Description
It is one thing to read about an evidence-based practice and understand its potential value; it is another to actually implement that practice. This jump from understanding to application requires critical and systematic thinking on the part of the social worker. When treating clients, social workers must ensure that the evidence-based practice is appropriate for the client and the problem—and that the client supports its use. To earn that support, the social worker should present the client and stakeholders with a plan for implementation and evidence of the EBP’s efficacy and suitability.
Many may attempt to apply an evidence-based practice that seems to be strongly supported by research, only to become frustrated or confused when their efforts do not yield the same positive results as the research. This discrepancy can occur because they have failed to recognize the differences between conditions in their practice environment and the conditions of the study—or differences in the demographic and cultural characteristics of the client groups. Moreover, they may have failed to consider and adequately plan for issues that could arise during implementation.
In this Assignment, you return to your chosen client from the Week 1 Assignment and carefully consider the factors and steps involved in applying an EBP with that client in your practice.
Select one evidence-based practice that you researched for your client for the Week 1 Assignment and return to the peer-reviewed research article demonstrating the effectiveness of this practice.
Note any similarities or differences between the conditions in which the evidence-based practice was implemented in the study and the conditions in which you would implement it at your field agency or practice setting.
Consider the steps you would take to implement the EBP and factors that would support or limit these steps.
Submit a 2- to 3-page paper that analyzes the implementation of the evidence-based practice in your field agency or practice setting:
Provide a brief description of your agency or practice setting (two sentences).
Explain any differences between the conditions of the study and the conditions at your field agency or practice setting. Explain the potential impact these differences could have on successful implementation.
Describe the steps that would be required to implement the evidence-based practice in your field agency or practice setting, including:
Any factors that would support each step and how you would leverage them
Any factors that would limit or hinder each step and how you would mitigate them
Draw conclusions about:
The anticipated results of the implementation in your practice setting
Whether your results will be similar or different from the research results in the article
Use the Learning Resources and peer-reviewed scholarly journal articles to support your paper. Make sure to include appropriate APA citations and a reference list.
Dudley, J. R. (2020). Social work evaluation: Enhancing what we do (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press.
oChapter 1, “Evaluation and Social Work: Making the Connection” (pp. 3–30)
oChapter 3, “The Role of Ethics in Evaluations” (pp. 56–77)
National Association of Social Workers. (2021). Code of ethics of the National Association of Social WorkersLinks to an external site.. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of…
oReview Sections 1.01 Commitment to Clients, 1.04 Competence, and 5.02 Evaluation and Research.
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Accessing Information about Evidence Based Practices
Angela Adams
Walden University
Dr. Yank
March 3, 2024
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The case involves Jake Levy, a 31-year-old Iraq War veteran struggling with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcohol abuse, and family problems. The manifested issues are
interrelated, as Jake uses heavy drinking to cope with his PTSD symptoms, which strains his
relationships. His wife has threatened divorce if he does not get help, indicating the severity of
the situation. As Jake’s social worker, it is imperative that I intervene to help improve his
functioning and preserve his family. In this paper, I will identify two key issues to target – Jake’s
alcohol abuse and isolation from family/friends. I will further review evidence-based practices
found through scholarly research that could effectively address each issue as well as evaluate on
their suitability
Pressing Issues
The two most pressing issues to address for Jake Levy are his alcohol abuse and isolation
from family/friends. Jake is engaging in excessive drinking nearly every day, consuming up to 10
drinks on weekends, as a maladaptive coping mechanism for his PTSD symptoms. His heavy
alcohol use is causing problems in his marriage and emotional distance from his wife, Sheri, and
two sons. Jake admits his drinking is uncontrolled. He is also socially withdrawn, isolating
himself from family and friends to avoid triggers of his PTSD. Jake is detached and uninvolved
with his sons and has slowly disconnected from social relationships.
