Substance Use Disorders: Assessment and Intervention

Graduate Prerequisites: (SSWCP 755 & SSWCP 756 & SSWCP 757) For Traditional Track and HSE Students ; Graduate Corequisites: (SSWCP 755 OR SSWCP 756 OR SSWCP 757) For Advanced Standing Students. - The course is designed to teach the basic foundations of how to understand and work with individuals with unhealthy substance use. A multi-level approach will be used to examine individual and social influences on unhealthy substance use. Students will learn evidence-based methods for screening, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention for substance use ranging from unhealthy to meeting criteria for substance use disorder (SUD), as well as harm reduction approaches. A social justice lens will be used to analyze the issues and problems associated with unhealthy substance use. The course builds on CP756: Social Work Practice with Individuals and CP757: Social Work Practice with Families and on CP 781, Clinical Assessment and Intervention, in teaching Motivational Interviewing (based on Rogerian and behavioral approaches) and relapse prevention (based on cognitive behavioral therapy). Teaching methods include lecture, small group activities, skill practice, video demonstrations, and case study analysis.