Certificate Programs

As an MSW student, you may pursue a certificate in a specific area of social work practice. Through a structured program path made up of courses that build upon one another, you will develop the skills and understanding needed to serve populations in an area of practice that interests you.

With your application to the MSW program, you may apply to a certificate program in Practice With Groups & Families, Mental Health Practice, or Trauma Practice. In each certificate program, you will learn from Simmons faculty who are experts in these knowledge areas, gain hands-on experience in the field, and be able to graduate as a confident clinician prepared to work in your area of focus.

Practice With Groups & Families

The Practice With Groups & Families certificate will prepare you with the enhanced clinical capacity to work with complex client systems, particularly groups and families. Through this certificate program, you will:

  • gain the skills to deliver evidence-based treatment to members of groups and families
  • learn to implement best practice models in serving clients in this practice area
  • explore how systems issues such as oppression and discrimination impact families and groups

You will graduate from this certificate program with the expertise needed to work in settings such as schools, hospitals, hospice centers, legal justice facilities, and community counseling agencies, as well as inpatient treatment programs and substance use programs.

Courses include:

  • Best Practices in Group Work
  • Advanced Group Work With Vulnerable Populations
  • Family Approaches
  • Narrative Approaches to Social Work Practice

Trauma Practice

The Trauma Practice certificate prepares you with the enhanced clinical skills to work with populations and individuals affected by trauma. This program sequence will prepare you to serve diverse clients including children, adults, couples, families, and groups. You will be prepared to aid these populations in settings such as schools, universities, mental health centers, immigrant and refugee centers, legal and prison systems, inpatient and outpatient hospitalization programs, and psychotherapeutic environments.

Courses include:

  • Crisis Intervention With Children & Adolescents
  • Child and Adolescent Trauma
  • Lifespan of Trauma Treatment: Adults and Families
  • Attachment and Neurobiology in Social Work Practice

Mental Health Practice

The Mental Health Practice certificate will prepare you to help individuals and populations affected by serious mental health conditions, including concurrent health conditions, achieve wellness and recovery. Through this certificate program, you will gain the skills to:

  • address the stigma and discrimination that impede the health of these populations
  • deliver evidence-based treatments and best practice approaches to manage client symptoms
  • work in collaboration with families, external teams, and supports services
  • take on a role as provider and advocate for those living with mental illnesses

Courses include:

  • Perspectives on Severe and Persistent Mental Illness
  • Social Work Practice in Health Care
  • Evidence-Based Approaches in Social Work Practice
  • Cognitive Behavioral Approaches and Treatment