This course introduces students to the field of social work and the law – specifically the practice of social work in legal settings. Students will develop competency in forensic social work practice - working knowledge as a practitioner in an interdisciplinary setting representing clients entangled in legal systems including criminal, civil, family and immigration. Students will deconstruct the complexities of the criminal legal systems and further develop awareness in addressing clients’ concerns related to their criminal justice history – pre-arrest, arrest, disposition and re-entry. Similarly, students will gain insight into the filing of Article X petitions in family court and the pathway of a child protection case. This course complements field placements in legal/forensic settings, law minors and students interested in social work and law rooted in rights-based advocacy. This course is premised on a basic understanding of how the legacy of slavery led to mass criminalization and incarceration. Black Lives Matter.
The course will focus on understanding the theory and varied practices of restorative justice (RJ) and transformative justice (TJ), and how they are being used as alternatives to retributive and punitive responses to social problems and individual, community and institutional harm. Students will learn – through modeling and practice – how to facilitate a restorative circle which can serve as the foundation for continued use of restorative practices in social work. The class will provide an understanding of the values and principles of RJ and R, and the most-commonly used RJ models and where they are being used. It will support students in understanding their own relationship to conflict and teach students how to facilitate restorative processes using peacemaking circles. Issues of power, privilege, oppression and identity will be substantial themes throughout the course, both in understanding the need for RJ and TJ, how RJ/TJ can address them, and the ways in which these issues arise in facilitation and the RJ/TJ movement. In addition to understanding RJ, the course will also provide students with a critical analysis of other theories and practices of conflict resolution including mediation, truth and reconciliation, and transitional justice, and how all of these relate to addressing individual, communal and institutional harm. Finally, the course will discuss how social workers can use restorative justice in a variety of settings.
Students examine the issue of violence against women and families. The demographics of the population, theories of domestic violence, crisis intervention, and short- and long-term clinical issues will be examined, as will service modalities for women victims and survivors, batterers, and their children.
This course is designed to provide beginning familiarity with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), an evidence based psychosocial treatment initially developed for suicidal individuals with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Students will be taught the primary theories, principles, and strategies that inform DBT. Students will also become familiar with the latest research on DBT for BPD. Lecture, demonstration, multimedia applications, and group discussion will be used as the primary teaching methods. DBT is a complex treatment with multiple facets. It is therefore not expected that a student will have full competence to deliver the treatment as a result of just this one course. However, this course will provide sufficient background and serve as a necessary prerequisite before using DBT in an applied setting.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that was originally developed for chronically suicidal individuals and is now the gold standard treatment for Borderline Personality Disorder. The treatment and its adaptations have since been proven through research to be effective across a wide range of disorders and behavioral problems which have at their core the issue of Pervasive Emotion Dysregulation. Students will be introduced to key theoretical concepts that inform the “spirit” of DBT, along with an overview of core treatment strategies as used within a DBT skills group. This course is focused on DBT skills, and will provide students with a basic understanding of the four DBT skills modules (Core Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotional Regulation, Distress Tolerance). The focus will be on the revised and expanded DBT Skills Manual released in late 2014. Through course assignments and in-class activities, students will have an opportunity to learn the content of the skills, as well as how to structure and conduct a DBT skills group. Students will develop a beginning understanding of standard comprehensive DBT, the particular function of each treatment component, (e.g., individual, group, consultation team, coaching) and how DBT skills relate to the other program components. The basic format of this course will include the Instructor's presentation of concepts and principles, group discussion, modeling, role-plays, and technique coaching. As a practice elective, the major focus is on skill development. As such, students are expected participate fully in in-class practice exercises and be receptive to feedback from their classmates.
This class is a required final semester seminar for students enrolled in the CSSW DBT Intensive Training Program and not open to students outside that program. It is designed to synthesize, confirm and reinforce prior learning in DBT and general CBT, ensuring that program graduates are prepared for clinical work with client populations exhibiting a range of behavioral dysfunctions from mild problems in living that may benefit from DBT skills training to severe and complex disorders, including suicidal behaviors that require comprehensive DBT.
Particularly at the severe and complex end of the spectrum, it is critically important that students understand and are prepared to conduct competent individual DBT sessions, structured with fidelity and incorporating DBT strategies as needed in a principle-based treatment. Further, it is expected that students are familiar and facile with the use of DBT protocols when faced with crisis and suicidal behaviors
. It is understood that students enter this semester with varying levels of competence and experience in these protocols based on their internship sites and that ongoing individual assessment between the student and instructor will play a major role in this class. Professional development and personal practice development are an integral part of all these activities: goals and activities will be individually assigned.