Objective:

To describe social workers’ baseline self-assessed competence in evidence-based practices for substance use disorders (SUD) and examine knowledge gains from an educational intervention.

Approach:

Key Findings:

• Baseline competence was rated low to moderate, with professional experience correlating with higher perceived competence.
• Significant knowledge gaps were identified, especially in evidence-based psychosocial interventions and digital technology use.
• Knowledge increased significantly across all training modules post-intervention, with the largest gains in technology use, biopsychosocial interventions, and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI).
• Score variability decreased across several modules after training.

Interpretation:

Completion of an immersive, online, evidence-based training was associated with meaningful improvements in social workers’ knowledge related to substance use assessment and intervention planning.

Limitations:

• Causal inference is limited due to the non-randomized single-group pre–post design.

Conclusion:

The findings support the potential of scalable educational interventions to address competence gaps in substance use services.

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