Kenta AsakuraSmith College · School for Social Work
Kenta Asakura
Ph.D. (Toronto)
About
32
Publications
21,074
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553
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I engage in a robust program of simulation-based research to advance clinical social work education and practice with marginalized client populations.
Additional affiliations
June 2022 - June 2025
Education
September 2010 - July 2015
University of Toronto
Field of study
- Social Work
Publications
Publications (32)
The profession of social work emphasizes social justice in its service delivery, yet there is a paucity of literature on how to teach clinical practice from a social justice perspective. This qualitative study with Canadian social work educators (n=12) suggests the following ways in which educators taught clinical social work from a social justice...
This article reports a scoping review designed to synthesize current literature that used simulation as an investigative methodology (simulation-based research; SBR) in researching practice competencies in clinical social work. Following Arksey and O'Malley's scoping review framework, 24 articles were included in this scoping review. The majority o...
Although field education is considered the signature pedagogy of social work, the work of field coordinators appear to remain peripheral to other aspects of social work education, such as coursework and research. In this article, we suggest that field coordination requires a far more complex set of knowledge and skills than merely matching students...
Simulation-based learning is gaining attention in social work education. While research suggests clear pedagogical benefits for those who engage simulated clients as interviewers, little is known about the learning processes among observers of simulation teaching. Using social learning and social cognitive theories as a theoretical framework, we ex...
From fear of contracting the virus, isolation from physical distancing, to navigating lifework balance, the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to leave long-lasting psychosocial impacts on many. Shared trauma refers to similar psychological reactions to an extraordinary community event when experienced by both the clinicians and clients. We examined the...
This article reports the use of online live-streamed simulations (online LSS), implemented on Zoom with Master of Social Work students. A thematic analysis was conducted from an online survey (n = 26 responses) to explore, 1) if online LSS can offer the same potential to develop holistic competence as in-class simulations, and 2) how students exper...
This tribute article highlights Professor Marion Bogo’s groundbreaking work on simulation-based social work education. We highlight Professor Bogo’s lifetime commitment to enhancing social work education through research, mentorship, and innovation. Professor Bogo advanced the use of simulation with trained actors by implementing a structured and e...
Spurred on by medical education, the last decade has seen a steady increase in simulation-based teaching, learning, and student assessment in social work. Using professional actors trained to portray realistic client scenarios, social work students are afforded risk-free opportunities to rehearse and develop various competencies in working with the...
While clinical social work has a strong conceptual understanding of uncertainty, there is a lack of empirical data on how practitioners navigate uncertainty in practice. This paper reports findings of the data generated from a simulation-based pilot study designed to explore clinical social workers’ encounters with uncertainty and the strategies th...
Researchers have documented diminishing staff supervision in health care settings, while noting the complexity and dynamic nature of health care systems. A secondary data analysis of a survey of the Ontario Association of Social Workers (N=666) explored the contemporary receipt of different types of supervision in frontline health care. Most social...
In discussing a university-industry partnership on the development of an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based simulation platform, this conceptual paper explores the use of Natural Language Processing (NLP) as a pedagogical innovation in social work. Critically reflecting upon this ongoing project, we discuss the current promises and limitations of N...
Teaching students about culture and diversity in social work practice is a complex and important task for social work educators. In this study, we assessed students’ conceptualization of culture and diversity factors follow-ing a simulated interview. Participants (N = 57 MSW students) completed areflection questionnaire post-simulation and we conduc...
Given that promoting social justice is one of the central organizing principles of social work, it comes as no surprise that participatory action research has gained much attention among social work researchers. While much has been written about promising practices of participatory action research with various marginalized communities, there remain...
In this paper, we explore ways in which social work educators
might respond to students who report that mental health issues
underlie their difficulty in meeting core competencies, or otherwise
use the language of mental health to describe their struggles
to succeed in social work programs. We discuss various trends in
policy responses in Canada, t...
Although social justice is a central professional value of social work articulated in ethics codes, clinical social workers have been long criticized for not clearly incorporating this professed commitment into practice. Supervision is an optimal space within which clinicians can develop knowledge and skills to attend to the issues related to socia...
