2/18/2024 0 Comments Qualitative social work journal![]() Prior to coming to Loyola in Fall 2006, he was a school social worker, family therapist, and youth minister in the Chicago area. Kelly, PhD, LCSW, is professor and director of the Family and School Partnerships Program at Loyola University Chicago's School of Social Work. Correspondence regarding this article can be addressed directly to: S. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Andrew Brake, Social Work Program, Northeastern Illinois University, Chicago, IL 40425. Brake’s future research aims to understand the lead roles social workers play in enhancing school-wide school mental health and school climate initiatives in urban public high schools. Brake was Co-Principal Investigator for the School Mental Health Professional Learning Community Project, a two-year qualitative examination of a professional learning community designed specifically for school mental health practitioners in metropolitan Chicago. His research examines how trust and collaboration shape teaching and social work practice and the lead roles of social workers in improving policies, practices, and partnerships in urban public high schools. Implications for further research on PLCs and advancing the professional development of SSW are discussed.Īndrew Brake is an assistant professor of social work at Northeastern Illinois University. By the end of the first year, participants overwhelmingly cited their PLC experiences as beneficial to reducing SMHP professional isolation, creating a supportive, resource-rich group of SMHP colleagues, and rejuvenating their commitment to the profession and their ability to lead their schools in advancing SEMH services and supports. Through the professional camaraderie they quickly found among their PLC colleagues, participants engaged collaboratively to develop an array of interventions for their schools, strengthened their professional capacities, and enhanced their sense of professional self-efficacy. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from three rounds of in-depth interviews with participants during the first year of the PLC, we find that the PLC drew participants who sought specific opportunities through the PLC to improve their knowledge and skills to lead their schools in advancing social, emotional, and mental health (SEMH) services and supports in their schools. ![]() This article examines the first-year experiences of school mental health professionals (SMHP) in a two-year PLC made up largely of SSW from an array of schools and districts throughout metropolitan Chicago. ![]() However, rigorous research on the key components, mechanisms, and impact of PLCs has been limited overall, with virtually no research conducted on PLCs with school social workers (SSW). Professional learning communities (PLCs) have become commonplace in K-12 schools for helping teachers collaborate to build their professional capacities and address school-based problems.
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