Members of the SIM Lab recently published .

This article offers social work educators a practical look at how standardized clients can be prepared for simulation-based teaching. It invites readers into the actor training process — including working through case vignettes, practicing mock simulations, and learning how to manage emotional intensity and provide feedback from the client’s perspective.

Drawing on the authors’ simulation programs, the paper outlines steps that can support consistent, ethical, and effective use of actors in social work classrooms.

This article was published in as part of the special edition, “Simulation in Clinical Social Work: Evolving with the Times”. The special edition is a great place for lots of fabulous simulation resources.

The post Now Available- Training Actors: A Primer for Social Work Educators Working with Standardized Clients (SCs) in Classroom Simulations appeared first on SIM Social Work Research Lab.

Drs. Stephanie Baird (Lab Affiliate), Mariama Diallo and Sarah Tarshis (Lab Associate) were at the 2025 Symposium on Child and Youth Trauma in Montreal this week. They presented their research study that seeks to gain a better understanding of how intimate partner violence (IPV) service providers engage in trauma-informed practice in a simulated session with a standardized patient.

Interested in more? See their paper: Tarshis, S., McQuaid, J.M., Diallo, M., Baird., S.B. & Asakura., K. (2024). Using simulation to train service providers in responding to intimate partner violence (IPV) and trauma. Families in Society. 1-15. 

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Last week a few of us from the Lab had a wonderful time presenting at the Canadian Association for Social Work Education’s annual conference in Montreal.

We also facilitated a conversation circle on the use of simulation in Canadian schools of social work. It was wonderful to hear about the ways simulation is being engaged with across Canada, and we look forward to ongoing dialogue and collaboration.

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On Friday June 2^nd, SIM Lab Research Manager Katherine Occhiuto presented at the Council for Social Work Education’s Annual Conference at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at York University. The presentation titled Is Critical Reflection Enough? Teaching Reflective Practice as a Practice with Limitations highlighted some of the limitations of individualized reflective processes in supporting clinical learning, and brainstormed some ways of augmenting such activities for more effective professional development.

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This week we excitedly welcome Sarah Tarshis to the SIM Social Work Research Lab. Sarah joins as a Post-Doctoral Fellow. In addition to supporting a variety of projects at the lab, Sarah will also be leading a study that examines service response to intimate partner violence (IPV) and trauma using simulation-based research methodologies. Welcome Sarah!

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Our lab director Kenta Asakura, alongside Amedeo D’Angiulii have embarked on a new online simulation study, Online Assessment of Pandemic-Triggered Stress: Towards Developing Assistive AI Technologies. This study seeks to develop assistive technologies to support therapists in their online counselling sessions. More about this exciting project, as well as additional projects funded by the ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University Rapid Response Research Grant can be found .

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While COVID-19 has interrupted our physical presence in the SIM lab, it has remained a busy time for our team.

Research
Our lab director Kenta Asakura has embarked on a new online simulation study, Online Assessment of Pandemic-Triggered Stress: Towards Developing Assistive AI Technologies, alongside Amedeo D’Angiulli. Funded by ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s COVID-19 Rapid Response Research Grant, data is being collected from therapists’ assessment of simulated clients on Speedix’s mobile app and employing various AI algorithms to identify verbal and non-verbal stress signals. This data will be used to lay the groundwork for designing assistive AI technologies for online therapies.

Additionally, this spring our lab’s co-director Sarah Todd alongside Kenta Asakura and Pamela Grassau were awarded a SSHRC Insights Grant for their project Knowing and Not Knowing—Navigating Uncertainty in Social Work Practice. The team will use simulation and reflective data to explore when and how students and practitioners negotiate uncertainty; as well as the similarities and differences in how practitioners with varying levels of experience engage uncertainty. See the full story here.

Accolades
Our lab’s director, Kenta Asakura is a 2020 Excellence Award Winner, receiving the Faculty of Public Affairs Teaching Fellowship award. See the fully story here.

Personnel
This summer the team welcomed our newest research associate Karen Sewell. Karen is a new assistant professor with ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s School of Social Work with an extensive background in simulation research. Find out more about Karen here.

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On March 4, 2020, Clay Drinko of published an article highlighting how tenets of theatrical improvisation can help social workers co-create meaning with clients.

There are significant intersections between social work and improvisation, a crucial one being the fact that engaging in an improvisational structure allows social workers to better meet their clients where they are at. This framework of collaboration through improvisation is rooted in deep listening and reserving judgement.

According to Drinko, “Though social workers follow shared theories and methods, improv helps them adjust to a given situation when they find themselves interacting on-the-spot with their clients.” Improvisation collectives and workshops have been engaging in training social workers and therapists in using elements of improvisation to deepen their professional practice.

Co-Director of the SIM Lab and Director of ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s School of Social Work Sarah Todd emphasises the connections between improvisation and social work with regards to social worker training. When adding elements of improvisation in social work student training, Todd found that social work students were better prepared to construct meaning with clients rather than seeking forms of prescriptive truths.

According to Todd, “When our worries about uncertainty become loud in our head, we have a tendency to limit our listening and our exploring and instead push for solutions. I think if we wait longer, explore more, and listen more we create increased opportunities for the people we are working with to come up with their own solutions and to work collaboratively with us to create solutions that are a better fit with their reality and, thus, more sustainable.�

Through improvisation, social workers can collaboratively create meanings and better meet clients where they are at.

