Mary Girvan

Lecturer

Mary Girvan comes from a Local Authority background in social work where she held various positions at practitioner and management level. She is currently a Lecturer in Social Work and has only become an ‘active researcher’ in the last 16 months. Her research background has for the most part focused on health and social work initiatives with an addiction concern. An example would be working with a Local Authority and Health Board to consider practitioners expertise in working with patients/ service users who have the dual diagnosis of mental health problems and substance use problems. A further example would be a mapping exercise, considering the training needs of health and social work staff in working with patients and service users who have substance use problems. The perceptions of managers and frontline workers were sought

I remain particularly interested in all aspects of addiction issues and because of my teaching interests I have developed some expertise in the integration of theory to practice and in the preparation of students for practice settings. I would be particularly interested in evaluating the efficacy of current teaching methods in the light of the new Scottish Social Services requirement that students must be assessed as fit and ready for placement

Publications

Watson H Girvan M Kelly T Kerr S Hyslop J Thow M Dickson R Coull S (2004) Drugs and Alcohol Training needs of Health and Social Care Staff Glasgow Caledonian Centre of Nursing and Midwifery Research

Conference Papers

Girvan M (2005) People with drugs and alcohol problems have been let down by the health and social care services in the UK and it is time for criminal justice to hold the purse strings – a debate The Nursing Council and Addictions Forum 2005 International Addictions Conference Belfast Northern Ireland