Social workers navigate systemic stressors while managing self-care amid scant institutional support. The purpose of this systematic review is to critically examine the state of social work intervention research for self-care practices.

This paper compares two iterations (in-person and online) of a multi-stage continuing education program for improving high-risk decision-making among mental health workers. The mixed-methods study analyzed the following: (1) physiological and psychological arousal during simulated patient interviews; (2) physiological and psychological arousal recorded during real-time decision-making over four months; and (3) thoughts on the process and outcomes of the intervention raised in reflective interviews. Quantitatively, there were no statistical differences in stress measures between in-person and online simulated interviews or decision-making logs, suggesting they were effective in eliciting reactions commonly found in challenging clinical situations. Qualitatively, participants in both iterations indicated that the intervention caused them to reflect on practice, consider a wider range of factors related to the decisions, and enact approaches to improve decision-making. A carefully constructed online continuing education experience can result in outcomes for experienced social workers that are equivalent to an in-person iteration.

Mental health providers are well-positioned to engage in suicide prevention efforts, yet implementation depends on skill acquisition and providers often report feeling underprepared. This pilot study explored the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary effectiveness of three suicide prevention-focused simulations with virtual clients.

The Support and Aid to Families Electronically (SAFE) pilot program was developed through a community-university partnership to support parents of elementary students in Ontario, while providing stable practicums for social work students in the midst of COVID-19 restrictions. The aim of the current study was to examine the feasibility of the SAFE pilot program as a mental health support to families by examining three feasibility objectives: demand, acceptably, and implementation. Qualitative data from interviews, focus groups, and qualitative surveys involving service users, social work students, referring school board and university professionals ( = 37) were examined. Demand for SAFE extended beyond the pandemic. A high-level of acceptance of SAFE was identified. Areas of success and considerations for implementation are outlined. This study provides practice guidance on implementing this unique program, with potential to address gaps in service provision and the ongoing crisis in field education.

Rigorous adaptation methods are needed to revise existing evidence-based behavioral interventions for implementation for new target populations, revised/updated outcomes, new delivery modalities, recent advances, and new technologies. We describe an adaptation method designed to overcome the real-world challenges of having very limited existing expertise, resources, and time.

Support implementation fidelity in intervention research with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and sexual and gender diverse (LGBTQ+) populations, this study explores the systematic development of a fidelity process for AFFIRM, an evidence-based, affirmative cognitive behavioral therapy group intervention for LGBTQ+ youth and adults.

Women engaged in sex work (WESW) who use drugs face barriers to HIV testing. HIV self-testing (HST) may empower sex workers to learn their HIV status; however, it is not scaled up among WESW in Kazakhstan. This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators to traditional HIV testing and HST among this population.

HIV-positive people who inject drugs (PWID) in Kazakhstan face many challenges to antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Interventions that leverage social support from an intimate partner, family member, or friend may be effective in improving ART adherence among this population. The purpose of this paper is to describe the implementation process of a dyad-based intervention among HIV-positive PWID and their treatment support partners.

Intimate partner violence (IPV), HIV, and substance use are serious intersecting public health issues. This paper aims to describe the Social Intervention Group (SIG)'s syndemic-focused interventions for women that address the co-occurrence of IPV, HIV, and substance use, referred to as the SAVA syndemic. We reviewed SIG intervention studies from 2000 to 2020 that evaluated the effectiveness of syndemic-focused interventions which addressed two or more outcomes related to reducing IPV, HIV, and substance use among different populations of women who use drugs. This review identified five interventions that co-targeted SAVA outcomes. Of the five interventions, four showed a significant reduction in risks for two or more outcomes related to IPV, substance use, and HIV. The significant effects of SIG's interventions on IPV, substance use, and HIV outcomes among different populations of women demonstrate the potential of using syndemic theory and methods in guiding effective SAVA-focused interventions.

Healthy lifestyle interventions can improve the health of people with serious mental illness (SMI). Little is known whether demographic variables moderate the effectiveness of these interventions on health outcomes.

