Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Trauma Simulation: Building Skills for Complex Practice

Introduction: Social work students play a key role in intimate partner violence (IPV) organizations, providing support for survivors of IPV while completing their social work practicum placements. Many social work students lack adequate IPV and trauma training and require additional opportunities to be prepared for the complexities of IPV practice. Simulation-based pedagogy is one way to teach social work students the practice skills needed for working with individuals and families who have experienced violence. Simulation offers an experiential learning opportunity wherein students engage with a standardized patient, an actor trained to portray a case scenario replicating a ‘real world’ practice encounter in a low-risk environment. This qualitative study used simulation-based research methods to answer the following research question: What do IPV service providers identify as important in preparing social work students to respond to IPV and trauma in practicum placements?

Methods: Eighteen IPV service providers were recruited for the study and shared best practices for trauma-informed practice for preparing students for responding to IPV. Each participant engaged in a 30-minute simulated session with a live standardized patient (SP) who portrayed a survivor of IPV experiencing sequelae of trauma. Following each simulation, participants engaged in 30-45 minutes of reflective dialogue on their experience implementing trauma-informed care and the use of simulation. Reflections were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim and data was analyzed using reflective thematic analysis. Identified themes include: 1) the importance on-site trauma-informed supervision; 2) the significance of graduate classroom training; 3) teaching and expanding awareness of IPV and trauma; and 4) the utility of simulation for training students.

Findings: Findings show the significance of trauma-informed supervision and the importance of accessible and engaged supervisors. Additional training from their coursework in MSW programs to further enhance their skills is suggested. Social work students also require a broader understanding of experiences of IPV and the impact of trauma on survivors. The use of simulation for the teaching and training of social work students is viewed as an effective supervisory tool. Findings support the need to leverage simulation in teaching trauma-informed responses to IPV to social work students to better prepare them for practice.

Conclusions: Simulation can help develop students’ practice skills in IPV and trauma without risking harm to service users due to lack of practice experience. Social work educators can consider integrating simulation in their IPV or trauma courses and training for practicum placements. Implications for social work research and practice, including the benefits of simulation methodologies for exploring the complexities of IPV practice and the need to provide IPV and trauma pedagogical training to prepare social work students, will be described.