Summer 2025 Online Electives

This undergraduate course will provide a foundational understanding of human biology with emphasis on the biological bases of behaviors and issues of concern to social workers. This course is designed to meet the human biology prerequisites for Master of Social Work students, and will cover the basics of human biology, including anatomical systems and structures, development from conception through aging and death, genetics, evolution and biological and environmental interactions. The focus of the course is not only on biology but also on the critical analysis of the interplay between human biology and social issues. Discussions will cover the biological bases of phenomena, including addictions, mental illness, sexuality and aggression. Emphasis throughout the course also will be placed on biological processes related to trauma and stress.

Course Introduction - In this video, Elaine Hammond provides a summary of what the course covers.

This course is organized primarily as a seminar that will highlight motivational interviewing approaches to help clients build commitment and reach a decision to change behavior. This course provides a forum for case presentation and discussion with an emphasis on discussing cases from students' field placements or practice settings. Theories of behavioral change will be discussed, and the transtheoretical model of intentional behavior change will be highlighted as an integrative framework for understanding the process of behavior change.

Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based practice for addictive behaviors, but applications have been extended to behavioral change in general, including social work, mental health, health promotion, general medical care, corrections and community and organizational settings. In addition, the course will discuss motivational interviewing's application to practice with “mandated” clients.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course is aimed at developing the knowledge and skills necessary for working with individuals who have a diagnosis of serious mental illness using recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices. Students will learn to examine research literature to determine the various levels of support for specific interventions and essential principles for translating research into practice. In addition, they will identify the appropriate treatment outcomes that reflect effective, quality, mental health practice. Each evidence-based practice presented will also be examined for its utility with diverse groups.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course will provide an introduction of theoretical frameworks of trauma throughout the life span. An overview of types of trauma and the impacts of trauma on the individual, family and community will be examined. Information on treatment methods, clinical applications and evidence-based practices used to address and treat trauma will be provided.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course provides a general introduction to the fields of abnormal psychology and clinical psychiatry.  Specifically, this course will acquaint students with the epidemiology, classification and etiology of the major forms of mental illness. It is the primary aim of this course to develop the student’s diagnostic skills in clinical settings. To that end, didactic emphasis will be placed not only on the study of psychopathological symptoms and behaviors, per se, but also on their manifestations in everyday life. Specific attention is paid to the ethical and social work value-related problems associated with diagnosing and labeling clients with a psychiatric disorder, and issues of race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, religion, disabilities or illness, age and national origin as they influence the manifestations of behaviors that may be diagnosed as mental illness or affect the presentation of mental illness. Case studies and videos will be used to ensure that students have an effective working knowledge of: the biological and psychosocial bases of the major mental disorders; the behavioral symptomatology that characterizes them; and their classification according to the American Psychiatric Association system of classification of mental illness and the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases. This course also addresses the role of social workers as advocates for people with mental disorders and as environmental change agents.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course will provide a dual focus on alcohol and other drug problems and the family, examining: the impact of alcohol and other drug problems on families, and assessment and intervention strategies appropriate for these family systems and their individual family members, including children and adults.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course will explore a variety of issues of concern to gay and lesbian communities and provide a foundation for social workers interested in working with lesbian, gay and bisexual people and with same-sex couples

This course focuses on the origin, theory, components, research and application of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, a treatment method originally developed for treating trauma and now being applied to a range of client problems. Students will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to utilize this method appropriately and effectively with diverse client populations and problems. Such use is based on an understanding of the theoretical bases of EMDR, client safety issues, integration with a comprehensive treatment plan, and supervised practice with the components of EMDR as well as its various applications. Prerequisite: Participants should be either students who have completed at least the first year of a graduate level professional human-services degree program (e.g. MSW foundation year) or licensed/ certified mental health professionals.

Enrollment Information: Students must apply and be approved to take this elective course. Interested students must attend one of two informational sessions being offered via Zoom in February 2025.

Class Availability: Force registration: seats reserved. Enrollment capacity listed at 15 and a waitlist capacity of 5.  

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course provides a general introduction to the assessment and treatment of behavior problems of childhood and adolescence. The course will review classification and etiology of major mental health disorders within the contexts of normal and abnormal mental and emotional development of children and adolescents, and family, peer group, school and community. The ethical considerations related to the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with behavior disorders will be examined. The impact of trauma, family factors, culture and oppression on the development, naming and treatment of behavior disorders will be highlighted. Strategies employed to treat children, adolescents and their families will also be addressed.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course will focus on the central human experiences of loss, grief and bereavement that occur across the life course. Guided examination of current theories, research and evidence based practice(s) in grief counseling will be conducted. This course will focus on building knowledge about the nature of grief, mourning and bereavement as it is influenced by age, developmental stage, gender, race, culture, ethnicity and social context. Familiarity with the various types of losses that occur in all age groups is germane to effective social work practice in all agency settings. This course is designed to provide students with greater awareness, increased knowledge and basic skills for assessing and intervening with loss and grief in micro-, mezzo- and macrosocial domains. It will incorporate a trauma-informed and human rights perspective to social work practice with people who are adapting to loss.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This fully online, asynchronous course introduces the principles and practice of cognitive-behavioral therapy. Students will learn the basics of CBT including cognitive, behavioral, and emotion-level interventions.  The course will provide an understanding of how to develop a case conceptualization of the client's problems and use this conceptualization to guide both the selection of treatment targets and implementation of treatment techniques. The focus of this course is on learning practical, clinically-focused cognitive-behavioral interventions that can be implemented with clients - there is less of a focus on theories or concepts, and a stronger focus on practical application. Weekly assignments support skills acquisition. The importance of developing and maintaining a strong therapeutic alliance will be discussed and case presentations implementing CBT concepts and techniques in real-world settings are illustrated.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This course is approved for CEUs.

Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic model that views the mind as composed of multiple "parts," each with distinct beliefs, roles, feelings, and perspectives, alongside a core Self that embodies healing qualities including compassion. The IFS model helps individuals explore and heal wounded or protective parts by working with the core Self to find balance within the internal system. Through this process, IFS empowers individuals to address inner conflicts, heal trauma, and cultivate greater emotional resilience and self-awareness.

This course provides an overview of the theory and practice of the IFS model.  Concepts and skills will be taught through a combination of lecture, experiential learning, and video of IFS session excerpts to demonstrate key concepts.  Students will have the opportunity to learn and practice IFS techniques that can be applied to clinical practice. 

This course is approved for CEUs.