Courses on Disaster and Trauma
Credit Courses on Disaster
University of Southern Mississippi
School of Social Work
Contact: Dr. Tom Osowski, 228-214-3297
The University of Southern Mississippi, School of Social Work offers a certificate in Disaster Studies as an elective option in the Master of Social Work Curriculum. This certificate is designed for the MSW student who is interested in working with disaster response agencies. The Certificate in Disaster Studies at the University of Southern Mississippi is primarily focused on human caused and natural disasters that occur in the Gulf South and the Caribbean basin. The curriculum is taught utilizing a biopsychosocial model of disaster recovery. Students can complete the required courses in one summer, with a field internship during the fall semester.
Students who elect to take this elective option will be required to take four courses, plus complete a field internship in a disaster focused agency.
Florida State University College of Social Work
Social Work and Disaster Relief and Recovery
Instructor: Martell Teasley, Ph.D. mmteasley@fsu.edu
This course is intended to facilitate the development of culturally competent social work professionals who can work in major and minor natural disaster relief efforts with diverse and vulnerable populations. This is a specialized course and will serve as one requirement for completion of the Social Work in Disaster Recovery Certificate Program provided by the FSU College of Social Work. The purpose of this course is to enhance students’ understanding of human diversity and to prepare students to work effectively with diverse and vulnerable populations in disasters such as hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, floods, and other environmental crisis scenarios. Specific emphasis will be placed on work with different ethnic, cultural and racial groups; the elderly; immigrant populations; and people with disabilities regardless of age, sex, race, religion, gender, or socioeconomic status.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
SW 129/Communication Studies 129 & 629 – When Their World Falls Apart: Managing the Effects of Disasters on Families and Children
Lawrence Rosenfeld lbr@unc.edu
This course examines the effects that disasters have on children, their families, and communities. Students will learn how to deal with the reactions of people who are exposed to disasters and how to decrease the chances of long-term psychosocial negative consequences.
Saint Louis University
SW S767-01 – Response to Crises: Violence and Natural Disasters
Cynthia A. Loveland Cook cookca@slu.edu
This course looks at the psychosocial, biological, and political origins of violence and the major types of violent events and natural disasters. Students will learn the application of crisis intervention theories and consider a social worker’s response at the individual, family, and community level. The overarching influences of poverty, culture, race, sexual orientation, age, gender, and religion on violence and natural disasters in the United States and abroad are also considered.
Southern Illinois University
SOCW 546-502 – Social Work Intervention with Disasters and Traumatic Stress
Hussein Soliman soliman@siu.edu Phone 618-453-5358
This course focuses on the roles of social workers in disasters through various levels of planning, mitigation, and recovery. Explores the impact of disaster on various human systems and coping mechanisms. Topics will include survivor’s characteristics, strengths, and service needs for individuals, families, and communities that have experienced a disaster. Typology of disasters, ecological contexts, and cultural aspects of working in the field of disaster and traumatic stress will be considered.
State University of New York at Albany
RSSW 731/15556 – Disasters: Social Work Interventions
Katharine Briar-Lawson
This course will cover skill development in disaster related social work. Students will learn skills in community mobilization, collaborative practices, support group facilitation, evidence based crisis and trauma responses, recovery strategies, and treatment technologies.
University of South Carolina
SOWK 768S – Managing the Psychosocial Effects of Disaster
Lisa Baker Reece reecelb@gym.sc.edu
The purpose of this course is to provide students with information regarding the psychosocial effects of All Hazards disasters and public health emergencies. The course reviews the history and development of the social worker’s role in disaster work, as well as best practice interventions with individuals, groups, and families. Opportunities for research, advocacy, and program development are explored.
Credit Courses on Trauma
Binghamton University
SW580A – Trauma and Recovery
Dara Raboy-Picciano piccian@binghamton.edu
This course addresses various types of trauma including traumatic loss, sexual trauma, childhood trauma, war trauma, 9/11 and holocaust survivors, and treatment modalities. Students will gain an understanding of the impact of trauma on an individual, family, and the community level. The class will have an opportunity to explore new best practices through lecture/discussion, video, guest speaker, and experiential exercises and role play practice opportunities in class.
