Social Work

• Chair, James Decker
• Sierra Hall (SH) 220
• (818) 677-7630
• www.csun.edu/msw

Faculty

• Eli Bartle (MSW; PhD)
• James Decker (MSW, Ph.D, LCSW)
• Jean Daniels (MSW; DSW; LCSW)
• Beth Halaas (MSW)
• Amy Levin (MSW, PhD)
• Susan Love (MSW, Ph.D. LCSW)
• Katie Mortimer (MSW, LCSW)
• Dana Gaines (MSW)
• Jennifer Henningfield (MSW, LCSW)
• Ruth Cislowski (MSW)
• Lisa Davis (MSW, LCSW)
• Jose Ramos (MSW)
• Luis Pereira (MSW)
• Janis Lyons (LCSW)

Staff

• Heather Lang

Programs

Graduate Degree:

• Master of Social Work

Student Learning Outcomes of the Graduate Program

Completion of the degree program provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary for an advanced professional position in the social work field. This includes an understanding of the basic concepts, theories, and models of social work current in the United States as well as practical experience in a variety of social work settings.

Careers

This degree program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), and prepares the graduate for employment in such social work settings as Hospitals, Probation and Parole, Public Child Welfare, Community Planning, Mental Health, Gerontological Social Work, Forensics, Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Group Work.

Program

The Master of Social Work degree at California State University, Northridge provides students with a strong academic program with professional skill development, which provides services to the San Fernando Valley and adjacent cities as well as state, national, and global communities.

Traditional, Two-year Program

The full-time program consists of two academic years, with a total of twenty (20) courses, equaling sixty (60) credits of which twelve (12) credits are in field placement. The field placement for the full-time program consists of sixteen (16) hours of field internship per week in the first year and twenty-four (24) hours of field internship per week in the second year.

Three-Year, Part-Time Program

The three-year, part-time program consists of three calendar years, with a total of twenty (20) courses equaling sixty (60) credits, of which twelve (12) are in field placement.

The three-year, part-time student cohorts complete their course of study over a three-year period, including summers. Students take two courses per semester which are offered in six week compressed course modules (six Wednesday evenings and two Saturday days), with a two week break between each course. The field placement for the three-year, part-time program consists of sixteen (16) hours of field internship per week beginning in the second calendar year and continues through the end of the program.

Required Course Work

The first or foundation year of the program includes core course content of social work practice, human behavior and the social environment, social welfare policy and advocacy, social research, and field placement. A specific course dealing with practice in multicultural settings is also required along with a course in the DSM-IV-TR. Other required content for professional accreditation includes social work values and ethics, populations-at-risk, diversity, trauma, and social economic justice.

The second or advanced year of the program offers a concentration of Advanced Practice with Urban Families. The concentration is designed to incorporate content about services for all age groups - from birth to old age and deals with issues experienced by families in urban settings such as trauma and loss due to immigration, urbanization, industrialization, globalization, mobility, gang activity, and other forms of violence. It prepares students to work with individuals, children, families, and small groups of all ages; various cultures and ethnicities; and people in need in urban areas. It prepares students to work within large organizations and communities. Students may further specialize their final year of coursework via two required electives/special topics.

Admission

Admission to the program is for the fall semester only for both the two-year and three-year programs. For questions about transfer work, see the Graduate Programs section of this Catalog.

A. Admission Requirements:

1. A baccalaureate from an accredited university in Sociology, Psychology, the Liberal Arts, or similar bachelor’s program.
2. A grade point average of 3.0 in your last sixty (60) semester or ninety (90) quarter units attempted, independent of when the baccalaureate degree was conferred.
3. All students must take the Graduate Record Exam if their overall GPA is less than 3.0..
4. Have been in good standing at the last institution attended.
5. Each student must pass the Upper Division Writing Proficiency Exam (UDWPE). Students that have met the UDWPE at another CSU campus may submit for approval, in writing, official notification of a passing score.
6. Submission of a CSUN MSW Program Application Form, which includes a personal autobiography statement that addresses eight questions in the CSUN MSW application.
7. Submission of three letters of recommendation, at least one of which should be from an academic professor at your last institution if possible.

B. Graduate Research Project

Students complete an individual research project reflecting the student’s interest and needs in working with urban families (SWRK 698). This project meets the culminating experience requirements.

C. Application for the Master’s Degree and Diploma:

Student must apply for graduation during the semester immediately preceding the semester in which they wish to have the degree conferred.