: This study aimed to test the feasibility and efficacy of a self-guided online cognitive behaviour therapy (iCBT) for university students in Hong Kong during COVID-19. : One group pre-post-test design with convenient sampling was adopted in this study, involving 84 university students who received a newly developed iCBT within an 8 week intervention period. The iCBT offered eight online modules for students to learn the skills of CBT at home through an online platform which was accessible any time anywhere anonymously with technical support only. Standardized assessment tools were used for outcomes assessment at the pre- and post-intervention periods. : Three quarters of participants completed all iCBT modules. The results of paired t-tests showed that, after completing the iCBT, participants showed reduction in anxiety, depression, and perceived stress. : This study provides preliminary evidences to support the feasibility and efficacy of the self-guided iCBT for university students during COVID-19.

Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs can compel treatment-refusing individuals to participate in mental health treatment via civil court order. In California's AOT programs, individuals first must be offered 30 days of outreach services and can accept services voluntarily. This study examines the use of outreach strategies in an AOT program with the potential for voluntary or involuntary enrollment.

In their provocative article, Barth and colleagues interrogate existing research on a series of claims about the child welfare system. In this reply, we focus on just one of their conclusions: that foster care placement does little, on average, to cause the poor outcomes of children who are ever placed in care. Our argument proceeds in three stages. In the first, we dispute the claim that the average effects of foster care placement on children are "settled" in any scientific sense. In the second, we note that the lack of agreement about what constitutes the appropriate counterfactual makes the idea of average effects of foster care placement in this area problematic. In the third, we problematize the idea that near-zero average effects equate to unimportant effects by showing how different types of effect heterogeneity may lead us to think differently about how the system is working.

: To develop a culturally-sensitive intervention for the early prevention of gender-based violence (GBV) in Uganda. : Programme design followed the 6SQuID model of intervention development and multi-sectorial advice. A formative evaluation was conducted in two communities with six groups and 138 participants. : Four familial predictors of GBV were identified as potentially malleable: poor parent-child attachment, harsh parenting, inequitable gendered socialization and parental conflict. A community-based parenting programme was developed to address them. Its programme theory incorporates Attachment Theory, the concept that positive behavioural control develops emotional control, and Social Learning Theory. Its rationale, structure and content are presented using the TIDieR checklist. A formative evaluation showed the programme to be widely acceptable, culturally appropriate, and perceived to be effective, but also identified challenges. : The careful development of this community-based parenting programme shows promise for the early prevention of GBV.

This study develops and investigates the changes in anxiety symptoms and quality of life (QoL) among participants of the online Strength-informed Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (SACT) across three tests.

This pilot study assesses the association of Raising Our Spirits Together (ROST), a technology-assisted, group-based cognitive behavioral therapy for depression, with rural adults' depressive symptoms and anxiety.

In this article, we draw on a recent review of the Canadian literature on poverty in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirit, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ2S+) communities to conceptualize social work interventions that may be used to address material inequities among these groups. Our literature review, which was based on a total of 39 works, revealed distinctive expressions of poverty among younger and older LGBTQ2S+ groups, as well as racialized, newcomer, and Indigenous sexual and gender minorities. Drawing on these insights, together with theoretical frameworks grounded in intersectionality and relational poverty analysis, we conceptualize these expressions of material inequity as salient sites of social work practice and propose interventions targeting these manifestations of LGBTQ2S+ poverty at various levels. Given the centrality of anti-poverty work as part of the social work profession's commitment to social justice, and the dearth of social work literature on LGBTQ2S+ poverty, this article promises to make significant contributions to social work scholarship and professional practice.

We examine pilot results for the culturally adapted Weaving Healthy Families (WHF) program to promote resilience and wellness while preventing substance abuse and violence among Native American (NA) families.

This proof-of-concept study assessed the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) as a classroom adjunct to improve training bachelor of social work (BSW) students in client engagement strategies.

To support future development and refinement of social work-led intervention programs among patients with firearm injuries and to demonstrate how a fidelity assessment can be used to adjust and refine intervention delivery in an ongoing trial.

As implementation and evaluation of research supported treatment (RST) expands across diverse mental health settings, it is essential to understand the facilitators and inhibitors of uptake. The current study examined the relationships between organizational readiness for change, attitudes toward RST, and use of RST among a sample primarily of social workers.