Simulation, the use of trained actors as simulated clients, has gained empiri- cal support as an effective teaching and assessment method in social work education. The associated costs involving the use of live simulation, however, often pose a barrier and prevent less resourced schools from implementing this pedagogical approach in the classroom....
Although the use of human simulation has recently gained much attention in social work education, many schools continue to rely on peer role-plays as a predominant teaching method. This qualitative study examined BSW students' perceptions of simulation versus role-play when learning interviewing skills. Individual interviews were conducted with sec...
This grounded theory study utilized interviews with 16 service providers and 19 lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) youth to develop a substantive theory of resilience processes among LGBTQ youth. The core category, paving pathways through the pain, suggests that LGBTQ youth build on emotional pain inflicted by external adversities to...
Sexual and gender diversity is an overlooked subject in resilience research. This study seeks to advance the conceptualization of resilience among lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Informed by social ecological theory of resilience, grounded theory analysis of interviews with service providers (n = 16) and LGBTQ youth (n = 19)...
Hostile social environments can have detrimental impacts on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth. Considering the profession's commitment to social justice and person-in-environment perspectives, social workers are well positioned to promote not only the internal capacity of LGBTQ youth but also the capacity of their social...
Previous research has highlighted the association between HIV sexual risk behaviors, muscularity concerns, and masculinity among gay and bisexual men (GBM). A few studies that explored these issues, however, have used relatively small sample sizes and predominantly White GBM samples. In addition, little is known about whether a drive for muscularit...
Although neglect is a common form of child maltreatment, it can be difficult to detect within a clinical interview between a social work clinician and client for the purpose of assessment and intervention, leading to a failure to act and secure a child's safety. This Canadian study utilized the objective structured clinical exam (OSCE) to assess so...
As reports of bullying and suicide increase, research on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth must expand its focus from vulnerabilities to resilience development. The purpose of this inductive qualitative study was to explore resilience development in the accounts of LGBTQ adults by analyzing videos posted for the It Gets B...
Psychoanalysis is a theoretical and practice discipline that has produced an extensive body of literature over the past 100 years. Psychodynamic psychotherapy developed from psychoanalytic thought and has been studied using both qualitative and quantitative methods including experimental studies, content analyses and case studies. The purpose of th...
Objective To understand rates of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine acceptability and factors correlated with HPV vaccine acceptability.
Design Meta-analyses of cross-sectional studies.
Data sources We used a comprehensive search strategy across multiple electronic databases with no date or language restrictions to locate studies that examined...
As part of an internet-based study to investigate experiences of sexual minority youth in the U.S., 544 youth, ages 14–19, were surveyed about their need for services, where they preferred to receive these services, and their preferred method of service delivery. The survey was anonymous and youth were recruited from LGBTQ-specific listservs and ve...
Physical, psychological, and social vulnerabilities of sexual minority youth are well documented. Yet factors that protect this population from these risks remain relatively unknown. Previous researchers suggest that (1) a sense of safety, meaningful relationships with others, and positive identity development are protective and (2) social support...
Projects
Project (1)
Funded by the SSHRC Insight Program, this five-year (2022 - 2027) project takes place across three major Canadian cities (Vancouver, Toronto, and Ottawa). Critical social work is a theoretical paradigm that prepares social workers to critically analyze social relations and address social injustices. Literature of critical social work, however, remains theoretical and focuses largely on community and policy work, leaving its application to clinical practice unexamined. In response to the profession’s problematic history and continued failure to meet the needs of marginalized communities and an increasing neoliberal demand for an uncritical, technical-rational approach to practice, critics have questioned whether and how clinical practice (i.e., working directly with clients) is compatible with this professed commitment to supporting the wellbeing of marginalized communities (Asakura et al., 2019). The purpose of this study is to address this long-standing concern by developing a theoretical model of critical social work practice. In translating critical social work into a model of actionable knowledge and practice skills, this study will make unique and significant contributions in making explicit links between clinical practice and social justice. The project was funded by SSHRC through Asakura's previous institution (Carleton University). Since Asakura has left Canada, the project is sponsored by the University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC), where Asakura is leading the study along with Dr. Barbara Lee (Assistant Professor, UBC School of Social Work) as an Adjunct Professor (Research).
