The Disaster Behavioral Health Certificate prepares Master of Social Work (MSW) students to address the complex behavioral health needs that arise before, during, and after disasters. This specialized program focuses on the intersection of trauma, crisis response, and clinical social work practice in the context of mass casualty events -including natural disasters, public health emergencies, mass violence, and other large-scale disruptive events.
Students gain the theoretical foundation and practical skills necessary to assess, intervene, and support both survivors and responders affected by disaster-related trauma, stress, and associated psychosocial concerns throughout the disaster cycle. The curriculum emphasizes evidence-based approaches to crisis intervention, trauma-informed care, psychopathology, screening and assessment, responder well-being and self-care, and practices tailored to different population groups.
Graduates are equipped with the foundations to serve to help with behavioral health in emergency response teams, behavioral health agencies, and community recovery efforts, with competencies in interprofessional collaboration, preparedness planning, and evaluation of disaster behavioral health programs and policies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the Disaster Behavioral Health (DBH) Certificate, students will be able to:
- Explain disaster behavioral health foundations across the disaster cycle—key terms, ethical frameworks, work across populations, and roles within coordinated systems [e.g., Incident Command System (ICS)/the National Incident Management System (NIMS)].
- Describe psychosocial risk and resilience factors at individual, family, and community levels, including vulnerable groups and social determinants of health relevant to DBH.
- Conduct rapid, context-appropriate psychosocial triage and screening (e.g., brief evidence-based tools) and synthesize findings to determine immediate needs, safety risks, and level of functioning.
- Deliver early, evidence-informed actions (e.g., psychological first aid; stabilization, safety, practical assistance, linkage to services) tailored to the setting and culture/language.
- Plan, implement, and evaluate brief intervention action plans that address basic needs, coping, and referrals to higher and longer-term care.
- Collaborate effectively within interprofessional incident structures (public, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and community systems) to coordinate behavioral health services and resource navigation.
- Design or contribute to pre-event preparedness activities (training, just-in-time materials, population-relevant outreach) to strengthen community resilience.
- Apply trauma-informed, population-relevant, and ethically grounded practice to assessments and interventions, demonstrating adherence to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW)/the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) values in disaster contexts.
- Monitor and support responder well-being (peer care, team dynamics, work/rest cycles), develop a personal/family deployment plan, and implement a self-care plan.
- Critically appraise DBH policies, programs, and evidence, using data to inform action, quality improvement, and judicious recovery planning over the short and long term.
| Course Code | Course Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| SOW 5806 | Disaster Behavioral Health | 3 |
| SOW 5354 | Crisis Intervention in Social Work Practice | 3 |
| SOW 5116 | Trauma Theory and Interventions | 3 |
| SOW 6125 | Human Behavior and the Social Environment II-Psychopathology | 3 |
| SOW 6425 | Clinical Assessment and Intervention Planning | 3 |
All five courses must be completed.