Centers, Institutes, and Professional Education Programs

BOSTON UNIVERSITY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF ADDICTIONS RESEARCH AND SERVICES

The Boston University Center for Addictions Research and Services, based in the School of Social Work (BUSSW), addresses a broad range of addiction issues affecting individuals, families, and communities struggling with substance abuse, HIV/AIDS, and access to substance abuse treatment.

Leadership is provided by Dr. Lena Lundgren, Director, Dr. Melvin Delgado, Co-Director, and Dr. Maryann Amodeo, Co-Director, all nationally recognized in the field of addiction. Their combined expertise has resulted in a record of high quality research, dissemination of research findings through publications and conference presentations, and an array of community innovations and interventions.

The Center’s primary components are: (1) research and evaluation, (2) consultation on clinical services and programming, (3) community development and prevention, and (4) training and education.

Research and Evaluation

The Center’s research focuses on substance abuse issues affecting individuals, families, and communities. Research areas include:

• Role of substance abuse treatment in preventing HIV/AIDS
• Identifying patterns of service utilization among substance users
• Factors affecting access to substance abuse treatment
• Parental substance abuse and effects on children
• Methadone maintenance and other medically assisted treatments
• Racial/ethnic disparities in substance abuse treatment
• Assessment of outcomes in substance abuse training
• Influence of acculturation on use/abuse of alcohol and other drugs
• Substance abuse and co-occurring psychiatric disorders

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The Center’s consultation on clinical services and programming focuses on the needs of substance abuse agencies and methods for improving client care. Areas include:

• Helping addiction agencies adopt evidence-based treatment practices
• Culturally responsive substance abuse treatment
• Development of logic models to guide service delivery
• Designing improved assessment methods and individualized treatment plans
• Measurement of client outcomes
• Refining the methods and focus of clinical and administrative supervision

The Center’s community development and prevention services focus on empowering communities, coalitions, and grass roots organizations by helping them build capacity to address substance abuse and HIV/AIDS problems in ways that are compatible with their culture, physical environment, membership, and goals. Areas include:

• Community asset assessments focusing on unidentified resources and supports within neighborhoods and communities
• Engagement of informal helping networks such as religious groups, herbalists, beauty parlors, pharmacies, and grocery stores to implement prevention activities
• Utilization of a Positive Youth Development approach in engaging youth to build community strength
• Use of community murals, quilts, theater, and other group activities to assist in healing from violence, disease, trauma, and loss

INSTITUTE FOR GERIATRIC SOCIAL WORK

Established in 2002 with a five-year grant from The Atlantic Philanthropies, the Institute for Geriatric Social Work (IGSW) has become a leader in the effort to build a stronger social work workforce for an aging society. With 36,000 IGSW-trained practitioners currently working in the field and IGSW training now available in all 50 states and overseas, the mission of IGSW is to strengthen the quality of the geriatric workforce through educational innovation, assessment, and policy-relevant research. Located at the Boston University School of Social Work, one of the nation’s preeminent social work programs, IGSW brings together expertise in instructional technology, educational design, testing, and evaluation to improve the preparedness and quality of practice of social workers and other social service practitioners who work with older adults and their families.

The US Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy (ASPE) reports that 110,000 professional social workers will be needed in long-term care by 2050 if the ratio of workers to the older adult population remains the same. By continuing to develop its capacity to provide high-quality training to social work and social service practitioners, IGSW is actively serving to address this training need.

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IGSW has become a national leader in social work online training. Four years in development, IGSW has created an innovative program of internet-based training by utilizing the best in educational content, technology, and design to meet the diverse learning needs and styles of social work practitioners. IGSW now has a library of more than 30 academically grounded, easily accessible, and competency-based online courses for social workers and other healthcare professionals, and has also created a 30-hour Online Certificate in Aging program. For information on IGSW’s education programs, please visit www.bu.edu/igsw.

IGSW is also committed to supporting policy change that will expand the practice and reimbursement options for social workers, and to conducting scientifically sound research to demonstrate the effectiveness of social work interventions with older people and their families. Among its research and evaluation projects, IGSW is now conducting a large randomized controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a social work intervention in primary care.

IGSW’s long-range goal remains to create demonstrable improvements in the readiness of the social work and social service workforce to care for older adults, to increase the use of evidence-based interventions by practitioners and agencies alike, and, ultimately, to demonstrate improvements in the lives of older adults as a result of these efforts. Through partnerships with other leading organizations, assistance from the best online training experts, strategic marketing advice, and business leadership, IGSW will strive to continue our education and workplace initiatives.

Dr. Scott Miyake Geron, Associate Professor of Social Welfare Policy and Research at Boston University School of Social Work, is the Director and Principal Investigator of IGSW.

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PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION

The School of Social Work has provided continuing education to social workers since 1946. Courses, workshops, postgraduate certificate programs, and training/technical assistance are offered to individuals and organizations throughout the human service field.

Employing adult education concepts, instructors and workshop leaders tailor the content of programs to the educational needs of participants. The School is an approved provider of Category I Continuing Education Credits (CECs), and has been authorized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Board of Social Work Registration to approve offerings from other institutions for Continuing Education Credits.

Half-day, one-day, and two-day workshops take place throughout the year to meet the variety of continuing education needs of those in helping roles. These seminars cover a wide range of topics, including clinical practice; human services program development and management; emerging issues in human growth and development; and new theories and research findings about effective interventions for people in need. The School can also design special training programs for public and private agencies.

The School offers postgraduate advanced certificate programs in the treatment of psychological trauma; clinical work with children; adolescents, and their families; and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing) Therapy.  These programs help experienced human services providers strengthen their skills and competencies in the multiple roles required of them.

The School develops specialized training programs and conducts program evaluations for state agencies and local organizations.

The School’s Alumni Association occasionally sponsors workshops on topics of current interest. Some are conducted by members of the social work faculty. Among the topics have been stress management, group work, cultural diversity, community politics and social work practice, and health care.

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Field Instructor Workshops

The Field Education Department offers the following continuing education programs, for which CECs are available:

• Seminar for New Field Instructors This eighteen-hour seminar is required for all field instructors supervising an MSW student for the first time. It is offered in the fall on the Charles River Campus, and at locations in Tyngsboro, Fall River, Cape Cod, and Worcester. Each year approximately 100 new field instructors participate in the seminar.
• The Professional Development Series of the New England Consortium of Field Education Directors Workshops offered through this series are scheduled by each of the New England graduate schools of social work, and are open to field instructors from all of the schools. Each year approximately eight to ten workshops are on the program.
• Curriculum Related Workshops These workshops, open to field instructors affiliated with the Boston University School of Social Work, typically address topics related to the integration of classroom content in the field education experience. Past workshops have focused on group work and on macro practice.

Miriam Hurwitz Lecture in Family Therapy

This annual free lecture is presented to the human services community at large. Established in 1982 in memory of Professor Emerita Hurwitz, the lecture features well-known family therapists speaking about topical issues. Continuing Education Credits are available.

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Published by Trustees of Boston University
One Sherborn Street
Boston, MA 02215

18 September 2007
Boston University
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