This guide defines a set of practice behaviors for social workers to diminish behavioral health and health disparities and promote health equities. These practice behaviors are anchored in the social work competencies as defined in the Council on Social Work Education 2008 Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. They were developed in the course of a meeting on October 1-2, 2012 of a national panel of program administrators, faculty and practitioners. During the meeting, participants provided expert input on knowledge, values and practice behaviors to address behavioral health disparities for each of the ten social work competencies. This meeting was facilitated by members of the project’s executive committee. The materials were correlated and a document drafted by the Principle Investigator. These practice behaviors provide a framework to guide curriculum development for training social work practitioners to integrate behavioral health disparities content into social work curricula to implement comprehensive and innovative interventions that promote behavioral health equity.
Population of focus: Social workers
Link to resource: Advanced Social Work Practice Behaviors to Address Behavioral Health Disparities (pdf)
Date: 2013
Organization: National Association of Deans and Directors of Schools of Social Work