Health Social Work is a professional practice course designed for social workers who work in healthcare settings. The four purposes of this course are: 1) to provide an overview of the varieties of social work direct practice in healthcare settings, 2) to provide a foundational understanding of the U.S. healthcare system where it frequently intersects with social work direct practice, 3) to explore areas where social work training is uniquely useful in delivering and administering healthcare services, and 4) to prepare students for career positions as health social workers and clinical leaders in health organizations.
This is a class about how social workers can work effectively in health service systems given the constraints commonly present there. Each week will have a distinct focus on the diseases, disorders, and conditions health social workers most frequently encounter in practice and the interventions that show the most promise in improving these conditions. These units will involve learning about the disease incidence and prevalence in populations social workers are likely to serve, the psychosocial stressors associated with the disorder or condition, and specific, evidence-based clinical interventions that health social workers can benefit from using in practice. This course will emphasize situational and “next-step” assessment useful across different healthcare settings and diseases, with a special focus on brief, ultra-brief, and intermittent interventions. Four specific interventions that will be studied include: 1) transition coaching for discharge planning and care coordination; 2) motivational interviewing; 3) adapted motivational interviewing for brief health feedback; and 4) acceptance and commitment therapy techniques. In-class exercises and extensive videos of these interventions will also encourage sustained reflection on clinical topics important to students.