Throughout the migratory process, unaccompanied minors from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras--countries known as the Northern Triangle of Central America--are at great risk for exposure to adverse experiences, loss, and stressors that can have negative consequences on their mental health and well-being. Although the limited research with…

Social work is embracing scientific inquiry as a guiding principle; however, scientific advancement has often outpaced modifications in the academic arena necessitating reenvisioning the curriculum. This article describes how a large western School of Social Work addressed the need to create a practice curriculum rooted in empirical evidence by…

Purpose: Adolescent mental health is a public health priority. Considered an early intervention approach, Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) trains adults to provide initial assistance to adolescents experiencing a mental health problem or crisis. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the U.S. version of YMHFA (YMHFA-USA) among graduate…

Childhood trauma affects many youths across the United States and has a devastating impact on their functioning, well-being, and overall academic and vocational outcomes. Experiences of psychological trauma can impede cognitive, social, and emotional development in childhood, which can impair youth academic achievement, behavior, interpersonal…

Objective: Increasing rates of mental health needs in child welfare clients highlight the importance of training child welfare workers in effective mental health interventions. This pilot study evaluates the effects of training public child welfare workers and interns in modularized research-supported treatments (RSTs). Methods: We compared…

Professional social workers and other mental health providers have for many years been involved in delivering treatment and support services focused on the needs of adults with severe mental illnesses living in the community. While some models have evolved largely through practice experience, others have developed through research paradigms in…

Intervention research is an important, yet often neglected, focus of social work scholars and investigators. The purpose of this article is to review significant milestones and recent advances in intervention research. Methodological and analytical developments in intervention research are discussed in the context of science and social work.…

This secondary analysis of 5,000 African Americans and black Caribbeans explored how their use of social work services to address mental and substance use disorders was associated with the disorder involved as well as their perceived need for services, belief system, family resources, proximity to services, social-structural factors, and…

Researchers have argued that there is a research-practice gap in the delivery of prevention and mental health services in the school setting. This national survey addresses that gap by identifying the barriers confronted by school social workers in implementing evidence-supported programs to address interpersonal violence in the school context. A…

Objectives: This study examined the longitudinal structural stability of a subjective quality of life measure in an ethnically diverse sample of 331 adults with schizophrenia. Methods: Participants completed the Satisfaction With Life (SWL) scale at entry to community-based mental health services and again at 6 and 12 months. Five types of…

Objectives: Recognizing the limitations of conventional frameworks for identifying evidence-based interventions, we sought to develop a comprehensive set of criteria that would have practical and policy relevance. Methods: We identify nine ideal attributes of a mental health practice (well defined, reflecting client goals, consistent with societal…

Describes recent professional developments having an increased impact on provision of social work mental health services to children: the emergence of practice guidelines from government and disciplines, the growth of empiral research evidence documenting efficacy of selected interventions, and the impact of managed care programs. Reviews…

The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) was developed for use by school-based mental health professionals for any student with symptoms of distress following exposure to trauma. The Supporting Students Exposed to Trauma (SSET) was adapted from CBITS for use by any school personnel with the time and interest to work with…

This article re-examines material discussed in a recent systematic research synthesis by Craven and Lee. The authors find that two of the interventions for foster children discussed by Craven and Lee were erroneously classified as supported by evidence of efficacy, and one, holding therapy, is shown to be potentially physically harmful to…

"Data Trends" reports present summaries of research on mental health services for children and adolescents and their families. The article summarized in this "Data Trends" describes child maltreatment prevention programs designed to increase protective factors and decrease risk factors in families who may otherwise succumb to…