Examines the special issues and problems in dealing with alcohol and drug abuse. Focuses on: developing a conceptual framework of drug abuse and addiction; major classifications of drugs; examining high risk populations with an emphasis on their unique problems and needs; integrating knowledge with practice by giving careful consideration to treatment issues such as identification, assessment, referral, therapeutic strategies, treatment modalities and settings; providing information on the role of federal, state, and voluntary organizations which impact on prevention, education and treatment programs. Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Social Work Practice.

Builds upon HBEL 5300, an overview of the various classes of drugs and the acute and chronic effects of drugs on human behavior and the body. Focuses on traditional and new intervention techniques that could be applied to social work practice. Provides knowledge of clinical applications and the empirical validation of effectiveness of major intervention strategies used in treatment of addictions. Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Social Work Practice.

Considers the Black Experience from historical, social, political, and economic perspectives. Addresses the evolution of male/female roles and relationships, the genesis of Black family patterns, and the consequences for social work practice. Examines the impact of poverty and discrimination in a context of international and national cultural factors. Required course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Black Studies for Social Work Practice; Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Urban Issues in Social Work.

Considers the Puerto Rican experience in the United States from the historical, social, political, economic, and cultural perspectives. Examines the impact of poverty, migration, and discrimination on individuals, families and communities. Required course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Puerto Rican/Latino/a Studies Social Work; Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Urban Issues in Social Work; Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on International Issues in Social Work.

This course prepares M.S.W. students for social work practice with clients, along the lifespan, who are experiencing grief as a result of death, illness, disability, loss of home, loss of country of origin, divorce, foster care, and other more symbolic losses. Special consideration for the myriad losses due to the COVID pandemic will be included throughout the course. Theories of attachment and loss are used as a framework for assessing grief reactions in clients in different developmental stages. Special emphasis in this course will also focus on rituals and theories of loss and grief from a world-cultural perspective. Therapeutic interventions are examined and applied through case discussions and experimental exercises that will incorporate a multi-cultural understanding of grief and loss. The use of teletherapy will be explored in general and specifically to grief and loss. Throughout the course, students will examine their own natural reactions and fears regarding loss and grief to increase their awareness of various means of the self-care necessary to successfully work in the field of social work where loss and grief are ever-present clinical themes.

Considers the societal aspects of aging, including the social psychological concomitants of adjustments, changing roles, and systems of social relationships. Includes an overview of the economic aspects of aging and the service delivery system. Required course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Social Work Practice with Older Adults.

Examines the problems of America's homosexual minority. Presents homophobia (fear of homosexuals or homosexuality) as a prejudice held by all people, gay and straight, in a society which holds that heterosexuality is the "normal" and "acceptable" behavior and attitude. Intended to expand the students' awareness of how homophobic attitudes affect them and their relationships with other people in both professional and non-professional settings.

Primarily for students with some practice experience in family and children's services, examines the phenomena of child abuse and neglect and societal and professional responses aimed at their prevention and treatment. As with other courses in the Substantive Area in Family and Children's Services, it is presented in the context of ecologically oriented, family-centered child welfare policy and practice. Elective course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Social Work with Women and Children in Families.

Focuses on the Holocaust and its many implications for social work students. The course traces the rise of the Nazi totalitarian state resulting from defeat after World War I, the world wide depression of the 1930's and Hitler's targeting of Jews in Germany and eventually Europe-wide. The lessons for social workers will be drawn from these experiences. The integration of this material by students into other courses is encouraged.

This course is designed to introduce students to current issues confronting providers of mental health and addiction services and consumers of these services as we enter the 21st Century. Philosophies about people with mental health, addiction and co-occurring disorders are changing in response to the developing knowledge base and the rise of consumer movements. Specific emphasis on the growing need for broad based multicultural service systems for consumers will be fostered. Issues of poverty and the "severely and predominantly mentally ill" will be discussed. Required course for Substantive Area: Focused Area of Study on Mental Health and Substance Abuse in Social Work Practice.