Social Work

Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups

Introduces students to agency-based clinical practice in the urban environment. Clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions are taught from a biopsychosocial perspective. Students are exposed to a variety of theoretical modalities that are augmented by evidence-based practice perspectives. Clinical Practice prepares students to provide psychosocial care to individuals, couples, families, and small groups. Clinical practice students are taught to help clients to enact psychological and interpersonal change, increase their access to social and economic resources, and maintain and enhance their achieved capacities and strengths. The types of psychosocial problems experienced by individuals, families, and groups may include stressful life transitions and traumatic events, environmental stressors, dysfunctional family processes, disabilities, or impairments–including mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders. Clinical interventions may involve therapeutic, supportive, educational, and case-advocacy activities. In the prevention of psychosocial distress and in the provision of life-enhancing resources, clinical practitioners are active in the promotion, restoration, maintenance, and enhancement of the functioning of their clients and the clients’ systems.