What do BSW graduates need to know about mental health?: educational insights derived from integrating service-users’, students’, and academic-educators’ perceptions

Abstract

This study aims to support curriculum development by integrating service-users’, students’, and academic educators’ perspectives regarding the mental health knowledge Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) students should possess upon graduation. Set in the Israeli context, thirty-nine semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten service-users, ten academic-educators, ten BSW, and nine Master of Social Work (MSW) students. Data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Analysis revealed three major themes: 1. Person-centered approach—A humane, non-patronizing, relationship-based approach forms the foundation of mental health practice 2. Negotiating the role of bio-medical knowledge—Contributions and perils of bio-medical knowledge to social work education and practice. 3. Mental health knowledge broadened—Additional topics valuable to BSW graduates’ knowledge, such as knowledge about service-users’ experiences, recovery approach, and critical mental health. The discussion presents four educational-insights derived from the findings: 1. Articulate recovery as the mental health framework for person-centered approach. 2. Teach bio-medical knowledge from a person-centered holistic perspective. 3. Ground person-centeredness in a socio-political context. 4. Involve service-users and practitioners in academic education. These insights are discussed in the context of current debates in social work education, such as person-centeredness, service-user involvement, and neo-liberal individualization.