3 credits
Students will develop knowledge and skills necessary for responding to disasters, such as floods, fires, hurricanes and major transportation accidents. Students will become oriented to trauma-informed casework, mental health interventions and shelter-based interventions that are utilized by disaster response teams, such as rapid assessment skills; enhanced psychological first-aid for survivors, staff and volunteers; and facilitation of immediate problem-solving. The course is anchored in the values and ethics of the social work profession and incorporates a human rights perspective in understanding disasters and their differential impact on vulnerable populations.