Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 552 Advanced Clinical Social Work Practice I (Fall A 2025)

Credits - 3

Description

This is the initial Advanced Clinical Practice course for MSW students at UNE. This course is designed to be sequenced with SSWO 553 Advanced Practice II. In this course sequence, students engage in intense experiential learning, practicing clinical intervention skills and methods with clients. Students will also explore ethical challenges that arise in client work. This course sequence utilizes simulated client engagement experiences that support students’ learning and mimic real-world scenarios.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
3. Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
5. Engage in policy practice.
6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Course Outcomes

1. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.  
   1. Demonstrate professional behavior through oral, written, and electronic communication. 
   2. Use individual and/or peer supervision and consultation to guide professional judgement and behavior. 
   3. Make ethical decisions by applying the standards of the National Association of Social Workers’ Code of Ethics. 
2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
   1. Engage in practices that advance human rights to promote social and racial justice. 
3. Engage in community and belonging in practice. 
   1. Demonstrate cultural humility by applying critical reflection.  
   2. Demonstrate cultural humility by applying self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of bias, power, privilege, and values in working with clients. 
   3. Demonstrate anti-racist and anti-oppressive social work practice at the organizational, community, and policy levels.  
4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.  
   1. Apply research findings to inform and improve practice, policy, and programs.  
5. Engage in policy practice. 
   1. Apply critical thinking to analyze and formulate recommendations regarding policies affecting resources and interventions at the agency, local, state, and/or federal levels. 
   2. Use social justice, anti-racist, and anti-oppressive lenses to assess how social welfare policies affect the delivery of and access to social services. 
6. Engage with individuals,  families, groups, organizations, and communities.  
   1. Apply and demonstrate knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment to engage with individuals. 
   2. Utilize empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage with clients. 
7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 
   1. Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing clients. 
   2. Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed-upon plan. 
   3. Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive approaches, when assessing individuals, families, and community resources. 
8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, and organizations. 
   1. Engage with clients and constituencies to critically choose and implement culturally responsive, evidence-informed interventions to achieve client goals.  
   2. Incorporate culturally responsive methods to work with and on behalf of clients. 
9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. 
   1. Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals. 
   2. Select and use culturally responsive methods for evaluation and outcomes. 
   3. Apply theories of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive when assessing individuals, families, and community resources.  
   4. Critically analyze outcomes and apply evaluation findings to improve practice effectiveness with individuals and families. 

Assignments

Supervision Journal

There will be six supervision journals in the course that will guide you in reflecting on the work you do in class and help apply to your social work practice. These will mimic a supervision session that you would have in the field.

Group Peer Supervisions

There will be two group peer supervisions in the course that will guide you in reflecting on the work you do in class and help apply to your social work practice. These will mimic a peer supervision session that you would have in the field.

Simucase Videos

Simucase is a software offering a number of situational videos. You will view eighteen videos in a “test my knowledge” mode and upload your completed transcript. These videos will support the information we will be covering in the course.

Simulations 

As well as the situational videos in Simucase you will also perform six simulations where you will be able to practice skills in your social work practice.

Community Resource and Cultural Evaluation, Assessment, Engagement, & Intervention Plan

This assignment builds upon your engagement with James and his family through Simucase in Week 5. You will expand your work by examining how well your local community is equipped to meet the family’s needs, considering both practical services and culturally responsive approaches. You will then use your findings to make recommendations for practice and policy.

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Points
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement	1 point
Group Introduction Video	2 points
Simucase Videos	18 points (1 point x 18)
Simucase Simulations	24 points (4 points x 6)
Supervision Journals	24 points (4 points x 6)
Group Peer Supervision	10 points (5 points x 2)
Role-Play	10 points (5 points x 2)
Key Assignment	10 points
ExamPrep Connect Assignment	1 point
Total	100 points

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00