Evidence-Based Interventions
a) Alcohol Abuse
An EBP intervention that could help Jake control and go past his alcohol addiction is
Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT). The intervention assists in pinpointing emotions and
circumstances that can result in heavy drinking and educates coping abilities and stress
management methods to alter the ideations that generate a craving to drink. The approach is
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considered an EBP intervention attributed to the numerous empirical scholarly journals that have
studied its effectiveness. That said, one research paper that delved into the use of the intervention
in alcohol abuse is one by Magill et al. (2020), which can help inform the use of the approach on
Jake. Essentially, he can benefit from the intervention by developing healthy alternative coping
skills to manage PTSD symptoms instead of using alcohol avoidantly.
b) Isolation
An EBP approach that can help Jake’s isolation from people and social activities is
Multifamily Group Therapy (MFGT). The intervention works by connecting multiple families in
a group where they share experiences and build rapport and connections in 10-12 weeks (van Es
et al., 2023). MFGT provides a collaborative setting to improve family dynamics and rebuild
Jake’s support system. Connecting Jake to other veteran families through MFGT can help reduce
stigma and loneliness. Sharing coping strategies and mutual support can reengage Jake in
meaningful social relationships. Given Sheri’s ultimatum about divorce, her involvement in
MFGT is incredibly impactful for improving their marital functioning. As an evidence-based
practice, MFGT can directly confront Jake’s isolation by fostering social reconnection.
Annotations
a) Alcohol Abuse
CBT can be considered an evidence-based intervention for alcohol abuse based on the Magill et
al. (2020) systematic review. The review examined mediation research on CBT for alcohol and
drug use disorders over 30 years. To be included, studies had to occur in the context of a
randomized clinical trial and test both the path from CBT to mediators and mediators to
outcomes. The review found 15 reports meeting inclusion criteria, with the majority being
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between-condition analyses where CBT was compared to a control group. Many utilized data
from major trials like Project MATCH and COMBINE that have demonstrated CBT’s efficacy.
The most consistent mediator was changes in coping skills, although the specificity of CBT
needs to be clarified. Self-efficacy also mediated effects in within-condition but not betweencondition analyses. Overall, the review highlights a need for more coherent mediation research
on CBT mechanisms. However, the multiple high-quality randomized trials verifying CBT’s
positive impacts on substance use provide evidence for it as an evidence-based intervention for
alcohol abuse.
b) Isolation
The van Es et al. (2023) systematic review and meta-analysis support MFGT as an evidencebased practice for social isolation. The authors identified controlled trials of MFGT through a
systematic search of databases. Thirty-one studies were included in the qualitative synthesis,
with 16 providing data for meta-analysis. The studies were evaluated for risk of bias in areas like
confounding and selection bias. While individual studies reported some positive findings, the
meta-analysis found MFGT demonstrated significant improvements in schizophrenia symptoms,
though with much heterogeneity. It also showed minor improvements in family functioning. This
provides quantitative evidence of MFGT’s efficacy from pooling controlled trials. The inclusion
of only controlled studies, systematic search process, assessment of bias risk, and use of metaanalysis to estimate effect sizes adhere to principles of evidence-based practice. However, the
authors note most studies had a high risk of bias. They conclude higher quality research is
needed to examine MFGT’s benefits thoroughly. However, the existing controlled, quantified
evidence offers initial support for MFGT as an evidence-based practice improving outcomes like
social functioning.
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Considerations in Application
If implementing these interventions, I would need to ensure Jake is ready for traumafocused work like prolonged exposure therapy. I should assess if his substance abuse is stabilized
enough first to engage with evidence-based PTSD treatments fully. Additionally, Sheri’s
willingness to participate is critical for approaches like MFGT and behavioral couples’ therapy.
Starting with motivational interviewing strategies may help build both Jake and Sheri’s
motivation if ambivalent. Given Jake’s responsibilities as a working father, adapting session
frequency should also be considered. Checking in periodically about his perceptions of treatment
effectiveness and cultural responsiveness is essential, too. Coordinated care between his
treatment providers will help track Jake’s progress and make adjustments when necessary.
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References
Magill, M., Tonigan, J. S., Kiluk, B., Ray, L., Walthers, J., & Carroll, K. (2020). The search for
mechanisms of cognitive behavioral therapy for alcohol or other drug use disorders: A
systematic review. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 131, 103648.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brat.2020.103648
van Es, C. M., El Khoury, B., van Dis, E. A., te Brake, H., van Ee, E., Boelen, P. A., & Mooren,
T. (2023). The effect of multiple family therapy on mental health problems and family
functioning: A systematic review and meta‐analysis. Family Process, 62(2), 499–514.
https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12876
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