THE CHALLENGE OF PRACTICE-BASED RESEARCH - A GROUP-APPROACH

Social work research has long been an area overlooked by direct practi ce clinicians for several reasons. Some clinicians are uncomfortable w ith research and tend to avoid it, while others feel they do not have time to generate quality research material and still serve clients ade quately. The Social Work Services Department in a university teaching hospital accepted the challenge of combining direct practice and resea rch. By drawing on internal levels of expertise, while collaborating w ith other area professionals, the Research Committee has adopted a gro up approach of individuals conducting practice-based research. This me thod of generating research has yielded many positive results.