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College of Social Work

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Trauma-Informed Practice

The Trauma-Informed Practice Certificate provides cutting edge, specialized knowledge of trauma and trauma-informed practices. It addresses the harm to brains, bodies, relationships and communities and how to promote safety, resilience and healing. You’ll acquire competency in trauma prevention, assessment, intervention and policy practice and  will develop targeted trauma-informed practice skills. 

As an interdisciplinary certificate, the knowledge and skills you’ll receive are widely applicable to health, mental health, substance use services, schools, victim advocacy and services, veterans’ services, criminal justice and other settings in which individuals who have experienced trauma are over-represented. 

Curriculum Requirements

The Trauma-Informed Practice Certificate requires the completion of 18 credit hours:

  • SOWK 707: Trauma-Informed Practice with Children, Youth, and Families
  • SOWK 708 : Trauma-Informed Practice with Adults and Older Adults
  • SOWK 709: Collective Trauma and Recovery
  •  SOWK 738: Military Mental Health and the Impact of Trauma
  •  SOWK 748: Crisis Intervention
  • SOWK 752: Social Work Intervention in Substance Abuse
  •  SOWK 759: Psychopathology and Psychodiagnostics with Children and Adolescents -or-  SOWK 760: Psychopathology and Psychodiagnostics with Adults and Older Adults
  • SOWK 762: Loss, Grief, and Social Work Intervention
  •  SOWK 764: Independent Study 1,2, or 3 (topic related to trauma)
  •  CRJU 751: Juvenile Justice
  •  CRJU 771: Gender, Crime, and Justice
  • CRJU 772: Race, Crime, and Justice
  •  CRJU 781: Violence and Victims
  •  SOCY 775: Medical Sociology
  • SOCY 779: Selected Topics in Medical Sociology
  •  LAWS 841: Law and Social Justice Seminar
  • LAWS 786: Seminar on Restorative and Transformative Justice
  •  ISCI 782: Social Justice Storytelling and Advocacy
  • ISCI 797: Special Topics in Library Science

The Trauma-Informed Practice Certificate is the perfect introduction to what trauma is, how to recognize it and how we as social workers can best respond on behalf of our clients in whatever setting we practice.

Rachel Cousino, MSW Candidate 2026
Rachel Cousino

Additional information about the certificate program is located in the Graduate Studies Bulletin.


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