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04.

Crisis and Emergency Management: Helping People When it Matters Most

In the field of social work, working in crisis and emergency management is among the most fast-paced and high-intensity careers you could pursue. You’ll be helping people deal with injuries, illnesses, trauma, abuse, and other critical emergency situations.

To be successful, you’ll need to be able to handle high-stress environments and make important decisions quickly. In many of these situations, you’ll be helping people who have undergone serious physical or psychological trauma, and emotions will likely run high.

It can be challenging, but if you feel called to work in crisis and emergency management, then it’s also extraordinarily fulfilling and rewarding.

To spend your career helping people when they need it most is something that you can be proud of every single day.

The Crisis and Emergency Management emphasis for Southern’s Master of Social Work program will prepare you for succeeding in these environments. After completing the program, you’ll feel confident that you received the training and skills needed to help people in emergency situations and make a direct impact in their lives.

Let’s take a closer look at careers in crisis management and how Southern’s program will provide you with the advanced knowledge to handle these situations.

A Career in Crisis and Emergency Management

Everyone is familiar with the word crisis, but what does this mean for social workers? How is it recognized and defined? What role do social workers play in crisis management?

As a social worker in a crisis and emergency management role, the first step you’d be called to take is to create a short-term plan to diffuse the situation and ensure everyone’s safety. This may involve working with doctors, first responders, or other professionals to ensure that the right steps are taken.

Once those issues are addressed, you’ll work with the client to create a more long-term plan that may involve therapy, medication, and other forms of treatment.

Southern’s program will also help prepare you to bring a Christian perspective to the situation, if you choose to do so. By learning in a faith-based program, you’ll have the opportunity to apply God’s teachings to your everyday practice by demonstrating compassion, patience, and respect.
A career in crisis and emergency management will call upon all of your skills and knowledge as a social worker, but with an MSW from Southern, you’ll be ready to face those challenges head-on.

Your salary will vary depending on your job placement and level of experience, but here are the averages for Crisis and Emergency Management Social Workers:

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 advanced theoretical knowledge in the emphasis area of crisis and emergency management social work in practice with diverse populations. The course emphasizes best-practice models throughout, and it includes the application of crisis intervention models in different trauma and emergency situations, participation in interprofessional simulation experiences, and First Aid and CPR certifications.

This course highlights skill-building in the advanced emphasis area of crisis and emergency management in social work practice. The course focuses on topics including suicide prevention, intervention and postvention, human trafficking and compliant behavior, personal violence, and grief.

This course continues skill-building in the advanced emphasis area of crisis and emergency management in social work, with special attention given to macro practice.

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

04.

Crisis and Emergency Management: Helping People When it Matters Most

A Career in Crisis and Emergency Management

Crisis and Emergency Management Emphasis: Courses and Curriculum

Core Courses

Advanced Courses

Emphasis Courses

Meet the Faculty