Response to the Respondents: The NIMH Task Force Report on Social Work Research

Abstract

Seven distinguished respondents have critiqued the invited article titled “The NIMH Task Force on Social Work Research Report: Past Accomplishments and Current Challenges.” The article reviewed significant gains in social work research since publication of the Report in 1991 and, also, identified nine significant challenges that still must be addressed if social work research is to optimally meet the needs of practitioners. While the respondents concur with the main theses put forth in the invited article, they also point to additional challenges that need to be addressed if social work research is to significantly strengthen practitioners’ capacities. In addition, they propose productive ways to address certain of the challenges posed in the invited article. This response to the respondents discusses in detail how they have augmented, complemented, and strengthened the invited article and, in some instances, failed to do so.