Substance Use Disorder Treatment: Best Practice Use and Social Work

Disturbed by the reportedly high level of social worker involvement in the treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs) and by, conversely, the reported lack of social work training in the use of Best Practices, the author (and a host of volunteers, family members, co-workers, committee members and others) mounted a survey. A randomly selected sample of social workers, experienced in the SUD field, answered questions about their Best Practice use, practice context and personal motivation in order to provide data. Social workers said that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Self-Help Interventions, and Motivational Interviewing were the Best Practices they were using most in SUD treatment in 2010. They declared emphatically that personal confidence and motivation are basic to their use of Best SUD Practices. They emphasized that leadership and peer support can facilitate or inhibit that confidence and motivation. The results of this study suggest that the level of Best Practice use in the SUD field can be increased by improving social worker personal confidence and motivation in Best Practice use; leaders and peers influence the outcome in a crucial way.