It is understood that in applying to the CSUN Social Work Program the applicant is aware of:

1. The necessary student commitment of time, energy, financial resources, and physical and emotional health for the rigors of a graduate, professional social work program. Program includes 13-15 units of coursework a year plus between sixteen (16) and twenty-four (24) hours of field work to be performed during business hours.
2. The Social Work Program reserves the right, on the basis of educational or professional judgment, to reject an applicant or to dismiss an admitted student whose academic record or performance in field instruction does not meet minimum expectations, or whose performance is not consistent with the accepted standards for professional behavior.
3. If admitted to the MSW Program, students must successfully complete a separate field internship application process for both years of the field practicum. The student agrees to accept the first-year field placement assigned by the field faculty, and the second-year placement assignment that will be mutually determined via an interview process. The student agrees to make herself/himself available during the summer for interviews and other necessary field placement processes, and to meet any additional requirements of the field program.
4. The Social Work Program requires applicants and subsequently admitted students to maintain and abide by the Professional NASW Code of Ethics conduct standards and to keep a clear record (void of misdemeanors, convictions, felonies, or disciplinary actions by any regulatory or licensing board in any state) from the time the application is submitted through the completion of the Social Work Program. Once admitted, student agrees to notify the Social Work Program of any pending convictions, misdemeanors, felonies, or disciplinary action taken by any regulatory or licensing board in California or any other state subsequent to their last renewal.
5. If admitted, the student acknowledges that she/he has reliable transportation and automobile insurance so she/he may be able to meet the MSW field obligations. Student understands that field placements may be located a considerable distance from campus.

1. Foundation year (30 units)

• SWRK 501 Human Behavior and Social Environment I (3)
• SWRK 502 Human Behavior and Social Environment II (3)
• SWRK 510 Generalist Social Work Theory and Practice I (3)
• SWRK 520 Social Work Practice in Multicultural Contexts (3)
• SWRK 521 Generalist Social Work Theory and Practice II (3)
• SWRK 522 Foundations of Field Education I (3)
• SWRK 523 Foundations of Field Education II (3)
• SWRK 525 Social Welfare Policy and Services (3)
• SWRK 535 Research Methods for Social Knowledge and Practice (3)
• SWRK 603 DSM-IV-TR (3)

2. Advanced Concentration Year (30 Units)

• Focus: Advanced Practice with Urban Families

Required (24 units)

• SWRK 601 Advanced Social Work Practice with Urban Families I (3)
• SWRK 602 Advanced Social Work Practice with Urban Families II (3)
• SWRK 622A Advanced Field Practicum with Urban Families I (3)
• SWRK 622B Advanced Field Practicum with Urban Families II (3)
• SWRK 630 Family Crisis, Trauma and Grief (3)
• SWRK 635 Advanced Skills in Program Evaluation and Research with Urban Families (3)
• SWRK 645 Urban Social Policy and Advocacy (3)
• SWRK 698 Graduate Project (3)

Special Topics (6 units)

• SWRK 650A Child Welfare Services (3)
• SWRK 650B Addictions (3)
• SWRK 650 C Mental Health (3)
• SWRK 650G Supervision (3)
• SWRK 650I Aging and Families (3)

3. Electives Outside The Social Work Program

In the second year students may, with permission of the Program Director, take up to six units of electives/special topics from outside the program.

Course List

SWRK 501. Human Behavior and Social Environment (3)

Prerequisites: Graduate admission and acceptance to the MSW Program.This course provides understanding of human behavior and social environment from an eco-systemic and value-based perspective as applicable in social work practice. Content includes theories and knowledge of human, bio-psycho-social development, and that of the range of social systems, (families, groups, organizations, institutions and communities) in which individuals live. This course looks at the larger view of the interaction of human behavior and the social environment across the life span from the human ancestor and family genetic inheritance to birth, childhood, youth, adult life, old age, and death. (Offered during Fall semesters).

SWRK 502. Human Behavior and Social Environment II (3)

Prerequisites: Graduate admission and acceptance to the MSW Program.This is the second of two human behavior and the social environment courses, which provides understanding of human behavior and social environmental relationships from an ecological perspective. It will focus on the developmental dynamics of larger social systems, specifically groups, organizations, and communities, and their influence on individuals and families. The systems’ interdependence with political, social, cultural, and economic and natural environments is explored. Content emphasizes multiculturalism, diversity, and social justice in relation to social systems. (Offered Spring semesters).

