MSW-ITR Curriculum

The Master of Social Work, Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency (ITR) field of study emphasizes and focuses on the strong connection between personal, cultural, professional, and academic development. Students will develop self-awareness and personal skills to become effective and competent professionals by studying the history of trauma in their own family, community, racial, and cultural group. They will also discern individual resiliency through values, ceremonies and teachings of their cultural heritage.

Through internships with Elders, respected cultural mentors and skilled professionals and credible organizations, students will be able to experience hands on learning in one or more specific areas of trauma intervention and treatment: program development; individual, couples and family counseling; traditional teachings and ceremony; trauma-informed schools, political advocacy and/or community intervention.

• Program Requirements

  Program Length

  Degree requirements are typically completed within two years; however, maximum time limit is three years from the date of registration. The program length is 6 sessions (two years) full-time Fall, Winter, Summer.

  Courses and Credits

  All students complete 7 half-credit courses (3.5 FCEs) in the first year of the two-year program, and 8 half-credit courses (4.0 FCEs) in the second year, which includes 450 contact hours in a practicum (1.0 FCEs).

  Students without a BSW degree also must complete SWK4102H Social Policy and Social Welfare in the Canadian Context, and SWK4516H Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency Practicum (450 hours) in year one of the Two-Year Program (1.0 FCEs). Students entering the program with a Bachelor of Social Work degree will be exempt from SWK4102H and SWK4516H.

  There are 3 types of courses within the MSW-ITR program:

  • In-person intensive courses

  • Online courses
  • Practicum courses

  You can read more about each type of course below, or for refer to our Courses page for specific course information.

  Registration

  Registration is the process by which a person has established, for an academic period, an active association with a program of study. Because the course of study of the MSW-ITR is program specific and often cannot be described in terms of a specific number of courses, and because graduate education often results from the sum of experience encountered during the program, fees are assessed on a program basis rather than on the number of courses taken. Students are charged fees by Academic Session, not by course, until all program requirements are completed. Degree students and special students who pay the full-time fee for the previous Fall or Winter session do not pay fees for the Summer session.

  Course Enrolment

  Enrolment is a separate process from registration. It is the approved engagement by a student in a course or other academic activity or component of a program of study. Students must take the courses in sequence as indicated in the course timetable. With approval from the MSW Program Director, courses taken out of sequence may need to be completed the following year, leading to additional tuition costs and delayed completion of the MSW program. Students may contact the ITR Faculty Advisor for academic support. For other inquiries, students may contact the ITR Coordinator.

  In the event that a student does not complete two or more required courses or receives an FZ (inadequate) after repeating any course, normally steps will be taken by the Faculty to recommend the termination of the student’s registration.

  For instructions and dates for the course enrolment process, please visit the Course Enrolment Information page.

• Year 1 Schedule

  SWK4102H Social Policy and Social Welfare in the Canadian Context (BA/BSc Students only)
  SWK4101H Understanding Historical and Multigenerational Trauma
  SWK4106H Social Work Ethics and Indigenous Communities
  SWK4108H Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault and the Family
  SWK4109H Trauma and Human Development
  SWK4110H Trauma and Addiction
  SWK4510H Research for Evidence-Based Social Work Practice
  SWK4902H Indigenous on Grief, Loss and Unattended Sorrow
  SWK4516H MSW ITR Practicum – 450 hours (BA/BSc Students only)

  Course Type	Fall	Winter	Summer
  In-Person Intensive	SWK4101H: Understanding Historical and Multigenerational Trauma	SWK4902H: Indigenous Perspectives on Grief, Loss and Unattended Sorrow	SWK4108H: Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, and the Family
  Online	SWK4106H: Social Work Ethics and Indigenous Communities SWK4102H*: Social Policy and Social Welfare in the Canadian Context	SWK4109H: Trauma and Human Development SWK4110H: Trauma and Addiction	SWK4510H: Research For Evidence-Based Social Work Practic
  Practicum			SWK4516H*: Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency Practicum

  * Year 1 students without a BSW are required to take the Social Policy Course (SWK4102H*) in the fall and the Practicum Course in the Spring (SWK4516H*). If you have a BSW, you are exempt from these two courses in year one.

