Doctoral research
Harm Reduction Training for Social Workers Serving LGBTQ Clients
Ph.D. dissertation research on practitioner knowledge, readiness, and self-efficacy at the intersection of LGBTQ identity and substance use.
The practice question
LGBTQ clients with substance-use disorders may encounter minority stress, trauma, stigma, fragmented services, and providers whose education did not integrate affirming practice with harm reduction.
The approach
Guided by Minority Stress Theory, the study evaluated a half-day intervention using a one-group pretest-posttest design and literature on sexual-minority status, adverse childhood experiences, substance use, health inequity, and harm reduction.
The contribution
The study frames culturally responsive provider education as a social-justice and health-equity strategy and offers a foundation for strengthening knowledge, readiness, autonomy, and nonjudgmental engagement.
