Abstract
This article explores the current state of Occupational Social Work/Employee Assistance (OSW/EA) education. It examines the relationship between social work curricula, field placement experiences, and entry-level employment opportunities in the OSW/EA field. It is based on an educational initiative called the Partnership for Employee Assistance Education. Drawing on the OSW/EA literature, surveys, and focus group materials, the article concludes that the nature of OSW/EA is being reshaped by information technology, shifting demographics, globalization, and evolving terms and conditions of employment. The authors discuss how the graduate-level OSW/EA curriculum and field placements are being transformed to reflect these trends. Concepts such as Organizational Social Work and organizational intelligence are discussed. Innovative educational strategies are recommended. Finally, the authors argue that the contemporary workplace offers potential opportunity for innovative social work practice and education.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 379-397 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Journal of Teaching in Social Work |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 8 Aug 2018 |
Keywords
- employee assistance program (EAP)
- field placement
- industrial social work
- occupational social work (OSW)
- organizational intelligence
- organizational social work
- social work education