“Social workers understand quantitative and qualitative research methods and their respective roles in advancing a science of social work and in evaluating their practice. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge. Social workers understand that evidence that informs practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. They also understand the processes for translating research findings into effective practice. Social workers:
• use practice experience and theory to inform scientific inquiry and research;
• apply critical thinking to engage in analysis of quantitative and qualitative research methods and research findings; and
• use and translate research evidence to inform and improve practice, policy, and service delivery” (CSWE, 2015).
Elevated Addiction Services (“EAS”) relies heavily on data to inform program delivery, insurance network
contracts, and public relations. Data are gathered from the clients receiving substance use disorder
services through questionnaires administered at various points of a program. For example, a client
satisfaction survey is done the time of discharge and assesses various aspects of program delivery such
as counselor competence, safety, and whether treatment planning involved client/counselor
collaboration. Data is also collected at points following program completion in order to measure success
rates. Education, employment, self-reported sobriety/abstinence, and quality of family relationships are
some of the metrics used.
To supplement intra-agency data collection, EAS uses the Vista Research Group. Vista Research Group is
a third-party agency that specializes in data and research to help inform treatment interventions and
success tracking for substance use disorder facilities. The data gathered helps alert clinicians to client
needs as they can demonstrate spikes in depression, cravings, or suicidal thoughts. The assessment tools
rely on more sophisticated methods than simple questionnaires which depend solely on self-reports
(whether genuine or not). They rely on certain symptoms and indicators of trauma and other mental
health issues versus a simple response to, “Are you depressed?”
Ivan Carnice 