SWRK 510. Generalist Social Work Theory and Practice I (3)

Prerequisites: Graduate standing and acceptance to the MSW Program.This is an introductory course in generalist social work practice methods and skills of social work intervention with individuals. Attention is given to the historic development of social work practice, the nature and application of social work values and ethical principles, the theoretical framework of helping methods and the helping process of assessment, planning, intervention, termination and evaluation. Emphasis is on a generalist approach to helping within an ecosystem approach for understanding the person-in-situation.

SWRK 520. Social Work Practice in Multicultural Contexts (3)

Prerequisites: Satisfactory completion of the first semester of the MSW.This course is designed to assist graduate social work students in understanding and interacting in a culturally competent manner with the multitude of groups that are identified by race, culture, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, mental or physical disability, and regional and national origins that compose the diverse cultural mosaic of the U.S. The course will also cover issues relating to international social work practice and the increasingly interconnected global economy.

SWRK 521. Generalist Social Work Theory and Practice II (3)

Prerequisites: Successful completion of the first semester in the MSW Program.This course is designed to help students understand organizations, institutions and communities, and the knowledge bases of social work generalist practice for interventions at this level. It provides an opportunity to explore selected macro models of practice, and learn about human service organizations that often serve as an immediate context for community practice.

SWRK 522. Foundations of Field Education I (3)

Prerequisites: Acceptance to the MSW program.Field education in the professional foundation year is designed to permit the student to apply the knowledge, skills, and values learned in courses in the liberal arts, social work practice, social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, and social research in an educationally supervised experience. Students are required to complete a minimum of 180 hours of supervised practice during the course in an assigned social service agency. Agency assignments are made by the field coordinator after consultation with the student. Letter grade only.

SWRK 523. Foundations of Field Education I (3)

Prerequisites: SWRK 522.Field education in the professional foundation year is designed to permit the student to apply the knowledge, skills, and values learned in courses in the liberal arts, social work practice, social welfare policy and services, human behavior in the social environment, and social research in an educationally supervised experience. Students are required to complete a minimum of 220 hours of supervised practice during the course in an assigned social service agency. Agency assignments are made by the field coordinator after consultation with the student. Letter grade only.

SWRK 525. Social Welfare Policy and Services (3)

Prerequisites: CSU, Northridge Graduate admission and acceptance to the MSW Program.This course examines economic, historical, political, intellectual, socio-cultural, leadership, values, ideologies, and other such factors shaping social welfare, economic policy, programs and services. It addresses various frameworks for studying social welfare policy, programs and services, and examines the roles of policy-makers, the processes of social change, and the roles of social workers as facilitators of positive social change. Special emphasis is placed on effects of social and economic policy decisions on impoverished and oppressed people.

SWRK 535. Research Methods for Social Knowledge and Practice (3)

Prerequisites: Satisfactory completion of the first semester of the MSW Program.This course provides an overview of social science research methods useful for social work practice. It provides the foundation knowledge and skills that enable students to be intelligent consumers of information, to conduct social research, and to critically evaluate social work practice. The application of social research methods to social work practice in various size systems is a primary emphasis.

SWRK 601. Advanced Social Work Practice with Urban Families I (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course emphasizes theories, concepts, and skills of social work practice with urban families. The application of advanced practice skills used in working with individuals, families, and small groups is the central content of the course. Special attention is given to practice with special populations who face the social and personal problems of urban community life. Family practice methods are a major focus of the course. This advanced year course concentrates on what is unique about various individuals, couples, and families and how to deal with these unique issues.

SWRK 602. Advanced Social Work Practice with Urban Families II (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.In this course students develop knowledge, skills, and values for several models of group and organization practice to help families. The emphasis is on practice dealing with meeting the needs of urban families through working with larger systems and through advocacy and organization. The theme of strengths-based practice is carried through from the foundation courses. The major focus is on developing skill in working with those larger systems in addressing the issues faced by urban families. Special attention is given to group methods for working with urban families and family members.

SWRK 603. Practice DSM-IV-TR (3)

Prerequisite: Acceptance to the MSW Program.This course will expose students to multiple perspectives in assessing and diagnosing adults, adolescents and children implementing culturally sensitive theories and practices founded on social work values and ethics that incorporate a strengths based approach to social work practice. Students will learn how to assess a client system within the framework of the social work system which relies upon the DSM-IV-TR.

