MSWK690
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TOPICS:
Course Description
The topics studied in this course change from semester-to-semester, as well as from instructor-to-instructor. Spring 2023 descriptions below
MSWK 69004 WORKING WITH LGBTQIA+
Social Work with the LGBTQAI+ Community is an elective course in the MSW program. This course provides foundation knowledge and prepares students for culturally competent practice with people who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQAI+) communities. The first part of the course explores the historical experience of LGBTQAI+ people from both a sociopolitical and policy perspective. The remaining section of the course focuses on current practice considerations impacting individuals and families. This includes concepts related to the development of LGBTQAI+ identity, the coming-out process, gender expression, intersectionality, health, mental health, substance use, and familial issues. Practice techniques, clinical interventions, ethical considerations, legal issues, and resources for support and information will be explored. The class will consist of lecture and student discussion with guest speakers used as appropriate to enhance learning.
MSWK 69002 PLAY THERAPY
This elective course will provide students with an introduction to and an overview of play therapy, particularly as a model of intervention used with children. Theories of both directive and nondirective play therapy will be discussed, and research on the effectiveness of various models of play therapy will be reviewed. The course will provide students with information on play therapy models and techniques that can be used in engagement, assessment, intervention, and termination. Play therapy in outpatient, school and home settings will be discussed. The material will be presented through lectures, clinical case discussions, photographs of clinical material, and hands-on activities. Students will gain hands-on experience practicing play therapy skills and techniques. This is an open-access course; students will not need to purchase textbooks.
Spring 2026
MSWK 69001 Equine Clinical Interventions
Where theory meets practice in the classroom and at the farm.
Step beyond traditional social work education and discover how horses and nature can transform your understanding of therapeutic presence, non-verbal communication, and embodied empathy. This innovative course uses Pony Power's Farm—a recognized research site with several peer-reviewed publications—as a living laboratory where you'll develop essential clinical competencies that can't be captured in textbooks alone.
What Makes This Different?
You'll spend your time between on-campus learning and hands-on field trips to Pony Power's Farm, where you'll engage with a program at the forefront of developing an ethical and competent model for Equine and Nature Assisted Social Work. Our unique approach integrates:
Research-informed practice: Learn from a site actively contributing to the evidence base for equine-assisted interventions in social work
Somatic learning: Develop self-awareness and co-regulation skills through your body, not just your mind
The pedagogy of silence: Master the art of deep listening and relational attunement without words
Macro-meets-micro perspective: Connect individual therapeutic presence to community-level systems change through experiential activities
Evidence-based integration: Ground field experiences in attachment theory, polyvagal theory, systems theory, and critical perspectives on power and oppression
Horses are masters at reading energy, boundaries, and authenticity—they'll give you immediate, honest feedback during farm visits that sharpens your therapeutic presence. Through classroom reflection and farm-based practice at this pioneering research site, you'll explore how nature becomes a therapeutic environment for attention restoration, biophilia, and the person-in-environment perspective in action.
MSWK 69004 WORKING WITH LGBTQIA+
Social Work with the LGBTQAI+ Community is an elective course in the MSW program. This course provides foundation knowledge and prepares students for culturally competent practice with people who identify as part of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer+ (LGBTQAI+) communities. The first part of the course explores the historical experience of LGBTQAI+ people from both a sociopolitical and policy perspective. The remaining section of the course focuses on current practice considerations impacting individuals and families. This includes concepts related to the development of LGBTQAI+ identity, the coming-out process, gender expression, intersectionality, health, mental health, substance use, and familial issues. Practice techniques, clinical interventions, ethical considerations, legal issues, and resources for support and information will be explored. The class will consist of lecture and student discussion with guest speakers used as appropriate to enhance learning.
MSWK 69002 PLAY THERAPY
This elective course will provide students with an introduction to and an overview of play therapy, particularly as a model of intervention used with children. Theories of both directive and nondirective play therapy will be discussed, and research on the effectiveness of various models of play therapy will be reviewed. The course will provide students with information on play therapy models and techniques that can be used in engagement, assessment, intervention, and termination. Play therapy in outpatient, school and home settings will be discussed. The material will be presented through lectures, clinical case discussions, photographs of clinical material, and hands-on activities. Students will gain hands-on experience practicing play therapy skills and techniques. This is an open-access course; students will not need to purchase textbooks.
Spring 2026
MSWK 69001 Equine Clinical Interventions
Where theory meets practice in the classroom and at the farm.
Step beyond traditional social work education and discover how horses and nature can transform your understanding of therapeutic presence, non-verbal communication, and embodied empathy. This innovative course uses Pony Power's Farm—a recognized research site with several peer-reviewed publications—as a living laboratory where you'll develop essential clinical competencies that can't be captured in textbooks alone.
What Makes This Different?
You'll spend your time between on-campus learning and hands-on field trips to Pony Power's Farm, where you'll engage with a program at the forefront of developing an ethical and competent model for Equine and Nature Assisted Social Work. Our unique approach integrates:
Research-informed practice: Learn from a site actively contributing to the evidence base for equine-assisted interventions in social work
Somatic learning: Develop self-awareness and co-regulation skills through your body, not just your mind
The pedagogy of silence: Master the art of deep listening and relational attunement without words
Macro-meets-micro perspective: Connect individual therapeutic presence to community-level systems change through experiential activities
Evidence-based integration: Ground field experiences in attachment theory, polyvagal theory, systems theory, and critical perspectives on power and oppression
Horses are masters at reading energy, boundaries, and authenticity—they'll give you immediate, honest feedback during farm visits that sharpens your therapeutic presence. Through classroom reflection and farm-based practice at this pioneering research site, you'll explore how nature becomes a therapeutic environment for attention restoration, biophilia, and the person-in-environment perspective in action.
Convening Group
Course Attributes
MSW COURSE FOR GRAD FEE ASSESS (MSW)