From March 2002 NASW NEWS
Copyright ©2002, National Association of Social Workers, Inc.

Alcoholism Curriculum Pilot-Tested

Research-based education on alcohol problems is the primary purpose.

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has developed and begun pilot tests of a social work curriculum for prevention and treatment of alcohol abuse disorders to counter what the federal agency sees as inadequate attention to alcohol abuse in schools of social work and lack of knowledge about research-based practice.

The faculty-development initiative has a dual purpose, said NIAAA officials. The primary purpose is to prepare faculty in schools of social work to teach about research-based practice. A secondary goal is to encourage social work faculty to conduct more alcohol research studies.

The first domestic pilot test of the curriculum was in mid-November in Washington, D.C. The 11-module curriculum, mostly written by social workers who have done research on alcohol abuse, was presented to faculty at a two-day training.

When NASW announced its specialty certification in alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, along with core knowledge required to attain the certification, NIAAA saw a need to ensure that education social workers receive is research based, said Peggy Murray, NIAAA chief of international and health education programs, and Isabel Ellis, the NIAAA project officer, both social workers.

After feedback from pilot tests, NIAAA wants to work with schools of social work around the country to do extensive field-testing. The field tests are not so much to assess content, but to determine best how to deliver content to schools so that it is incorporated into their academic programs, said Murray and Ellis. Partnerships will be built with various schools to disseminate the curriculum.

NIAAA wants to determine if the curriculum should be embedded in current MSW courses or delivered as a stand-alone product. In an effort to make dissemination and use easier, each module may be made available as a stand-alone product with slides and printed material, said Murray and Ellis.

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