SOCW 3316 Social Work in Mental Health

This is an introductory course that helps prepare bachelor level/generalist social work students with fundamental concepts of the intersectionality of mental health and substance use disorders (SUD). The focus of this course is to provide social work students with an overview of mental health across the life span, including the influence of family systems, intrapersonal awareness, policies, and community resources.

Students will examine the role of social work in mental health/substance use services. Students are introduced to the DSM as a framework to understand mental health, substance use, and co-occurring disorders. Because of the prevalence of mental health and SUD in social work practice with clients, evidence-informed strategies for engaging, assessing and intervening with diverse populations will be covered.