Continuing Education Course Catalog

Working towards social justice requires the intentional development of a diverse, equitable, and inclusive culture by intervening at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels. The Certificate in Dismantling Oppression is designed for individuals in all areas of practice. Individuals and organizations that have a commitment to challenging social injustices will apply core concepts and strategies to disrupt oppression at interpersonal and institutional levels. Participants will learn how oppression interferes with achieving social justice within the United States, increase knowledge of anti-oppressive practices, and obtain tools to dismantle oppression using common agreements.

Power and Oppression - Foundation: This module supports participants in engaging with a structural framework of oppression, as well as the NASW Code of Ethics obligation to challenge social injustices. After a self-assessment of personal biases, common agreements will be introduced to be utilized while discussing dynamics of power and oppression.

Power and Oppression - Tools of Oppression: This module introduces four common tools, discrimination, prejudice, stereotypes, and generalizations, used to support the perpetuation of systemic oppression.

Tools of Oppression - Knowledge: This module will expand terms and definitions to increase knowledge and understanding of the "tools of oppression" as they relate to implicit and explicit bias and the impact on historically marginalized individuals and groups.

Anti-Oppression as a Strategy: This module provides information on policies, procedures, and practices that are recommended to mitigate the harmful impacts of oppression at the individual and institutional level.

Commitment to Action: This module is designed to support participants in creating a plan of action to actively engage in dismantling racism within their sphere of influence.

Practice Implications: This module identifies potential challenges and barriers to implementing anti-oppressive actions. Methods of implementation and advocacy of increasing access to resources in practice will be reviewed.

This ethics-focused webinar looks at the following:

1. What subpoenas are and are not
2. What kinds of cases and settings where subpoenas may be used
2. Releases of information, which are outside of a subpoena but require social workers to respond ethically
3. How the NASW Code of Ethics guides us
4. When and how to respond to subpoenas

In addition, we will discuss several ethical dilemmas related to subpoenas and requests for information.

It is understandable that individuals struggling with substance abuse problems are often highly ambivalent about engaging and committing to treatment and recovery, especially upon initial contact with a helping professional. The skills of engagement and enhancement of client motivation are thus critical for anyone seeking to effectively assist substance-involved populations. Additional understanding of and ability to appropriately assess individuals according to whole-person frameworks is also important. This set of learning session will focus on these foundational knowledge and skill areas, as well as touching on broad, well-established treatment approaches for successfully addressing addictive disorders.

Course reviewed 5/18/2021

The Online Certificate in Disability Inclusion and Accessible Design (DIAD) is designed for social workers and other professionals who are interested in developing skills and sharpening their lens related to disability inclusion, and who strive to make their practice more accessible to and relevant for people with disabilities. The program faculty includes scholars, activists, and others working on the frontlines of disability inclusion and accessibility. Participants will learn about pertinent policy issues affecting people with disabilities, anti-ableist language and practices, accessible interpersonal clinical practice skills, disability inclusive community organizing skills, how to create inclusive management structures and organizational policies, among other topics. Participants will also receive training on American Disability Act (ADA) guidelines, understand the limitations of ADA standards, and gain the knowledge and skills to evaluate and assess built environments and institutional policies for ADA compliance and beyond.

Course created 9/9/2021

The Certificate in Political Social Work is designed for all social workers, regardless of area of primary practice, to fulfill their ethical obligation to engage in social and political action. Participants of this certificate program will learn how politics impacts the lives of those that they serve on both a micro and macro level, practice skills for advocating to policymakers, gain tools to empower clients to become politically engaged, and explore opportunities for running for office.

Foundations of Political Social Work: This module will include the historical and current role of social workers in the political process as well as knowledge that is core to political social work practice. Topics include: emerging political social work research and theory, political justice, ethics in political social work, and foundational skills in communicating political information.

Tools for Political Social Work: This module will cover skills and strategies that social workers can apply to their current practice as well as tools to enhance their political engagement. Topics include: identifying and combating fake news, advocacy and activism, and running campaigns.

Special Knowledge Areas for Political Social Work: This module covers important topic areas social workers should be familiar with when engaging in political social work practice, including organized labor and immigration. This module is intended to be responsive to emerging political topics relevant to social work.

Course updated 5/20/2021

This workshop will provide an introduction to Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) and its uses in client lead healing related to trauma and a myriad of other presenting problems. Learners will explore an overview of the EMDR process and how it fits within a larger collaborative clinical framework. Case studies will explore how the process is client lead and allows for self determination within the goal development and healing process.

Course created 10/21/2021

This webinar on emerging telemental health practice addresses: 1) ethical and legal concerns related to digital mental health interventions, 2) access to care and quality of care issues, and 3) core evidence informed practice skills and interventions for telemental health practice.

Course created on 2/7/2022