Syllabus
Doctorate in Social Work
DSW 803 Advanced Clinical Theory & Practice II (Fall 2026)
Credits - 3
Description
This course dives deeper into the exploration of advanced clinical practice treatment approaches and theoretical underpinnings through an anti-oppressive lens. Students will explore inclusive, culturally responsive theory and practice as they look to advance their skills with constituents.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
By the end of this course, scholar-practitioners will be able to:
- CE & S 2: Use and critically evaluate research and knowledge
- LO 1: Critically explore and examine bias, knowledge, clinical values and experiences to further distinguish a decolonial clinical lens.
- LO 2: Recognize emerging thoughts, ideas, and questions about theoretical or conceptual frameworks.
- LO 3: Model connections between topic and potential theoretical frameworks.
- LO 4: Examine and evaluate existing literature on a specific topic as it relates to emerging topics in clinical practice.
- CE & S 3: Engage in scientific inquiry that reflects doctoral-level scholarship
- LO 5: Identify existing literature on a specific topic as it relates to emerging topics in clinical practice.
- CE & S 4: Develop and disseminate practice-relevant, research-informed knowledge through a variety of channels, such as teaching, scholarship, professional presentations, mentoring, and administration
- LO 6: Engage in teaching a chosen emerging topic in clinical practice.
- CE & S 5: Provide leadership in social work practice and/or education
- LO 7: Demonstrate an ability to lead discussions in a chosen topic.
Assignments
Reflective Journals
Reflective journals provide space to make personal and professional connections with course concepts. Through informal written, audio, or video reflections, you will consider how course materials challenge or expand your thinking about theory, knowledge, clinical practice, your research topic, and your development as a scholar-practitioner.
Theoretical Connections Open Journal
The Theoretical Connections Open Journal is an ongoing space for exploring your developing theoretical framework. Across the course, you will share emerging ideas, questions, connections, and uncertainties as you consider how different theoretical perspectives relate to your research topic. Because this work takes place in a shared discussion space, you can also learn from the ways your peers are working through similar decisions.
Peer Supervision and Clinical Consultation
Peer supervision provides an ongoing opportunity to connect course concepts with clinical practice and your research. In a small group, you will discuss de-identified or hypothetical cases, explore questions related to power, oppression, culture, and theory, and use your peers as collaborative thought partners as you develop and refine your theoretical framework.
Theoretical Concept Map
The theoretical concept map provides a visual way to explore the relationship between your research topic and potential theoretical framework. You will identify major themes and supporting concepts, illustrate connections among them, and use the mapping process to clarify or compare possible frameworks before developing your final theoretical framework section.
Teach-Back and Peer Responses
The teach-back asks you to investigate an emerging or critical perspective in mental health practice and share what you learn with your classmates. Using current scholarly resources and a clinical case, you will connect theory, practice, and your research while facilitating an interactive learning experience. You will also engage with classmates’ teach-backs, considering how their ideas challenge, strengthen, or expand your own clinical practice, research, and theoretical thinking.
Theoretical Framework Assignment
The final theoretical framework assignment brings together your work with theory throughout the course. You will return to your existing literature review and add a new section that identifies and explains your selected theoretical framework, demonstrates its relationship to your research problem and existing literature, and establishes a foundation for your future research design, methodology, and analysis. Your submission will include the literature review with the new theoretical framework section fully integrated.
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Acknowledgment of Academic Engagement | 1 |
| Intro discussion | 10 |
| Week 1 Journal | 4 |
| Theoretical Open Journal - Choose 3 to complete (weeks 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6) | 15 |
| Concept Map | 15 |
| Teach Back | 18 |
| Teach Back Responses - Choose 3 to complete (Weeks 6, 7, 8) | 15 |
| Theoretical Framework Assignment | 20 |
| Week 8 Journal | 4 |
| 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 |
Schedule
Session Dates 9/2/2026 – 10/23/2026
Week 1: Wednesday – Sunday
Week 2: Monday – Sunday
Week 3: Monday – Sunday
Week 4: Monday – Sunday
Week 5: Monday – Sunday
Week 6: Monday – Sunday
Week 7: Monday – Sunday
Week 8: Monday – Friday
The first week is a short week, beginning on Wednesday and ending on Sunday. Each week thereafter will start on Monday and end on Sunday.
Week 1: Building Your Lens – Theory, Knowledge, and Decolonial Perspectives
Quiz
- Academic Integrity Agreement
Discussions
- Week 1 Discussion 1: Intro discussion (Video)
- Week 1 Discussion 2: Ongoing clinical consultation
Assignments
- Week 1 Assignment: Journal
Week 2: Building Your Lens – Whose knowledge counts?
