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03.

Provide K-12 Support with an Emphasis in School Social Work

School social workers coordinate with students, administration, families, and teachers to create and enact the school policies around mental health intervention, crisis management, discipline, and support services. They are an integral link between the school, home, and community to ensure the safety, development, and holistic well-being of school-age children.

Many students deal with poverty, problems at home, mental health issues, or learning disabilities. Since 14% of public school students receive special education services, there’s a strong need for social workers who specialize in helping students succeed.

To be successful as a school social worker, you must be patient, a leader, good with children, and able to manage complex and often deeply personal situations. The challenges you’ll face will range from students who struggle in class to students who are dealing with substantial issues at home—and everything in between.

Choosing a School Social Work Career

As a school social worker, you’ll be equipped to support students facing challenges such as mental health concerns, academic struggles, behavioral issues, and developmental needs.

While responsibilities vary by school, your role may include:

Helping students develop social and interpersonal skills
Building positive behavioral intervention strategies
Preparing social or developmental histories for children with special needs
Designing educational programs for exceptional learners or alternative programs for students who are struggling
Guiding students in anger management and conflict resolution
Providing mediation for conflicts between students or between students and teachers

School social workers play a vital role in ensuring that every student has the support and resources they need to thrive both inside and outside the classroom.

Southern graduates who selected a School Social Work emphasis have found employment in private schools, public schools, and even private practices in which they work closely with the school system. School social workers may also assume an administrative role to help make broader, policy-level change that affects students in your community, state, or across the country.

To become a school social worker, you’ll need to earn an MSW with an emphasis in School Social Work and then obtain a license to practice in your state. Licensure requirements vary by state; read more about requirements here. You may also need to meet school-specific requirements for licensure and certifications when you’re applying for jobs.

This course provides students with the theoretical framework for generalist social work practice. Topics include the establishment of relationships, assessment, contracts, intervention, utilization of resources, social work in the context of a Christian worldview, values, and ethics. Course material emphasizes work with individuals and families—primarily the micro and mezzo dimensions of social work practice.

This course spans the mezzo and macro dimensions of social work practice. Students will acquire knowledge regarding practice with small groups, organizations, and communities.

This course focuses on the study of contemporary issues and policies, through the lens of a Christian worldview, that influence the delivery of social services. Course requirements include a comprehensive analysis of specific social policies, lobbying efforts with local elected officials, and interactions with community residents and stakeholders.

In this course, students develop the necessary skills to work with organizations and/or communities. They acquire knowledge in multilevel analysis and assessment, evidence-based program development, implementation, and evaluation.

This course provides a framework for advanced multidimensional mental health assessment of mental disorders, with a primary focus on the widely used classification system of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

This course provides students with management and human resources knowledge, as well as organizational and supervisory skills necessary for social work and human services leadership positions.

This course provides an orientation to social work practice in the public school setting. Course content focuses on the role of the school social worker in a host setting bridging the school, the home, and the community. Emphasis is given to important historical, legal, and political developments that influence the current day-to-day roles and functions of the social worker in the school setting. This course is designed to be part of the course requirements for preparation to become a certified school social worker in Tennessee.

This course examines schools as social institutions, whose primary function serves to educate and socialize children into American society, and the role of the social worker in such a setting. This course provides an introduction to the types of students school social workers serve and the relevant issues faced by American school-aged children. It gives special attention to uncovering parallels between social work and education values and responsibilities, and the process of incorporating social work values into a school setting.

This course prepares social work students to work effectively in education settings as licensed school social workers. Particular emphasis is given to evidence-based intervention strategies and school/family/community partnerships. Topics include planning, implementing, and evaluating social work services in schools; the design of social work services; the delivery of school social work services; crisis response including suicide and bereavement; evaluating practice and programs; and how to obtain employment as a certified school social worker.

Laura Racovita, Ph.D.

Dean

423.236.2638
racovita@southern.edu

Evie Nogales Baker

Associate Professor

423.236.2640
evien@southern.edu

Lunelle Bertresse, MSW

Assistant Professor

423.236.2634
lunelleb@southern.edu

Stephanie Guster, MSW

Senior Advisor for Diversity, Associate Professor

423.236.2020
sguster@southern.edu

Nina Nelson

Associate Professor

423.236.2635
nnelson@southern.edu

Corneliu Rusu, MSW

Professor

423.236.2628
crusu@southern.edu

Kristie Wilder, JD

Professor

423.236.2206
kwilder@southern.edu

Admissions

Through the admissions process, you must complete the following steps:

Graduate Application
Transcripts
Recommendations
Personal Statement
Resumé

See the full description of the application process.

Eligibility Requirements

Bachelor’s degree: A bachelor’s degree from an accredited program, with coursework indicating a strong liberal arts background. (Advanced placement requires a Bachelor of Social Work degree from a CSWE-accredited program.)
GPA requirement: Possess a preferred GPA of at least 2.75 (on a 4.00 scale) for the last 60 college credits earned at the baccalaureate level for Foundation standing. For Advanced standing, applicants must possess a preferred GPA of at least 3.00 (on a 4.00 scale) in social work courses. Applicants may have no more than one grade of C in a core social work course.

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Make an Impact for Good: The MSW Program at Southern

03.

Provide K-12 Support with an Emphasis in School Social Work

School social workers help students learn, grow, and develop.

Choosing a School Social Work Career

Completing the School Social Work emphasis at Southern allows you to apply to the state of Tennessee for certification.

School Social Work Emphasis: Courses and Curriculum

Core Courses

Advanced Courses

Emphasis Courses

Meet the Faculty