Health, Aging, and Disabily Concentration

The Health, Aging, and Disability concentration prepares students to work successfully in a variety of settings that tackle the unique and intersecting issues related to health, aging, and disability. All students in this concentration learn advanced practice skills in brokering, care/case management, assessment, and interdisciplinary teamwork. They develop knowledge and skills around cutting-edge social work topics such as consumer-directed care, consumercentered assessment, and end-of-life care. Students also learn about current services and policies related to health, aging, and disability, and critically examine opportunities for policy and program improvements. Students who graduate with this concentration are well-trained to take professional positions in a variety of settings from community-based service programs and organizations, to hospitals and nursing homes, to policy positions at the state and national level. Students may specialize in one or more of these three areas by: 1) participating in field units devoted to each of these specialized areas (health, aging, developmental disability, or social policy field units), and 2) choosing among specialized advanced practice electives within the concentration (e.g., Aging and Mental Health, Social Work Practice in Health Care, or Social Work and Developmental Disabilities).

Concentration Chair: Stephanie Robert, Ph.D.

1. Advanced Practice:

• SW 874 - Adv. Practice in Health, Aging and Disability (Fall)

2. Policies and Services:

• SW 875 - Health, Aging and Disability Policy and Servs. (Fall)

3. Concentration Elective (Take One Course):

• SW 644 - SW and Developmental Disabilities (Fall, Spring)
• SW 825 - Grief, Loss, Death, and Life (Spring)
• SW 873 - SW Practice in Health Care (Spring)

4. Macro Practice (Take One Course):

• SW 842 - Consultation and Supervision in Social Work (Fall)
• SW 867 - Advanced Macro Practice

5. Field Unit Options:

• SW Practice in Developmental Disabilities
• SW Practice in Health Care Settings
• SW Practice with Older Adults
• SW Practice and Social Policy