Behavioral Health Practice Competencies Among MSW Students: A Program Evaluation

Background and Purpose: The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration sounded the call for expanded skilled labor force to work in behavioral health settings. In 2014, its Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program (BHWET) supported programs to address behavioral health needs among at-risk youth and transitional age populations up to age 25. In response, Louisiana State University School of Social Work developed the LSU BHWET Program for advanced year MSW students. BHWET Scholars completed behavioral health internships, along with curriculum and seminar trainings relevant to behavioral health care among the aforesaid populations. The purpose of this study was an evaluation of this program, with student outcomes relevant to practice competencies in behavioral health settings with these at-risk populations.

Methods: A pretest-posttest with comparison group design was utilized. Self-report questionnaire data from three cohorts, 2016-2018 graduating classes, were collected at the start of the advanced year (pretest) and a week prior to graduation (posttest). Total sample size comprised 252 students: intervention group of BHWET students (n=98) and comparison group of non-BHWET participants (n=154). The Geriatric Social Work Competency Scale II was modified in content to address the study’s target populations rather than older adults. Taken from CSWE Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards practice behaviors, the scale included five measures of perceived knowledge and skills in (a) values, ethics and theories; (b) assessment; (c) intervention; (d) services, programs and policies; and (e) leadership. Likert response format ranged from 0-not skilled at all to 4-expert skill. Each measure demonstrated initial internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alphas from 0.899 to 0.952. Within- and between-group mean differences were assessed using t-tests with Cohen’s D for effect sizes.   

Results: Pretest to posttest, intervention group means for each competency measure significantly improved (p < .001) with robust effect sizes (Cohen’s Ds = 1.08 or higher). Comparison group means also improved significantly for each competency measure (p < .01); effect sizes for these differences were strong yet smaller than the intervention group (Cohen’s Ds = 0.95 or lower). Between-group differences were notable. At pretest, no significant mean difference was observed between intervention and comparison group on each competency measure (p-values = 0.318 or higher). At posttest, the intervention group mean was significantly higher on each competency measure (p-values = .024 or lower). Moderate effect sizes were observed among these between-group differences at posttest: Cohen’s Ds ranged from 0.389 to 0.638.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings indicated that students’ perceived practice competencies in working with youth and transitional age adults at-risk for behavioral health issues improved significantly in the advanced year, regardless of BHWET Program participation. Such results may speak to a requisite, effectual level of behavioral health-related education and training among all students in the sample, BHWET Scholars or otherwise. Yet, these improvements with each competency area were decidedly higher among BHWET Scholars. Such distinctions between the groups, with corresponding effect sizes, provide preliminary longitudinal evidence of this particular BHWET Program’s effectiveness in elevating behavioral health practice skill levels beyond traditional MSW advanced year training.