CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AND FURTHER EDUCATION

Employability:             Careers in clinical settings, research institutions; positions in academia and disaster management.

Further Studies:           Doctoral studies in Social Work.

PROGRAMME DELIVERY

Teaching and Learning Methods: Lectures, seminars, group work, field-based activities, research projects and individual independent study.

Assessment Methods: Written and oral examinations, tests, written and practical assignments, field reports and seminar presentations.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

On successful completion of the Master of Social Work (Clinical) programme the graduate will be able to:

•         Ability to provide direct clinical social work services to individuals, groups and families in need of emotional or mental support.
•         Demonstrate the ability to see and interpret clinical and social problems and opportunities through various theoretical lenses.
•         Ability to help individuals, groups and families locate resources and services to cope with life challenges and change their behaviours.
•         Demonstrate ability to evaluate and treat individuals who struggle with emotional, mental, or substance abuse issues using both individual and group therapy.
•         Ability to mobilise resources and engage in multiple stakeholder forums.
•         Demonstrate ability to plan, and execute social work research and utilisation of findings to inform clinical social work interventions.
•         Demonstrate understanding of the roles, principles and functions of supervision, management and administration within social welfare agencies.
•         Ability to formulate and undertake project management in the delivery of social welfare services. 
•         Ability to coordinate and work within an organisational structure offering integrated and diverse clinical social services.
  

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

Level 1 Semester 1

MSW731 Advanced Research Methods and Statistics                                18

MSW732 Management of Social Service Organisations                            18

MSW733 Advanced Social Work Theories and Approaches                     18

MSW734 Social Policy Theory and Practice                                              18

Level 1 Semester 2

MSW735Forensic Social Work                                                                   18

MSW Advanced Clinical Practice with Groups                                          18

MSW737Advanced Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families         18

MSW738 Family Systems and Relationship Therapy                                 18

MSW739Advanced Drugs and Substance Addiction Treatment                18

Level 2 Semester 1

MSW831 Work- Related Learning                                                             54

MSW832 Research Project                                                                         90

SYNOPSES

MSW731 Research Methods and Statistics

The purpose of this module is to enable students to apply qualitative and quantitative research methods, skills and techniques to real-life situations in social work practice settings. The module is specifically designed to suit the theoretical and practice demands of the social work profession. The module therefore seeks to equip students with advanced skills in such areas as research designs, theoretical foundations, observations, tools, research data analysis and compiling findings. The students will be able to apply relevant statistics in addressing social problems.

 MSW732 Management of Social Services

The purpose of this module is to assist students in gaining a deeper appreciation and understanding of social welfare organisations and their functions. It will assist students in having an advanced knowledge of the theories and principles that guide the practice of managing social welfare organisations and be able to consider the relevance of management theories in the management of social organisations in Zimbabwe and beyond. Focused attention shall be given to management roles and functions, inter alia, management theories, strategic management, authority delegation and decentralisation, human resource management, change management, innovation and control and stress and time management.

MSW733 Advanced Social Work Theories and Approaches

The module looks at the theoretical and philosophical foundations of social work at an advanced and in-depth level. It explores the various social theoretical approaches and subsequent paradigms that form the knowledge base of social work, identifying that the complexity of human beings, their contexts and social problems necessitates the generation of knowledge from diverse professional fields. The module looks at the theories, methods and philosophy of social work as well as the impact of globalisation on social work theory and practice. It also looks into the exploration, assessment and planning of social work interventions in various contexts. Change-oriented intervention theories, the person-in-environment perspectives, Theories for community social work inter and intra-personal theories in social work and the integration of theory and practise in social work are central issues in this module. At the end of this module, students must be able to contextualise, apply and implement the various advanced social work theories in specific settings to inform therapeutic, administrative and professional practice

MSW734 Social Policy Theory and Practice

The module seeks to expose students to an advanced theoretical and practical base to social policy-making processes and analysis within local, regional and global contexts. This is achieved through exposing students to the various theoretical and applied policy formulation theories and models. The module grounds students in such issues as the philosophical fundamentals of policy, conceptualising social policy, the history of social policy, and theoretical foundations of social policy conservatism, liberalism, neoliberalism, marxism, post-structuralism, and the political economy among others. It also looks into the policy-making process, agenda setting, advocacy coalition framework, policy coordination, the policy community or network and the multiple streams framework,he punctuated equilibrium, explaining stability and change in policy, policy implementation, theory and practice, and comparative social policy. Rational choice theory and policy evaluation are central to the module. The module produces a cadre who can produce policy papers, position papers, programme evaluation reports, fiscal analysis papers, and manuals among others. The module produces a student who is able to produce policy plans, briefs, and procedure manuals and the ability to demonstrate social work administration competencies.

MSW735 Forensic Social Work  

This module introduces students to the practice of forensic social work and the various fields and roles in which forensic social work is applied within the criminal justice system. Forensic social work is a critical practice in prisons, courts and juvenile centres. As such students shall be equipped with knowledge and skills in forensic social work with adult and juvenile offenders, appearing in court as expert witnesses, writing forensic background reports for courts and working on rehabilitation of drug and alcohol addiction in the criminal and juvenile justice system. Students shall also learn about forensic interviewing and evaluation techniques, forensic science techniques in social work and dealing with aggressive prosecutors when providing expert testimony on behalf of accused persons.

 MSW736 Advanced Clinical Practice with Groups

The purpose of this module is to equip students with advanced knowledge and skills utilised when using group work as a modality in the treatment or helping of individuals within the group work context. In this module, students shall be introduced to several group work theories and practice techniques for advanced practice. Students shall also learn about theories of group leadership, data gathering and assessment techniques. Topical issues in group work such as group stages, group dynamics, member roles, group processes, and individual and group goal setting shall be covered. Students shall also learn about the various types of groups and the facilitation skills required for the competent handling of group work processes.

