatively recent diagnosis that draws attention to the effects of early pathogenic caregiving. There is no evidence-based approach to treating RAD. Two different approaches, relationship-based attachment therapy and holding therapy, are widely mentioned in the literature. This qualitative study sought to ide...

Although many in the social work profession have written about empowerment, few have offered a description of the empowerment process from the perspective of clients and workers in high-risk communities. This qualitative study presents a model of empowerment practice from the perspective of frontline workers, the challenges they faced, and the stra...

What makes a good qualitative research report? There is no simple answer as qualitative research is not a single, unified tradition (Riessman, 1994). Qualitative research includes a wide range of philosophies, research purposes, intended audiences, methods, and reporting styles (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994; Drisko, 1997; Greene, 1994). This wide range o...

This paper details a model of intermittent psychotherapy defined as a sequence of time-limited psychotherapies over an extended period of time. The model emphasizes the importance of relationship, careful assessment of short-and long-term client needs, focused work in successive stages, attention to termination while maintaining connection, and pla...

It is often reported in meta-analytic studies of adult psychotherapy that psychotherapy produces positive change but that there are few significant differences between different types of psychotherapy. Because meta-analyses indicate more similarities than differences among therapies, the "active ingredients" of therapy appear to include important f...

The age of managed care and practice accountability has presented many clinicians with new challenges in diagnosis, treatment, and evaluation of outcomes. For child and adolescent therapists, moreover, developing sensitive, reliable, and comparable interpretive reports can influence important decisions, such as referral to special education or cust...

This study sought to determine how psychodynamically oriented clinical social workers formulate problems, monitor progress, and evaluate change in their own words. Drawing from a purposive national sample of 29 clinicians, this qualitative study found strong engagement in empirically grounded practice evaluation. Problems formulation was portrayed...

This study sought to determine how psychodynamically oriented clinical social workers formulate problems, monitor progress, and evaluate change in their own words. Drawing from a purposive national sample of 29 clinicians, this qualitative study found strong engagement in empirically grounded practice evaluation. Problems formulation was portrayed...

This paper explores theories of play and identifies several ways in which play can be useful in the clinical teaching-learning process. These perspectives on play are applied to key issues in learning, supervision and field advising. A set of interconnected and often similar issues experienced by student, supervisor and faculty field advisor are id...

This article examines how practice evaluation and psychotherapy research have been conceptualized and enacted in social work and closely allied fields over the past 100 years. Four distinct periods are identified, each with a different professional focus, and specific educational and fiscal challenges; Several questions regarding the fit between so...

This section allows readers to “meet” authors and to learn about the personal inspirations and influences that compel people to write for publication. We invite all readers to share their own literary experiences. In this issue, we hear from author James Drisko. – Howard Goldstein, Editor

This paper provides an introduction to computer programs for qualitative data analysis [QDA]. Four software packages are examined in detail: ATLAS/ti, The Ethnograph, HyperRESEARCH and NUD·IST. These packages are applicable to a variety of qualitative research approaches used in the human service fields. The merits of QDA software are described, as...

The author evaluates The Brightside Intensive Family Intervention (IFI) Program and the Massachusetts Department of Social Services' Family Life Center (FLC), which share a referral pool of 47 client families. The families were interviewed to assess the two programs from the consumers' perspective. Applying Patton's utilization-focused evaluation,...

This article examines six criteria for conducting qualitative research and evaluating qualitative research reports in social work: (1) identification of the chosen philosophy/epistemology, (2) identification of audience and objectives, (3) specification of the study method, (4) identification of biases, (5) maintenance of social work ethics, and (6...

An empirical study of dichotomous personality differences distinguishing social work clinicians and researchers is reported. The personality differences were confirmed. Several gender differences were also confirmed. However, these differences were weakpredictors of research attitudes compared to terminal degree. Implications for practice and educa...

This article describes a model of social work consultation with special education teachers that serves to define student skills while enhancing the teachers empathy for, and understanding of the student. Three single-page student profiles are detailed, which focus the consultation on student strengths andlimitations in the classroom. The profiles a...

This paper examines the emergence and course of intimidation in a school-based psychotherapy group for early adolescent boys. Projective identification is demonstrated as the mechanism underlying intimidation among these boys, freeing them of feelings of helplessness as well as offering a sense of power and control. Intimidating looks, gestures and...

All professions have a written knowledge base which serves to help the practitioner understand how, when and why to use certain interventions. While child care workers are dedicated to supporting and protecting their child clients, there is little discussion in the literature concerning how to implement brief physical restraint in emergency circums...

Typewritten. Thesis (M. S.) - Smith College School for Social Work, 1977. Bibliography: leaves 59-60.

Thesis (D.S.W.)--Boston College, 1983. Includes bibliographical references (p. 214-222). Photocopy.

Reproduction. Thesis (D.S.W.)--Boston College, 1984, c1983. Bibliography: p. 214-222.