Social Work 695
SOWK 695: Social Work with Military Populations
Prerequisites: Accepted into the MSW program
Credit Hours: 3
This course is designed to provide students with an overview working with military populations, as well as the basic knowledge of military personnel, veterans, and their families. Key themes will include understanding military culture, issues of special relevance to the military population, and how to work with that population, which includes theoretical perspectives on understanding and working with military populations. The course will emphasize the development of skill related to working with military personnel, veterans, and their families.
Detailed Description of Course
Major Topic & Subtopics:
1) Military Culture: One of the essential pieces in working with this population is the understanding of military culture, and the transition for civilian to military service. Historically, this has been an area that is frequently overlooked when training professionals to work with service members and their families, which negatively impacts the ability to work with this population. Therefore, care is given to provide information on military culture, as well as the process individuals are taken through during the transition from civilian to military service.
a. Learning to Kill: The military engages in a prescribed method to train individuals to engage in combat. That process impacts many aspects of an individual, from psychological to physiological. Understanding this process is critical in understanding how to effectively assess individuals, as well as potential barriers and resiliency factors during the treatment process.
b. Basic Training - From Civilian to Military: While there are many movies and other popular culture references to basic training (or boot camp), many of these portrayals are inaccurate. However, the process of "removing the civilian" is an integral aspect with this population, and critical to understand when attempting to work with this population. Therefore, information and videos are provided to students to help them understand this process, as well as the differences between "military culture" and "civilian culture", and how that may impact the delivery of service. This section also helps students understand the unique challenges and strengths with this population.
2) Trauma & PTSD
a. Combat - Before, during and after: Civilians and other professional who haven't been exposed to the direct effects of combat are frequently unaware of the impact that these experiencs have on the psychology and physiology of an individual. This sub-topic explores the impact of combat on military personnel, as well as explores various ways in which military personnel process these experiences.
3) Military Families: Military families have many unique challenges, such as deployments and often frequent changing of duty stations. These unique challenges frequently add additional stress to these families, along with an underlying fear associated with overseas deployments. For that reason, the impact of those unique aspects on military families is an important topic to understand if you are going to work with military personnel and their families. Each of the sub-topics provides a look into similarities and differences between military families and civilian families.
a. Domestic Violence: Examines domestic violence in military families, and explores any differences between this population and their civilian counterparts.
b. Child Abuse: Looks at child abuse within military families, and also explores the similarities and differences between military and civilian families.
c. Relationship Issues: With military families being faced with unique challenges like deployments, frequent moves, and underlying fear of the potential consequences of those deployments, understanding the role those challenges pose to relationships is important. This sub-topic also explores re-integration following deployments, or when an individual leaves military service permanently.
4) Military Sexual Trauma: Military sexual trauma has been one of the major emerging issues facing veterans and military personnel. While it has been overlooked for many years, the frequency of military sexual assaults has remained suprisingly high, posing an issue for those working with this population. Without a better understanding of this issue, social workers frequently struggle in working with individuals presenting with MST. Therefore, this topic explores military sexual assault and sexual trauma, as well as emerging evidence supported treatment methods for this issue.
5) Homelessness & Military Populations: Homelessness among the veteran population has remained a substantial issue for many years. This topic explores the challenges that homeless veterans face, as well as the contributing factors for homelessness among this population. Special attention is paid to the transition between military life and civilian life in order to explore how this transition may impact homelessness.
6) Substance Use & Military Populations: Another major issue that has been strongly correlated to military service is the use, abuse, and dependence of mind altering substances. This topic explores this issue, as well as the evidence-supported treatment methods for working with military personnel or veterans who may present with substance abuse.
7) Evidence-Supported Treatment Modalities: Although care is taken to discuss evidence-supported treatment methods for each of the specialty topics, time is spent comparing and contrasting various approaches. This discussion includes the pros and cons of each treatment method, as well as how to incorporate these methods into practice.
8) Secondary Trauma: Whenever a social worker works with populations who present with traumatic experiences there is always a risk of scondary trauma. Essentially, this is when a worker - through hearing about trauma - is traumatized by what they hear. When working with military personnel and their families, secondary trauma is a major concern for workers. Therefore, this topic explores secondary trauma, with a special focus on self-care and the impact of secondary trauma on burnout.
a. Self-care & Burnout: This sub-topic explores methods for self-care, as well as signs for secondary trauma and burnout. This is to help increase student awareness for when they may be experiencing those things, and steps they should take if they do.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Instructional strategies may include: in class lectures, online discussions, in class student presentations, in class student discussion and presentation on treatment summaries for case studies, videos and discussion, an exam, and research paper.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
1) Explain about military culture, military organizations, and the theoretical frameworks that guide understanding of outcomes to military service
2) Describe the unique challenges and opportunities facing active duty personnel and their families, as well as how to work with those unique challenges and opportunities
3) Identify differing effects of military service (including deployment and injury) on military personnel and family members, as well as how that impacts treatment with a military population
4) Use behavioral theory and evidence supported treatment to develop treatment plans guiding practice with military populations
5) Analyze the benefits, formal programs, policies, and support services for personnel, their spouses, and their children
6) Demonstrate and synthesize knowledge through discussion, papers, and/or information pieces
7) Identify how to engage in community based social work practice in small cities and rural communities, or in communities without military social systems.
Assessment Measures
Assessment measures will be based on student comprehension and ability to apply the objectives of the course with the various assignments. Rubrics are used for student presentations and papers to provide the student with information on grading, as well as to illustrate the objectives that will be assessed with each assignment. Discussion boards are assessed for the student's understanding of the specific topic, and how it realtes to working with this population.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
May 9, 2017