Moving the Field Forward: Using

Technology to Increase School Mental

Health Practitioners' Skills in Using

Data & EBP

Michael Kelly, PhD

Loyola Chicago SSW

ACSSW

January 28, 2019

Challenges Facing the Field

SSW Not Promoting Universal Strategies

– SSW are not doing them consistently and do not feel prepared to do

them competently

– SSW spend most of their time with at-risk students in Tier 3 and

crisis intervention situations, “putting out fires”

SSW Not Prepared to Use Data (similar preparation concerns)

The bottom line: the major policy and research initiatives of the

last 20 years are not being reflected in typical day-to-day SSW

practice and leadership roles in schools.

(Kelly et al., 2016 & 2015; Phillippo, Kelly, Shayman,

& Frey, 2017)

Challenges, But Also Opportunities

*Hopeful signs in SSW practice (17% of our sample are poised to do practice

across the tiers using evidence-informed and ecological approaches and another

67% does it at least some of the time) (LPA based on our National SSW survey

data; Thompson, Frey, & Kelly, In Press)

*3 Professional Learning Community (PLC) projects we conducted in Chicago,

Canada, and Michigan show that sustainable professional development can

“stick” (manuscripts in preparation)

*Need for clearer ideas about how (and whether) PLCs work in education overall

(Kelly, Brake, Key, Wardzala, Pigott PLC Systematic Review Title, 2017; Protocol

In Preparation with Campbell Collaboration for early 2019)

Some Of The SSW Grand Challenges

We’re Working On (Please Join Us!)

• Creating online tools that are evidence-informed,

free, and easy to use (SSWN, SSWNetwork)

• Open-access research that builds capacity

• Field placements that move us forward

• A network of School Mental Health Master Mentors

(through the Loyola SMHAPP Certificate and the

SSWNetwork site)

• Sustainable & evidence-informed PLCs via our

SSWNetwork site

SSWN 2019 •Editorial team:

Scott Carchedi (SSWN founder), Michele Patak-Pietrafesa (OSU PhD student), Michael Kelly (Loyola SSW), Marjorie

Colindres (Loyola adjunct and junior high SSW) + Loyola

SMHAPP certificate students

•SSWN Departments:

Interventions, Tools for Practice, Research that Matters

•Research Briefs written by SSW practitioners

•Increasing SSWN’s reach: 2,700 likes on Facebook, 800+ Twitter followers (follow us on Twitter @SchoolSocWork), 800 Pinterest, articles on SSWN typically ready by thousands of SSW each month

•SSW Tools Site (Time-Study app beta-testing 2018-19)

January 2019: In just 2 weeks , these two posts have

been viewed by ~10,000 SSWN readers

For February: SSWN Posts by Loyola SMHAPP

students on their School-Change projects + more

Research Briefs

SSWNetwork Site Since August 15th, 1,330 SSW have joined the site and are

sharing their expertise with each other

SSWNetwork Members (N=220)

Told Us They Want Help With:

1. Data/Progress Monitoring/Assessment (by far, over

50% of the responses)

2. Small group interventions (tier 2, in their office, and

classroom; overall desire to learn more group skills)

3. Learning more effective clinical SSW interventions for

their 1:1 caseload time

4. Goal Writing

5. Teaching students how to self-regulate

For SSWNetwork 2019 1. 4 PLCs meeting online, all led by SSW Practitioners

•Race & Equity in K-12 Education

•Self-Care & Trauma-Informed Practices

•Progress Monitoring & IEP Goals

•Restorative Practices in K-12 Education

2. “SSWNetwork Journal Club” (led by SSWR SIG members

Drs. Emily Shayman & Stephanie Ochocki

3. SSWN MasterMinds, Mighty SSW Newbies Groups,

•3 Volumes 2016-18

•Downloads from SSW all over the world

•Planned special issues based on the PLC work

•Part of a larger “Open-Access 2019” Project starting

on SSWN later in 2019

Loyola School Mental Health Advanced Practice

Program (SMHAPP) Curriculum

– 15 graduate credits

– Primarily online (both synchronized and self-

paced “asynchronous” classes)

• 1 required education Summer Immersion

weekend, on-campus at Loyola in Chicago

– To be completed in 2 years

– $10,000 for 2 years, including all books and

related materials

Our Loyola SMHAPP Curriculum

• SOWK 780/781 Integrative Seminar I (3 credits, online)

• SOWK 782/783 Integrative Seminar II (3 credits, online)

• SOWK 784 Evidence-Based Practice in Schools (3 credits, online)

• SOWK 785 Strength-based Interventions in Schools (SFBT, MI) (3 credits,

online)

• SOWK 786 Special Topics in School Social Work

(3 credits, including online & summer immersion weekend, Year 1 or 2)

– Based on student input, previous courses have included:

•Strategies Across the 3 Tier Model: Effective Interventions for MTSS

•Data Done Right in School Mental Health

Assignments For SOWK 782/783:

1) Creating an infographic about your school change project based in part

on your logic model to share with the class and with your school

2) Writing 2 articles for SSWN (can include: a Research Brief, progress

report about their project, reflection on practice, teaching the SSWN

community about a tool or intervention, interviewing a key SSW

researcher that works with your project topic area)

3) Creating and Hosting a Topic on SSWNetwork, including selecting

readings or other materials for the group to interact with

4) Write-up of Your School Change Project + Presentation at Summer FSPP

Institute

13th Annual FSPP July 2018,

“Together We Can Do This:

SSW Changing Their Schools”

FSPP July 2018, “Together We Can Do This: SSW

Changing Their Schools”

FSPP July 2018, “Together We Can Do This:

SSW Changing Their Schools”

FSPP July 2018, “Together We Can Do This:

SSW Changing Their Schools”

21st Century School Social

Worker

Marjorie Colindres Metcalf, Bilingual LCSW

21st Century

School Social

Workers

should develop

these skills to

enhance

practice within

schools.

Google Forms If you want

to learn

more about

CASEL

review

THIS PPT.

Click on the underlined bullet

points to view social and

emotional goals.

●Self-Awareness

●Self-Management

●Social Awareness

●Relationship Skills

●Responsible Decision-

Making

**Please make a copy of the

Google Form if you would

like to use it.

Tier 1: Classroom Behavioral

Strategies & Interventions

That Work

Jill Forkel, M.S.

Marjorie Metcalf, L.C.S.W.

TEACHER

STUDENTS SOCIAL WORKER

SCHOOL

SYSTEM

Strategies for

K-3rd Grade

Classrooms

21st Century Classroom

Embracing SEL

Some Of The SSW Grand Challenges

We’re Working On (Please Join Us!)

• Creating online tools that are evidence-informed,

free, and easy to use (SSWN, SSWNetwork)

• Open-access research that builds capacity

• Field placements that move us forward

• A network of School Mental Health Master Mentors

(through the Loyola SMHAPP Certificate and the

SSWNetwork site)

• Sustainable & evidence-informed PLCs via our

SSWNetwork site

• Next Loyola Summer Institute: July 24-26th