MSW737 Advanced Clinical Practice with Individuals and Families

The module is designed to equip students with the ability to use appropriate clinical knowledge and skills in assessment and intervention processes when helping people suffering from a diverse range of ills. Building from knowledge gained at the undergraduate level, students deepen their understanding and practical application of various therapeutic models. Students shall learn the various counselling models used in advanced clinical practice. These include but shall not be limited to; Psychodynamic approaches, Experiential and relation-oriented therapies, and Cognitive behavioural approaches. Several theoretical models of crisis intervention and trauma counselling shall also be covered. Students shall also learn how to competently integrate various models and theories in the helping process. Among other core areas, the themes that will be covered in this module are; assessment, intervention, evaluation and discharge planning in psychotherapy, psychiatric assessment, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Loss, grief and mourning, case management within the child welfare system, child and adolescent psychiatry, palliative care, clinical intervention in school social work, supervision in clinical social work, ethics and research in clinical social work.

MSW738 Family Systems and Relationships Therapy

This module exposes clinical social work students to advanced therapeutic skills, techniques and theoretical models of family systems and relationships therapy. The module adopts an integrative approach that is designed to hone students’ ability to offer therapeutic intervention to families, couples and individuals. The module shall cover various topics which include but are not limited to; the family and family systems, premarital counselling, structural family therapy, strategic family therapy, solution-focused family therapy and narrative therapy. The module is designed to help clinical social work students develop their approach to family and relationships therapy while at the same time being able to use an integrative approach to family and relationships therapy that borrows from multiple theoretical perspectives. Self-knowledge is critical in family and relationship therapy, as such students are expected to reflect deeply on their own families, relationship experiences and cultural beliefs and explore how these factors may shape their own identity and practice as therapists.

 MSW739 Advanced Drugs and Substance Addiction Treatment

Drugs and substance addiction is a complex phenomenon that is caused by multiple factors which include among others, social, cultural, biological and economic factors. The module on introduction to substance and addiction rehabilitation is designed to equip clinical social work students with knowledge on how to work with recovering addicts in individual practice or as part of multi-disciplinary teams. The module shall cover various topics which include but are not limited to, types of addictions, theories of addiction, assessment and diagnostic formulation, treatment planning and facilitation of individual and group therapeutic sessions. Effective drug and substance addiction treatment involves a comprehensive approach that involves legal services, family services, educational services, medical and mental health services. To this end, the module buttresses the need for an ecosystem approach to drug and substance addiction treatment that requires the services of multi-disciplinary teams.

 MSW 831 Work-Related Learning

As part of the requirements for obtaining a Master of Social Work Degree in all areas, students are expected to embark on work-integrated learning. The duration of the placement shall be 3 months. The fieldwork component shall take place during the third and final semester. All placements of students should be done under the direct supervision of a qualified social worker in Clinical Social Work. Students are expected to undertake advanced tasks that are reflective of senior social work roles in Clinical Social Work.

MSW832 Dissertation

Research is a key component in designing models, implementing, monitoring and evaluating policies and programmes both at global, regional and national levels. The purpose of the Dissertation is for the students to showcase their ability to conduct innovative research. Each student is expected to come up with a research topic, write the research proposal, clearly articulate either the qualitative research methods or the quantitative research methods or both, the research design(s), research tools, data management and analysis, presentation and discussion of research findings. The dissertation course allows the students to provide valuable recommendations for policies and programmes that would result in the positive transformation of the socio-economic, religious and environment of the population. Such recommendations from the dissertation course would subsequently enhance societal innovation and industrialisation. Students are required to undertake research on a topic of their choice subject to approval by the Department. The selected topic shall be relevant to Clinical Social Work. The study should be undertaken under the guidance of a supervisor appointed by the Department. The minimum length of the dissertation shall be 16 000 words.

ELECTIVES

MSW 712 Scenario Planning

The science of scenario planning is one of the ways by which we can manipulatively adjust to and prepare for a future that we deem most desirable. This module introduces students to the science and practice of scenario planning. The module on scenario planning equips students with the ability to map future scenarios and how best organisations and countries not only shape but also prepare for any future eventualities. Students shall learn about the history, models and approaches to the practice of scenario planning. Using a hands-on methodology, students shall be taught to practical identify a key issue, analyse driving forces, map out scenario frameworks, communicate scenario stories and pursue strategies that lead to particular scenario outcomes.

MSW 713 Change Management Theory and Practice

This module introduces students to the science and practice of change management in organisations. Adaptation is critical if organisations are to remain relevant. Innovation, thoughtfulness and flexibility are critical elements of any change process. This module introduces students to change management, its history, its tenets, the various theories and models of change management and the psychology of change management. Within the organisational context, change management shall be approached as a multi-level practice requiring change and alignment at the individual, team and organisational level for change interventions to succeed.

MSW745 Advanced Project Management for Development Interventions

This module is designed to equip students with high-level competence in the design and implementation of development interventions in communities. The introductory part of the module covers, tools, techniques and methods that are commonly utilised in designing development interventions. The most critical aspects of the module focus on examining why development interventions often fail. Using case-based learning, students shall learn about the common pitfalls in project planning and implementation. Students shall learn about the efficacy of indigenous knowledge systems and approaches in programme planning and implementation. Development interventions shall be looked at as a science that needs to be grounded in the local context and implemented in a manner that leads to both material and mind liberation of beneficiary populations.