Title: Evaluation of Common Trauma Informed Practice Elements MSW Course: A Scalable Solution to Address the Impact of Traumatic Stress on Children and Families

Background and Purpose: The implementation of evidence-based trauma treatment remains a challenge, particularly for BILPOC clients where culturally congruent interventions are needed and trauma is usually untreated^.1 Barriers to implementation of evidence-based practice, particularly for Black, Indigenous, Latina and other People of Color (BILPOC) has led to the identification of common practice elements.² To address this challenge we developed, in partnership with a diverse team of national experts on our Advisory Board, a common trauma informed practice elements (CTIPE) MSW course. Common trauma informed practice elements were identified in a study coding child and adolescent evidence-based trauma treatment manuals.^3,4 The 12 most commonly occurring practice elements form the foundation for the creation of the Common Trauma Informed Practice Elements MSW curriculum that was then enhanced by the inclusion of an anti-racist an anti-oppression framework.

Methods: Three case vignettes were developed which vary by trauma type, race and ethnicity of both the client and therapist, and family composition. The three case vignettes were embedded in a course using an Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) pedagogy. A course syllabus and faculty facilitator manual for a 3-credit social work course were developed with input from the Advisory Board, whose members reflected a diverse population and included people with lived and professional expertise.

We followed the recommendations of the Health and Human Services Action Plan to strengthen workforce and infrastructure by recruiting and prioritizing MSW programs in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) or with majority BILPOC students.⁵ In the first year of dissemination, fifteen faculty participated in a summer institute where they were trained in the Inquiry-based Learning (IBL) method to pilot the new 3-credit course in their MSW program. In the second year, additional faculty were trained and the MSW course was offered in 29 schools of social work in the 2023-2024 academic year, 13 of which were either HBCUs or minority-serving institutions. Students enrolled in these course completed a pre and posttest that measured their knowledge about CTIPE, trauma and their confidence and ability to use the CTIPE in practice.

Results: The pretest included responses from 557 students, and the post test saw 403 responses, indicating a 30% attrition rate. Slightly over 57 percent (57.7%) of the students were White, 37.8% were students of color, and 6.5% preferred not to answer. Quantitative analysis demonstrated notable improvement on students' confidence and practical application scores. Analysis of pre- and posttest data revealed increased confidence scores across trauma informed practice competencies, with a significant rise in students who felt "extremely well" prepared. Application ratings also improved, with more students feeling well equipped to apply course knowledge in real world settings.

Conclusions and Implications: Social justice and the inclusion of a focus on racial equity is part of our mission as social work educators. Taking into consideration that trauma disproportionately affects BILPOC families, we have demonstrated that it is feasible to develop curriculum based on evidence and to begin to address these injustices by including the voices of those impacted, and purposely focusing resources to address disparities.