The Child and Youth Behavioral Health Graduate Certificate is designed to educate and prepare students for advanced specialized social work practice in serving children and youth with behavioral health needs in Connecticut and beyond. Utilizing best practices and cutting-edge social work practice theories, students will be immersed in a yearlong practicum providing direct experience in child and adolescent behavioral health that complements dedicated coursework in this area.

Students enrolled in the on-campus (Hartford and Stamford) and online MSW programs, in the Individuals, Groups and Families (IGFP) concentration will be eligible to participate in the certificate.

Location

• Hartford Campus
• Stamford Campus

Modality

• In Person
• Online

Requirements

Students who are seeking to receive the certificate must complete 17 credits of required course and practicum work.

Course List

Course	Title	Credits
SSW 5204	Clinical Conditions with Children and Adolescents	3
SSW 5995	Special Topics (when offered as Core Components and Skills for Trauma-Informed Practice with Children and Youth)	1-3
Required Electives
Select one of the following:		3
SSW 5401	Current Trends in Family Intervention: Evid-Based and Promising Practice Models of In-Home Treatment
SSW 5402	Direct Practice in School for Children with Educational Disabilities and Their Families
SSW 5410	Child Maltreatment: History, Theory, Prevention and Intervention
SSW 5414	Core Concepts of Child and Adolescent Trauma
Other Requirements
Practicum Education: Students will complete an advanced year practicum placement focused on child/youth behavioral health in the student's method concentration, emphasizing preparation for competent, advanced specialized practice.		8
SSW 5106	Advanced Practicum Education III
SSW 5108	Advanced Practicum Education IV
Total Credits		15-17

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the variety of behavioral health challenges and conditions impacting children and adolescents (i.e., ADHD, anxiety disorders and OCD, depressive disorders, eating disorders, etc.).
2. Employ an ecological framework to the study of child and youth behavioral health; Examine how social inequalities such as structural racism, heterosexism, ableism, poverty, trauma, and violence exposure, and health care disparities can impact and contribute to the manifestation of behavioral health challenges and access to treatment. Understand the interactions of these social forces with neurobiological contributions to behavioral health.
3. Develop evidence-based, trauma informed and culturally appropriate/adapted intervention skills to work with children and adolescents with behavioral health challenges and their families.
4. Demonstrate growing professional practice competence in serving children and youth with behavioral health challenges in professional social work and/or host agency settings. Understand and navigate children’s systems of care in the state of Connecticut and beyond.