Malitta Engstrom, faculty director of the master of social work (MSW) program at Penn’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2), has received a significant grant from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Dr. Engstrom, an associate professor at SP2, was awarded a grant to fund a substance use training program for MSW students at SP2. Social workers are uniquely positioned to reach people experiencing substance use disorders across a range of service settings; however, most social workers do not receive specialized training in substance use-related services during their professional education. The training program addresses this gap by ensuring that every MSW student will receive specialized education in evidence-supported practices to assist people affected by substance use concerns. The training will use evidence-supported pedagogical strategies to enhance substance use-related practice knowledge and skills, including the development of a multimodal curriculum with video, online, and standardized client trainings.

“Penn MSW students will have a rare and critically important opportunity to enhance their knowledge, skills, and effectiveness to work with individuals, families, and communities affected by substance use concerns. This training holds great promise to improve outcomes among people in a wide range of settings,” Dr. Engstrom said.

Overall, the program aims to ensure that individuals have consistent access to high-quality substance use-related services across diverse service settings and to reduce the gap between substance use treatment need and access. With the support of the project team—professor and director of SP2’s Doctorate in Clinical Social Work program, Jacqueline Corcoran; PhD student Jessica Cho Kim; and online learning coordinator Nicole Auge—the training will begin to be implemented in the MSW Program curriculum in 2021.