SWK4631H – Advanced Social Work Practice in Mental Health - Required

This course builds on Social Work Practice in Mental Health (SWK4604) to examine and develop, at an advanced level, holistic competencies required to work in a continuum of mental health care contexts. In practice settings, social workers must demonstrate their capacity to apply knowledge, skills, judgement, and values in interventions that address the needs of service users. Guided by the values of equity, diversity, inclusion, and social justice, this course will facilitate the acquisition and enhancement of a variety of mental health intervention competencies. Students will learn about evidence-based and anti-oppressive practices through the lens of cultural humility. Further, this course will highlight the critical role of social workers in addressing mental health crises that may result in harm or loss of life, including suicide, drug overdose, and intimate partner violence. As social workers’ self-awareness is integral to delivering mental health interventions, students will locate themselves using an intersectional approach to reflect on clients’ intersecting identities. To strengthen holistic competence, students will apply course content in case studies and simulation-based learning scenarios to practice intervention and safety planning skills.