Licensed Clinical Social Workers' Perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Interventions.

CROSS-sectional method; PEARSON correlation (Statistics); PROFESSIONAL practice; THERAPEUTICS; HEALTH attitudes; MENTAL health; DATA analysis; T-test (Statistics); SOCIAL services; QUESTIONNAIRES; LOGISTIC regression analysis; SOCIAL worker attitudes; AGE distribution; WORK experience (Employment); JUDGMENT sampling; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; ATTITUDE (Psychology); PROFESSIONS; PATIENT-centered care; CLIENT relations; ODDS ratio; ALTERNATIVE medicine; PROFESSIONAL licenses; ANALYSIS of variance; STATISTICS; HEALTH promotion; DATA analysis software; SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC factors

Purpose: This article explored Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Interventions (CAI). Method: We utilized a cross-sectional online survey among a sample of 193 LCSWs. Results: Approximately 60% of LCSWs assessed for and utilized CAI professionally, and 90% personally utilized CAI. LCSWs had moderately positive beliefs, neutral attitudes, and high baseline knowledge of CAI. Age and years of practice were the only significant correlates, and the only significant predictor for assessment and utilization of CAI was positive attitudes. Discussion: As the largest group of mental health providers, we found that it is vital for LCSWs to have a solid understanding of CAI to provide effective and safe services to the clients they serve. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a starting point for future research on CAI among social workers, with the goal of enhancing client-centered practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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