MSW650 Clinical Methods I with Individuals (3 cr.)

Prerequisite(s): ALL Generalist courses
OR Advanced Standing Pre-requisites or Co-requisites: MSW614  
Clinical Methods I prepares social work clinicians to execute the essential clinical tasks of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation competently and effectively in practice with individuals. Students learn fundamental cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), third-wave CBT, trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (TI-CBT) and motivational interviewing (MI) approaches to each of these clinical tasks. Throughout the course, a multicultural lens is applied to identify implicit biases or inherent theoretical assumptions that might impact the responsiveness and effectiveness of each approach across a broad cultural spectrum. Through self-reflection, a strengths-based perspective, and social work professional ethics and values, students learn to select and apply clinical methods that best match each client’s needs and context.

Upon completion of this course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Compare and contrast the strengths and limitations of theoretical frameworks and practice methods regarding their responsiveness to each client’s values and cultural and environmental context. 
2. Deepen understanding of effective, culturally responsive, and theory-informed relational skills to engage individual clients in co-creating a therapeutic change alliance. 
3. Using the central theoretical frameworks presented, create strengths-based and client-centered clinical assessments, diagnostic formulations of behavior concerns, and mental health challenges within individual clients. 
4. Identify basic intervention techniques for therapeutic work with individual clients within the designated theoretical frameworks relevant to a range of presenting clinical concerns. 
5. Appraise client assessment goals to ensure that clients meet the end treatment goals successfully, in a timely and efficient manner, based on the client’s needs and the resources provided during care.