Summer 2025 Seated and Hybrid Electives

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 designed to provide the student with an overview of social work practice in public schools. Students will examine the history of school social work, state and federal education laws, educational issues and policies, conceptual frameworks (such as the ecological approach) and service delivery models. Evidence-based programs, interventions and practices will be highlighted, in particular those that optimize the student's potential for growth and learning. The course is intended to develop the student's awareness and understanding of the unique role that the school social worker has and how it impacts the lives of children, families, school staff and communities.

This course is approved for CEUs.

This is a skill focused course on how to assess and respond to adults with psychiatric emergencies where there is a risk of lethality (suicidal/ homicidal/self-harm). It will include identification of high-risk factors and how to conduct lethality assessments for individuals, including those who are diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness and/or under the influence of substances. Participants will learn the levels of lethality; how to use lethality assessment tools and rating scales; how to complete documentation of services which reflect clinical assessments in accordance with the most current evidence and best practices; how to create an intervention plan for identified lethality, and when it is appropriate in professional social work practice to break confidentiality based on a current lethality assessment.

This course is approved for CEUs.

In this interprofessional course, students work alongside students from other health professions at community-based clinics and other settings working toward racial equity in the delivery of basic health care services. Students may be working with students from other university schools or departments to conduct assessments, provide psychosocial information, coordinate services and advocate for the community. Students will use social work skills learned in classroom and field education, including a trauma-informed and human rights lens, to assess the macro forces that impact health and health care in economically challenged neighborhoods.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an evidence-based psychotherapy that incorporates mindfulness and behavioral strategies to help clients increase their psychological flexibility. ACT takes a non-pathological approach to clinical presentations and aims to help clients engage in values-based behavior while simultaneously making space for unwanted internal experiences, such as painful thoughts, feelings, body sensations, memories, etc. Through this, clients learn to put less effort into fighting against their symptoms and put more effort into living the life they want. This course focuses on the philosophy, theory, components and application of core ACT skills to help clients live a life based on what is important to them, rather than avoidance of pain.

This course is designed as an introduction to the basic principles of ACT. No previous experience with ACT is necessary. Learners will acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to utilize this method appropriately and effectively with diverse client populations and problems.

This course is approved for CEUs.