Discussions
- Theoretical Open Journal – Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Complete 3)
Assignments
- Week 2 Assignment: Peer-Supervision
Week 3: Building Your Lens – Integrating Theory and Decolonial Practice
Discussions
- Theoretical Open Journal – Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Complete 3)
Week 4: Mapping your Theoretical Framework
Discussions
- Theoretical Open Journal – Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Complete 3)
Assignments
- Week 4 Assignment: Theoretical Concept Map
Week 5: Advancing Critical Perspectives
Discussions:
- Week 5 Discussion: Teach-back
- Theoretical Open Journal – Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Complete 3)
Week 6: Reimagining Practice – Emerging Perspectives in Mental Health
Discussions
- Teach-back Peer Responses (Weeks 6-8)
- Theoretical Open Journal – Weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 (Complete 3)
Assignments
- Week 6 Assignment: Conversation with Supervision Group (not graded)
Week 7: Theoretical Integration and Doctoral Scholarship
Discussions
- Teach-back Peer Responses (Weeks 6-8)
Week 8 – Reflection and Future Directions
Discussions
- Teach-back Peer Responses (Weeks 6-8)
- Week 8 Assignment: Reflective Journal
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.
Questions? Visit the Student Support Social Work page
UNE Libraries:
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
- Social Work Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/social-work/
- Library Tutorial: Find an article
- Video Tutorials: https://library.une.edu/research-help/guides-tutorials/video-tutorials/
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673
Accommodations
Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Information Technology Services (ITS)
Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.
ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.
Career Ready Program
The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!
The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.
Policies
Essential Academic and Technical Standards
Please review the essential academic and technical standards of the University of New England School Social Work (SSW): https://online.une.edu/social-work/academic-and-technical-standards-une-online-ssw/
Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool
The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.
Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.
You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.
Artificial Intelligence Use Policy
The DSW program acknowledges that using generative AI can be both helpful and potentially harmful in scholarly writing. It is unclear at this time what the impact of AI use might have on the ability to be published or engage in scholarly platforms. In alignment with UNE’s stance on AI use, the DSW program encourages scholar-practitioners to acclimate themselves to ethical and appropriate use of AI. Scholar-practitioners are required to disclose the use of AI for all assignments in the program during submission through citation (in alignment with many scholarly publications and CSWE) and publication notes. Assignments in the DSW program that require the use of generative AI will be labeled as such, with specific instructions. The use of AI for discussion posts is never permitted (including, but limited to, Grammarly) as discussion forums are meant to mimic live conversations. Scholar-practitioners who are suspected of generative AI use, without citation, will be asked to have a conversation with their instructor to discuss AI use and to share their process and/or demonstrate their process. Failure to do so will result in a zero on the assignment.
Publication Note Example: Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the writing process. Please outline the tool used (name, version, company), purpose, and confirm human review.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements
Confidentiality Statement
Student and faculty participation in this course will be governed by standards in the NASW Code of Ethics relating to confidentiality in sharing information from their placement sites and practice experiences. Students should be aware that personal information they choose to share in class, class assignments or conversations with faculty does not have the status of privileged information.
Late Policy
Group or Partner Assignments: Assignments that require partner or group work are expected to be turned in on time. Late group or partner assignments will not be accepted unless prior arrangements have been made with the course faculty. If you are having difficulties connecting with your partner or group members, it is your responsibility to connect with the course faculty for support. As a reminder, your ability to collaborate professionally is being assessed continuously throughout the program. If a group member or partner does not complete their section of the project by the deadline, they will receive a 0. This will not impact the other group members/partner’s grade.
Individual Assignments: Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction from the total points earned per day for the late submission. After three days, the assignment will not be accepted.
Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% per day grade reduction from the total discussion grade. Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.
Please contact your instructor and your student success counselor prior to assignment deadlines if you are not able to meet the timeframes. Arrangements for extensions regarding extenuating circumstances may be considered by the faculty. It is the student's responsibility to inform instructors of accommodations secured through the Student Access Center.
Attendance Policy
6- to 8-week courses: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Sunday at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
10+ -week courses: Students taking online graduate courses through the College of Professional Studies will be administratively dropped for non-participation if a graded assignment/discussion post is not submitted before Friday at 11:59 pm ET of the second week of the term. Reinstatement is at the purview of the Dean's Office.
Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures
The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.
UNE Course Withdrawal
Please contact your Enrollment and Retention Counselor if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. Tuition charges may still apply. Students are strongly urged to consult with Student Financial Services, as course withdrawals may affect financial aid or Veterans benefits.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit UNE Plagiarism Policies.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.