  All year 1 & year 2 course intensives are six-days long from Sunday to Friday.

• Year 2 Schedule

  SWK4517H Indigenous and Participatory Research Methods
  SWK4901H Facilitating Training in Indigenous Communities
  SWK4903H Program Development and Healthy Leadership – the importance of ceremony and ritual
  SWK4904H Working with Couples and Families in Indigenous Context
  SWK4111H Trauma informed Organizational and Community Intervention
  SWK4905H Seeing the need, creating the solution
  SWK4703Y MSW ITR Practicum II (450  hours)

  Course Type	Fall	Winter	Summer
  In-Person Intensive	SWK4901H: Facilitating Training in Indigenous Communities	SWK4111H: Trauma-Informed Schools, Community Intervention and the Power of Ceremony	No Course Intensive for Year 2 in the Summer Semester.
  Online	SWK4903H: Trauma-Informed Care, Organizations, Supervision and Leadership	SWK4905H: Seeing the Need, Creating the Solution SWK4904H: Working with Couples & Families in Indigenous Context	SWK4510H: Research For Evidence-Based Social Work Practice
  Practicum	SWK4703Y:MSW-ITR Practicum III	SWK4703Y: MSW-ITR Practicum III	SWK4703Y: MSW-ITR Practicum III

  Please note: All year 1 & year 2 course intensives are six-days long from Sunday to Friday.

  And SWK4703Y (Practicum III) needs to be complete by August 31st in order to be eligible for November graduation.

• ITR Intensive Courses

  Overview

  • Five intensive courses throughout the two-year MSW-ITR program; three in the first year, and two in the second year. 
  • Each intensive course lasts 6 days; Sunday to Friday from 9am – 5pm with breakfast and lunch provided at 8:30am and 12:00pm.
  • Each intensive course is held in-person in Toronto at FIFSW.
  • Travel and accommodations are each student’s responsibility. You must be present for the entire 6-days of the intensive course.
  • Intensive courses include academic learning, experiential learning, and wellness evaluation and activities.
  • Course assessments include self-evaluations and independent study assignments applying course content in the home community context.
  • Intensive courses are required to be taken in sequence; if you fail to complete one you must wait until it is offered again the next year, before continuing with the next intensive course in sequence.

  Financial Planning for Intensives

  • Students are encouraged to apply for the FIFSW Internal Award Opportunities (September of each academic year), Indspire, and other funding opportunities available through the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), and external provincial and federal government awards (OGS and SSHRC CGS-M). Please find more information in the funding opportunities tab.
  • Temporary, short-term housing options affiliated with the University of Toronto are available on and nearby campus. For information on housing options around the University, you can visit the Housing website for more details.
  • In addition, Victoria College also offers nearby, on-campus bed and breakfast services via the Burwash residence. This housing option is located on 89 Charles Street West, about an 8-minute walk from the Faculty of Social Work, and also conveniently located next to the TTC, Toronto’s public transit system.
  • Airbnb and shared accommodations with peers are also good options.

  Orientation & Sunrise Ceremony

  • One of our partners, the OFIFC, hosts our opening sunrise ceremony in the morning before your welcome breakfast and ITR orientation.
  • The sunrise ceremony typically begins around 6:30am – 6:45am, and students will be expected to arrive prior to.
  • All orientation events will be walking distance from one another.
  • The ITR Coordinator will share more details on the sunrise ceremony and orientation during the summer, before your fall semester begins.

  Year 1

  • Year 1 students have 3 course intensives: September, January, and May.
  • For the September intensive, you will be required to arrive in Toronto the Thursday prior in order to attend the 6am Sunrise Ceremony hosted by OFIFC. Following the Sunrise Ceremony, year 1 students will participate in a half-day orientation with the ITR Coordinator.
  • Students may be asked to bring cultural or ceremonial items to different intensives; be sure to read any instructions from the teaching team before attending.

