MSW CERTIFICATE PROGRAMSCohen Veterans Network MSW Scholars Program
The School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) currently addresses one of the nation’s most prominent behavioral health issues – a shortage of critical mental health services for veterans and their families who may be experiencing PTSD, depression, and suicidality. The VA system is in need of clinical social workers and others, noting that it has hired 5,000 professionals over the past five years across the nation. VA positions will continue to flourish as employees move towards retirement leaving an understaffed and relatively new workforce in place.
In 2013, SP2 received a three-year grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HRSA) to launch VAMC – P.E.A.R.L.S.: known as the Veterans Program in Mental Health Education Assessment, Recovery, and Leadership for Social Workers. P.E.A.R.L.S. is the only educational program of its kind in Schools of Social Work in the tristate area.
SP2 continues the specialized program in a new form, now known as the Cohen Veterans Network Scholars Program.
Significance of the Need
There is a changing mental health care environment in which high rates of mental disorders and suicide among military personnel and recent veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) have been reported. Among 103,788 OEF and OIF veterans first seen at Veterans Affairs (VA) health care facilities between 2005 and 2010, 25% received mental health diagnoses including the most common: PTSD, Substance Use Disorder (SUDS), and Depressive Disorder. Moreover, 41% of all 837,458 separated OIF and OEF veterans eligible for VA health care have enrolled in the VA since 2002. This is historically high for the Veterans Administration (VA). In contrast, only 10% of Vietnam veterans enrolled in the VA, making the VA the single largest health care provider for OIF and OEF veterans as compared to Vietnam veterans.
Program Overview
The Cohen Veterans Network Scholars program will prepare five Advanced Year MSW students, annually, to provide services to veterans and their families who are experiencing mental health challenges with the goal of improving quality of life. The program is comprised of two courses, a specialized internship, and extracurricular training including Rotational Field Seminars and Standardized Patient Clinical Training for a solid academic and clinical foundation.
Interested Advanced Year MSW students must complete an application form and an interview for consideration. This is a highly competitive program and thus not all qualified applicants may be selected.
An educational stipend is available for those selected.
Applicants with a military background and those interested in a career path in the VAMC are encouraged to apply.
The program is comprised of coursework, rotational field seminars, standardized patient training, and a field internship.
Field Placement
Selected students will work with the Field Office to secure internships in settings where they will be able to develop the skills/competency to work with the veteran community. Students will be assigned placements based on the student’s interests and an interview process with the Field Director and Director of the CVNSP. The CVNSP and Field Office work with a variety of settings which may be VAMC or community-based agencies that service veterans and their families. Students must complete the internship hours and requirements for the MSW program to be eligible to graduate.
The Cohen Veterans Network MSW Scholars program is available to second year (Advanced Year) MSW students. Students with a military background and those interested in a career path in the VAMC are encouraged to apply.
Application
To apply, please send your resume to Dr. Zvi Gellis at zgellis@upenn.edu by December 18th.
Coursework
In addition to the traditional MSW courses, accepted students must satisfactory complete two required courses within their academic program:
- SWRK 7830: Advanced Mental Health Practice with Veterans, an advanced clinical mental health practice course on PTSD, Suicide Assessment, and Depression and other mental health problems veterans frequently face. This course is only offered in the Fall semester.
- SWRK 7770: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an evidence-based treatment for mental health problems (e.g. depression) that is approved and used by the Veterans Administration. The course is offered in the Fall or Spring semester.
Both of these specialty courses will provide enhanced training for MSW students seeking a career path in veteran affairs
Rotational Field Seminars
The purpose of a Rotational Field Seminar model is to offer enhanced value-added learning opportunities for MSW students in order to pursue specialized mental health skills, practice and competence to work with veterans, families, and military personnel. The Rotational Field Seminars provide students with professional development experiences that offer them the opportunity to learn from and with each other. Seminars serve to integrate field and didactic learning, to introduce students to other areas of military social work, to promote networking and learning from local experts in the VAMC, and to create a broader veteran’s service network.
Standardized Clinical Patient Training
The Standardized Clinical Patient Training Program offers MSW students the opportunity to test their clinical and communication skills among hospital-based patients (who are veterans) with the following enhanced learning experiences:
The Standardized Clinical Patient Training Program offers MSW students the opportunity to test their clinical and communication skills among hospital-based patients (who are veterans) with the following enhanced learning experiences:
- Controlled environment where students develop their approach to veteran care.
- Clinical practice of assessment, diagnostic, and interpersonal skills.
- Reliable and valid quality assurance to assess learners on their progress.
- Digital video of clinical sessions are accessible to students online.
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