Supporting People with Intellectual and Developmental Disability and Challenging Behaviors Certificate

Our goal is to prepare social workers with a master’s degree who have both the generalist skills for providing effective supports coordination and advanced clinical skills for providing effective therapeutic interventions for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and challenging behaviors.

Accepted students will participate in a two-year full-time or three-year part-time program leading to the master in social work with a certificate in supporting people with intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) and challenging behaviors. Through this program, students undergo training in generalist social work practice for people with IDD—including supports coordination skills in year one—assessment, diagnosis, and treatment recommendations, including the requisite in-depth clinical courses (Human Behavior in the Social Environment and core practice courses with individuals, groups, and families). Students are required to take SW 655 - Social Work With People Who Have Intellectual and Developmental Disability , SW 626 - Biographical Timeline , and SW 664 - Treating Trauma .

Students’ second year field internship is devoted to developing skills for therapeutic services through working in an agency serving people with developmental disability three days a week under the supervision of clinical social workers who work with people with developmental disability. Each student will be co-supervised by a faculty member through an advanced practice symposium each semester focusing on therapeutic interventions.