Social workers employed in substance abuse treatment agencies: A training needs assessment

This article describes the results of an assessment of the substance abuse treatment training needs of social workers working in randomly selected sub stance abuse treatment facilities in New England. This assessment revealed that clinical supervision related to substance abuse treatment had not been available to a significant percentage of the respondents throughout their careers. Despite limited previous training experience and considerable barr iers to current training, social workers surveyed in this study reported si gnificantly higher levels of knowledge and skill than other substance abuse treatment providers in 10 of 12 substance abuse treatment areas investigat ed. Despite these high levels of knowledge and skill, respondents reported considerable need for and interest in additional substance abuse treatment training. This study identified the areas of assessment, advanced clinical techniques, and dual diagnosis as priorities for future training among soci al workers working in substance abuse treatment facilities.