California State University, Northridge
SWRK 630 – Family Crisis/Trauma in Urban Settings
Katie Mortimer katie.mortimer@csun.edu
This 3 credit concentration course explores the effects of trauma and stress on urban families, individuals, and communities and examines a variety of approaches to working with clients who experience severe adversity in their lives.
In this course, we will identify potentially traumatizing experiences. We will study various models for understanding responses to trauma, including Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. We will explore ways to assess and address trauma and chronic stress in direct practice situations (individual, family, and group work) and with different age groups and varying demographic urban populations. We will also address the issue of vicarious traumatization as it relates to clinical work in this area as well as relevant community and policy practice.
State University of New York at Buffalo
SW 996 – Trauma Theory and Treatment
Susan A. Green sagreen@buffalo.edu
This course is an introduction to the theoretical frameworks on trauma throughout the life span. Students will learn about types of trauma, the history of traumatology, and the impacts of trauma on the individual, family, and community. Treatment methods, evidence-based practices, and assessment of trauma will be considered from different theoretical perspectives.
University of Texas at Austin
SW385R – Loss and Grief: Individual, Family and Cultural Perspectives
Barbara Jones barbarajones@mail.utexas.edu
This course will allow students to explore and understand their own views of death and dying through their own cultural differences to enhance their ability to work with clients around grief and loss. Students will gain knowledge of grief reactions experienced by children, adults, and elderly within a cultural context.
University of Washington
SW536V – Trauma and Interpersonal Violence
Cynthia Shaw cynshaw@u.washington.edu
Clinical theory course on the treatment of interpersonal violence. The study and treatment of trauma and the treatment of various forms of interpersonal violence are explored from a trauma, psychodynamic, and cognitive behavioral perspective. Topics include: the nature of interpersonal violence and psychological trauma, abuse-specific psychotherapy, the multidisciplinary approach to intervention, cognitive behavioral interventions with victims and offenders, the effects of interpersonal violence, and counter-transference reactions.
University of Washington
SW566B – Multicultural and Multigenerational Approaches to Healing Loss and Grief
Lynn Carrigan LTC@u.washington.edu
This course helps students understand the experience of loss and grief from various cultural perspectives through the lens of developmental theory, attachment theory, constructionism, meaning-making, and narrative therapy and other current theories. Students will gain the ability to provide culturally sensitive grief assessments and interventions with adults, children, families, and elders suffering a variety of losses. Policy issues and macro-level approaches for creating relevant social change regarding the delivery of services will also be considered.
Continuing Education Courses Related to Disaster and Trauma
Southern University at New Orleans
Post-Masters Certificate Program: Childhood Traumatic Stress
Dr. Ronald J. Mancoske ronm1450@msn.com
The purpose of this course is to inform and educate those working with children who have experienced trauma in order to help them provide better clinical services. Topics covered include: epidemiology of child traumatic stress, evidence-based practice in assessing and treating child traumatic stress, exposure therapy, trauma focused cognitive behavioral therapy, parent-child interpersonal psychotherapy, and trauma specific interventions, public policies shaping trauma-informed services and services and more. Master’s degree is required for admission. Graduates will receive a maximum of 120 Professional Contact Hours for social workers, including three hours of ethics training.
View program information (PDF)
State University of New York at Buffalo, Office of Continuing Education
Certificate Program in Trauma Counseling
Requires a total of 96 non-credit training hours. Different course and workshop options, including online course, make up foundation requirements, and skill intervention requirements.
View program information (PDF)
Syracuse University
Meeting the Emotional Needs of People Affected by Disasters
Peg Miller pfmiller@syr.edu or Linda Thomas lmthomas@syr.edu
This 3 hour course helps one identify the emotions likely to be experienced by those involved in a disaster and understand this emotional impact. Emotional phases of recovery are reviewed, as are the skills and key components to offering emotional support. Specific clinical and intervention skills are not taught.
View program information (PDF)
Policies and Procedures in Social Work Schools/Departments Related to Disaster Preparedness
Disasters and Pandemic Flu Planning for Social Work Education in Canada
Canadian Association of Deans and Directors of Social Work
Outlines guidelines adopted by Canadian schools of social work. Will help schools establish their own plans for pandemic and disasters.