Interpersonal Practice in Integrated Health, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse

Everyone has a sexuality, and so social workers need to be prepared to support clients and communities across a variety of sexual identities, experiences, and behaviors. This course integrates a basic introduction into the spectrum of human sexuality along with foundational pieces supporting the theory and practice of social work. By viewing many facets of sexuality from a social work perspective, students will be prepared to assume serve individuals, groups, and communities regarding various issues connected to human sexuality.

This course provides an experiential opportunity for students to explore an array of animal assisted therapeutic activities specifically designed to further a wide range of therapeutic goals with children, adolescents, families and adult clients.

This course provides an experiential opportunity for students to explore an array of animal assisted therapeutic activities specifically designed to further a wide range of therapeutic goals with children, adolescents, families and adult clients.

This course provides an experiential opportunity for students to explore an array of animal assisted therapeutic activities specifically designed to further a wide range of therapeutic goals with children, adolescents, families and adult clients.

This advanced practice course builds on content from the previous foundational course(s) and focuses on family functioning within diverse client populations. The focus of this course is on the development and utilization of family-focused skills and interventions with diverse families in the context of a variety of practice settings such as healthcare, mental health, and other community-based settings.

This course focuses on bio-psycho-social development and changes in mid- and late-adulthood. It will cover six major areas. (a) Demographic trends globally and in the United States, (b) Major theoretical perspectives including the life course and life-span perspectives. (c) Biological and cognitive changes in the second half of life. (d) Common chronic conditions and their treatment in older adults. (e) Psychological and social development in mid- and late-adulthood. (f) Definitions and determinants of positive and healthy aging.

DBT is an empirically supported treatment for individuals with severe emotional regulation problems. Part of the treatment consists of teaching individuals specific skill sets in mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation and crisis management.

This course will address how depression & anxiety in late life compromise the quality of life in older adults. The students will be assisted to deepen their understanding of the thought process of those with depression and anxiety. They will learn how MBCT could help improve the disorder and see MBCT as a viable non-pharmacology intervention. The scientific evidence for the effectiveness of mindfulness interventions for mental health issues and, specifically, MBCT for prevention of relapse of depression and anxiety will be discussed.

Through a team-based, experiential, and interdisciplinary learning model, small groups of U-M graduate and professional students work with faculty to explore and offer solutions to emerging, complex problems. This course is offered through the Law School’s Problem Solving Initiative and the topics vary by semester.

Suicide is a leading cause of preventable death in the United States. Suicide risk assessment, risk formulation, and treatment are consistently difficult in practice and greater attention to this public health issue and prevention efforts are needed, especially so, by social workers who provide the majority of mental health services in the U.S.