Social Work Practice: Mental Health

Curriculum guideline

Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
No
Course code
SOWK 2363
Descriptive
Social Work Practice: Mental Health
Department
Social Work
Faculty
Applied Community Studies
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours

Lecture: 4 hours/week

Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

In this course, students engage in a variety of learning activities such as lecture, discussion, role-play, group work, case studies, and presentations.

Course description
This course provides foundational knowledge and skills for social work practice in the field of mental health. The course emphasizes strengths-based, recovery-oriented approaches. Students will explore historical, contemporary, and emerging perspectives on mental health, with a focus on the recovery model that views recovery and wellness as achievable goals. Students will examine and critically discuss models of illness classification and treatment approaches, integrating both medical and social work perspectives to support client-centered practice.
Course content

• Foundations of mental health social work and recovery-oriented practice
• Mental health systems, policy, and legislation in British Columbia
• Biopsychosocial and trauma-informed assessment frameworks
• Culture, racism, colonialism, and mental health inequities
• Stigma, discrimination, and survivor-led perspectives
• Crisis intervention, suicide risk, and safety planning
• Mental health and substance use across the lifespan
• Ethical decision-making and use of self in mental health practice

Learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Express one's own beliefs about mental health;
  2. Discuss how culture impacts all aspects of mental health;
  3. Apply a biopsychosocial approach to the understanding of mental health, wellness, and treatment approaches;
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of Indigenous approaches to mental health and wellness;
  5. Demonstrate an understanding of issues related to assessing mental health, including a working knowledge of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association;
  6. Describe techniques for working with people who are experiencing mental health challenges;
  7. Explain the system of mental health services in Canada and British Columbia;
  8. Describe current mental health legislation in British Columbia. 
Means of assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in a course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline. This is a letter-graded course. 

Typical means of assessment include the following:

  • Written papers
  • Presentations
  • Projects
  • Case study analysis
  • Role-play demonstrations
  • Exams
  • Participation
  • Attendance

 

Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students. A list of required textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of the semester. Example texts may include:

Regehr, C., & Glancy, G. (current edition). Mental health social work practice in Canada. Oxford University Press.

 

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies
Which prerequisite