  Year 2

  • Year 2 students have 2 course intensives: September and January. The January intensive will include a closing ceremony with your cohort.
  • Students may be asked to bring cultural or ceremonial items to different intensives; be sure to read any instructions from the teaching team before attending.
  • During your fall convocation, you will be able to participate in your final closing ceremony hosted by OFIFC.

• ITR Online Courses

  Online Courses

  Each online course involves academic learning of the subject, extensive reading or audio learning of course material, chat room connection with fellow students and faculty, written assignments and/or oral or written tests (to be determined by the instructor). If an online course is missed or failed in a given year, students must wait until it is offered again in the following year to retake it.

  Online Courses through Quercus

  • Quercus is the University’s learning management engine. Readings and Additional Resources will be posted on Quercus. Login to Quercus using your UTORid and password. Once instructors post their course materials, they will display in Quercus in alphabetical order by course code. Most course materials, organized week by week, will be accessed within each course. Grades can also be accessed and viewed on Quercus through the Grades Page within each course in which you are enrolled, if the instructor has enabled this feature. Official final grades are posted on ACORN.
  • Students may access the Student Quercus Guide to familiarize themselves with the learning management engine. For further assistance, students may contact the University of Toronto St. George Help Desk.
  • A great resource to introduce students to Quercus: Overview of Quercus for Students video (a four-minute video created by, and therefore branded, of T Mississauga and posted on YouTube).
  • There is also a mobile app for students called Canvas Student to access Quercus. The mobile app allows students to conveniently access their courses and groups, review course content, and receive course communications on a mobile device. Please see instructions on downloading the Canvas Student app on the App Store for iPhones or through Google Play.

  Course Evaluations: Student feedback matters. At the end of each online and intensive course, students will be invited to provide feedback for each course. Course evaluations will be completed conveniently through an online system. Students will receive an email invitation at their mail.utoronto.ca email address that will direct them to the online course evaluation system. Course evaluations are very important for ensuring the quality of education at the Faculty and informing the development of its curriculum.

• ITR Practicum Courses

  SWK4516H – Year 1 Practicum

  The year 1 practicum (SWK4516H – Indigenous Trauma and Resiliency Practicum) is a requirement for all students without a BSW degree. It is a practicum in a community setting that facilitates integration of trauma-informed and evidence-based practice with Indigenous knowledges. The practicum hours must meet the 450 hour minimum.

  • Students with a BSW degree are exempt from this course.
  • Students who do not have their BSW, must begin their year 1 practicum in the Spring session of year 1 (May start).
  • Minimum of 450 hours, supervised by a BSW/MSW. Minimum of 2 days per week/15 hours per week.
  • Must be completed by August 31st; if your practicum goes beyond this date, you will require an extension form.

  SWK4703Y – Year 2 Practicum

  The year 2 practicum (SWK4703Y – MSW ITR Practicum III) is 450 hours. Students can choose to complete the course as follows:

  1. 450 hours in a supervised practice setting in their own community (this can include a current work setting, if practicum criteria are met). OR
  2. 410 hours in a supervised practice setting in their own community (this can include a current work setting, if practicum criteria are met). PLUS
     40 hours community intervention with a supervisor, for which they will receive hours credit upon submission of a successful evaluation. Students are responsible for travel and accommodation costs during the 40-hour community intervention.

  • All students are required to complete this course; you must either have a BSW degree or completed SWK4516H.
  • Students have an option to begin their practicum in the fall or winter – communicate your selection with the ITR Coordinator for enrolment.
  • Minimum of 450 hours, unless you have completed a 40-hour practicum – then, you will be required to complete a 410 hour practicum + 40-hour intervention.
  • Minimum of 2 days per week/15 hours per week.
  • Must be completed latest by August 31st; any extensions will delay graduation/incur additional tuition fees.

  More ITR-specific information can be found on the MSW-ITR Practicum page.