• Read the full Psychology Today article .
• Read more about the value of using of simulation in teaching social work practice here and here.

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Funded by the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, SIM Social Work Research Lab aims to strengthen, innovate, and mobilize simulation-based research on social work education and practice. This is the first and only social work-specific, simulation-based research lab in North America. We engage in two types of research: (1) research on simulation-based teaching and learning (e.g., the use of trained actors, virtual simulated clients) in professional education, and (2) research that uses simulation as a novel methodology to conceptualize and research professional practice (e.g., competence-based skills, linking theory to practice, the use of self). The co-directors of the SIM lab (/simlab/simlab/) in the School of Social Work at ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University invite applications from qualified candidates for a postdoctoral fellowship for up to 24 months, beginning as early as summer 2020.

The fellowship will be supervised by Professor Sarah Todd, an established scholar on professional education and a 3M National Teaching Fellow.  The successful candidate will also work closely with Professor Kenta Asakura (PI of the SIM Lab), whose research focuses on clinical social work practice and education, and other faculty members of the School of Social Work to further the team’s original research into simulation and professional practice.

The fellow is expected to conduct their own original research on professional practice and education, engage in existing research projects in the lab, and produce quality peer-reviewed publications. The fellow is also expected to teach one single-term (0.5) course per year in the School of Social Work. The fellow will develop specialized knowledge-base and skills required for simulation-based research, linkages between the lab and community partners, leveraging existing capacities to identify new research opportunities.  There will also be opportunities for the fellow to provide mentorship to graduate students engaged in SIM lab research.

Requirements
The successful candidate will have:

1. A PhD (or equivalent) completed, prior to the start of the fellowship and in the past five years in Social Work, Psychology, Education, or any other field relevant to the fellowship
2. A research and publication track-record relevant to the research focus on the fellowship, as appropriate for an early stage of career.
3. The ability to teach effectively and work with graduate students

Award duration
24 months

Start date
Negotiable, but preferably by September 15, 2020

Salary for 2020/2021 
C$45,000 plus benefits (see Article 27 of PSAC local 77000 collective agreement with ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University).  Increases will follow the collective agreement.

Relocation expenses
Eligible moving expenses of up to C$1500

Research Funding
The Fellow will have access to a research fund of C$5,000 in each of the two 12-month periods in which the Fellowship is held.

Teaching requirements
The Fellow will teach one single-term (0.5 credit) course per academic year in the School of Social Work, specifics to be negotiated.

Application Deadline
April 6, 2020

The application should include: 1) a cover letter, with a focus on the candidate’s interest in the fellowship and a statement of their research intent in simulation-based research during this fellowship, 2) CV; 3) evidence of teaching experience and excellence, and 4) names and contact information for three referees.  Please submit applications electronically to Sarah Todd, professor and director, School of Social Work, sarah.todd@carleton.ca.

ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University
ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University’s location in the nation’s capital – an urban area of about one million – provides many opportunities for research with public and private sector institutions that reflect the diversity of the country. Minutes from downtown, ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University is located on a beautiful campus, bordered by the Rideau River and the UNESCO World Heritage Rideau Canal.

With over 12 national museums and the spectacular Gatineau Park close by, there are many excellent recreational opportunities for individuals and families to enjoy.  ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University is a dynamic and innovative research and teaching institution committed to developing solutions to real world problems by pushing the boundaries of knowledge and understanding. Its internationally recognized faculty, staff, researchers, and librarians provide about 30,000 full- and part-time students from every province and more than 100 countries with academic opportunities in 65+ programs of study. ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´â€™s creative, interdisciplinary, and international approach to research has led to many significant discoveries and creative work in public policy, governance, science and technology, business, and the arts.

Commitment to Diversity
ÐÓ°ÉÔ­´´ University is strongly committed to fostering diversity within its community as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome those who would contribute to the further diversification of our University including, but not limited to, women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, and persons of any sexual orientation or gender identity. Those applicants that are selected for an interview will be requested to contact the Chair of the Search Committee as soon as possible to discuss any accommodation requirements. Arrangements will be made to accommodate requests in a timely manner.

For more information, please see the job advertisement here.

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(Photograph courtesy of MacEwan University)

On February 21, 2020, CBC published an article on the value of standardized patients in the medical field. Actors take on the role of these standardized patients and play out a range of situations with medical practitioners – including difficult and high-stress scenarios.

These standardized patients encourage medical students and doctors to develop various skills. According to CBC, “working with standardized patients gives medical students a chance to practice an important skill: how to suspend judgement.” Through standardized patients, medical students are taught how to recognize and restrain their potential biases.

In addition, standardized patients help medical practitioners develop a more profound sense of empathy towards patients through rapport building and obtaining a more holistic and compassionate perspective of the patient.

Akin to standardized patients in the medical realm, simulation and the use of actors in social work can similarly encourage social work students to develop key skills, including rapport-building, empathy and other therapeutic competencies. Through simulation, these skills can be taught in a safe manner without the risk of harming real clients.

• Read the full CBC article .
• Read more about the value of using of simulation in teaching social work practice here and here.

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