Research
Competency #4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research-Informed Practice
Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice. Social workers:
Practice Behavior 1: Engage in a review of contemporary best practices
Practice Behavior 2: Conduct research that responds to social work practice needs
Competency #4 in Practice
This competency strives to convey the importance of research and evidence-based practice. There are many social workers that have come before me that have done research that will make my life easier as a clinician. Competency 4 makes it part of my job to use this research and do research of my own to better-serve my clients. This allows me, as a social worker, to treat my clients in the best way possible. It asks that I use research to improve myself and the work that I do. It makes me the best I can be.
Evidence for Practice Behavior 1: As a part of my Mental Health class, I did a review of Reactive Attachment Disorder. This paper mentions that the best practice for treatment is in early childhood. Please see the paper here.
As an evidence for this competency, I wrote a paper on the effects and treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder. For this paper, I had to do a review of research on this Personality Disorder and translate that research into a final reaction.
Evidence for Practice Behavior 2: My group and I created a plan for how we would conduct research to assess community needs for a new therapeutic modality, pet therapy.
This Competency helped me engage in my knowledge of research. I had to evaluate and assess resources and research articles to see how validity they were and whether or not they fit with the purpose of my research. This competency emphasized the importance of integrity. As a social worker, it is my job to make sure that the tools I use are efficient and evidence based. This helps me aid my clients in the best ways possible. These evidences require me to think critically, do research, actively listen to stories, and engage with others. For these tasks, I had to process, find and summarize information found in research. For these tasks, I also had to organize and listen. Social Learning Theory informed this Competency. I had to use information from others to gain more information. This is the entirety of evidence-based practice.