Children, Youth & Families

This course will examine practice theories and techniques for working directly with children ages eighteen months to nine years, and their caregivers, via play therapy. This course will emphasize evidence-based play therapies that address diverse groups of young children. Special attention will be given to the meaning of play across cultures, as well as the role of play in the healthy development of children. The interaction between environmental risk factors, protective factors, promotive and developmental factors as they contribute to coping, resiliency, and disorder will also be covered

This course will present knowledge and critical skills to prepare for social work practice in school settings. The topical areas will include: a brief overview of educational programs and legislation in the United States for individuals of all ages and their families; school social worker assessment tools and services for educational institutions at the pre-K elementary, and secondary levels; assessing and responding to issues of economic and social discrimination in ways that center justice and educational access; laws, policies, and practices related to determination of qualification under

This course will present knowledge and critical skills to prepare for social work practice in school settings. The topical areas will include: a brief overview of educational programs and legislation in the United States for individuals of all ages and their families; school social worker assessment tools and services for educational institutions at the pre-K elementary, and secondary levels; assessing and responding to issues of economic and social discrimination in ways that center justice and educational access; laws, policies, and practices related to determination of qualification under

This course develops advanced knowledge and skills for effective school social work practice. Students learn to identify, select, and apply evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies with individuals, groups, families, and school personnel to enhance student learning, development, and school success. Course content emphasizes practice skills advancing social justice and educational access, including trauma-informed models, positive behavioral supports, crisis prevention and response, behavior intervention planning, mediation, conflict resolution, and collaborative problem-solving

This course develops advanced knowledge and skills for effective school social work practice. Students learn to identify, select, and apply evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies with individuals, groups, families, and school personnel to enhance student learning, development, and school success. Course content emphasizes practice skills advancing social justice and educational access, including trauma-informed models, positive behavioral supports, crisis prevention and response, behavior intervention planning, mediation, conflict resolution, and collaborative problem-solving

This course examines strategies for engaging and empowering young people, with emphasis on approaches in racially segregated and economically disinvested areas. It considers core concepts of youth empowerment at the individual, organizational, and community levels; models and methods of practice; age-appropriate and culturally-responsive approaches; roles of young people and adult allies; and perspectives on practice in a diverse democracy. The course will draw upon best practices from grassroots organizing, civic engagement, youth development, and child welfare.

This is an introductory course on the relationship between theory and practice in infant mental health. It is intended for graduate students in Social Work, Education, Nursing and Psychology. Its purpose is to furnish a conceptual framework, based upon attachment theory, for understanding how the emotional qualities of the infant-parent dyads influence the infant's development, the parent's capacity to give care, and finally the professional's state of mind regarding the family. Emphasis is given to how the experiences of early childhood persist over time, and how they are summoned up again

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. This one-credit course is designed for MSW students who are focused on interpersonal practice and will cover the following topics: the critical issue of suicide (prevalence), suicide-risk assessment (risk and protective factors, warning signs

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. This one-credit course is designed for MSW students who are focused on interpersonal practice and will cover the following topics: the critical issue of suicide (prevalence), suicide-risk assessment (risk and protective factors, warning signs

This one-credit course will focus on the use of an experiential and adventure practice approach (theories, models, tools and techniques) for therapeutic purposes with individuals, groups and families.

Students are expected to come with a foundational understanding of clinical work (in particular, some knowledge of clinical group facilitation), and experiential learning.

Theoretical models of clinical experiential and adventure practice will be offered and discussed in tandem with clinical social work theories and models of practice. Evidence-based literature will be reviewed that promote