SWRK 622A. Advanced Field Practicum with Urban Families I (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.Advanced Field Practicum I is the first semester of the advanced concentration field practicum courses. In the advanced field practicum, students continue to build upon the knowledge and skills gained during the foundation program. The course provides field education about the advanced concentration curriculum, which focuses on social work with urban families. The first practicum is designed to provide experience in direct work with families or subsets of families, offering an opportunity to put classroom learning into practice. Letter grade only.

SWRK 622B. Advanced Field Practicum with Urban Families II (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.Advanced Practice with Urban Families Field Practicum II is the second semester of the advanced concentration field practicum courses. The course provides field education about the advanced concentration curriculum, which focuses on social work with urban families. This second practicum is designed to provide experience in larger system work with and on behalf of families, coordinating with the content classroom learning. Letter grade only.

SWRK 630. Family Crisis, Trauma and Grief (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course examines the complex issues of family crisis, trauma, and grief for social workers working with urban families and individuals who have experienced these conditions. Several theoretical approaches are examined, with an emphasis on crisis intervention in traumatic and stressful situations, as well as issues of death and dying and the grief and loss that are associated with them. In the modern urban environments, many people experience traumatic events in their daily lives. The purpose of the course is to acquaint social work students with the nature and impact as well as some of the concepts, theories, and principles for dealing with client systems of all sizes when they face crisis, trauma, and grief. The significance of crisis, trauma, and grief for fields of practice such as mental health, hospital social work, child welfare, gerontology, and other social services and in community violence and terrorism are explored.

SWRK 635. Advanced Skills in Program Evaluation and Research with Urban Families (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course provides a more in-depth view of social science research methods useful for social work practice. It provides the knowledge and skills that enable students to be intelligent consumers of information, to conduct social research, to critically evaluate social work practice and policy. Students will also learn how to use research to scientifically evaluate their own practice. The current socio-political climate is increasingly focusing on assessing the costs, quality, and effectiveness of social services. Therefore, this course is based on the assumption that as a practicing social worker, you will be engaged in applying research findings in your clinical work and using research methods to monitor and evaluate clinical interventions and services to urban families.

SWRK 645. Urban Social Policy and Advocacy (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course is designed to help students gain knowledge and skills of policy practice (including both analysis and advocacy) to effectively participate in the development and advancement of policies that support and effect change at multiple levels of diverse client systems in urban environments. This course helps build skills in both formal and informal policy analysis, identifying underlying values, and communicating and organizing to effect policy formation and change.

SWRK 650A-Z Selected Topics in Social Work (3)

Prerequisites: Acceptance to the MSW Program.In-depth study of a selected theme or issue in Social Work. Topics offered may l change from semester to semester. Critical writing and reading is required.

SWRK 650A. Child Welfare (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course explores the multidimensional factors associated with child maltreatment, the role of child welfare, and the ways social work practice principles are applied in the advanced assessment and intervention.

SWRK 650B. Addictions (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course is designed to offer graduate social work students an opportunity to gain an understanding of the nature of addictions, its impact on urban families, and the assessment/intervention strategies appropriate for social workers.

SWRK 650C. Mental Health (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course will present an overview of the affect of mental health conditions upon the person and her/his family as well as the various social worker roles within the mental health care system. The emphasis will be on various social worker roles within the mental health care system. The emphasis will be on the strengths

SWRK 650G. Supervision (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course examines the foundation for organizational leadership and problem solving using theories of organizational behavior and management. The course provides framework for excellence in agency management through governance, planning, monitoring, information management, human resources, fiscal responsibility, quality assurance, and community relations.

SWRK 650I. Aging and Families (3)

Prerequisite: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.This course offers the social work student an introduction to issues confronting aging and families, intergenerational and multi-cultural perspectives, and those who offer services to them. The course addresses some of the barriers – linguistic, cultural, political, and socioeconomic – that confront elderly people and their families, and explores some of the physical, social, and psychosocial impacts of those barriers on intergenerational families. The course also presents content on interventions with elder groups in a range of settings.

SWRK 698. Graduate Project (3)

Prerequisites: Second Year standing, acceptance in the advanced year.Offered as the culminating experience of the graduate program, students complete an individual or group research project reflecting the students’ interest and needs in working with urban families (SWRK 698). This project meets the culminating experience requirements.

SWRK 699A-C. Independent Study (1-3)

Prerequisites: Second year standing.This course may be taken to develop expertise in areas not included in the regular curriculum, or as preparation for the Comprehensive Examination.