Preparing Social Workers to Respond to Emergencies and Human- Made Disasters: Introducing essential elements of Disaster Mental Health in MSW education

The United States is experiencing increased numbers of disasters; extreme weather events such as hurricanes, tornadoes and wild fires along with human-made disasters such as mass shootings and bombings. These disasters impact individuals, families, and whole communities with emergent basic needs such as temporary shelter, food and water, as well as psychological needs such as acute stress, grief and hopelessness (Halpern, Nitza & Vermeulen, 2019). Social workers are called to action as first responders and to aid in the ongoing healing process, yet most do not have pre-event training. This project provided an introduction to disaster mental health (DMH) training in MSW education through the development, implementation and evaluation of a learning module for specialized practice courses with the goal to strengthen the future social workers capacity to respond to disasters. The project was evaluated using an on-line, self-report, post-module survey. This study provides preliminary data and support that an introduction to the key concepts and skills of disaster mental health could be implemented in MSW coursework. The responses also indicated participants’ pedagogical strategy and future course interests with most identifying this content as an appropriate venue for practice courses; an option of an elective in DMH and/or the need for inter-professional education. The results could inform future curriculum decisions and offerings within MSW/ post- MSW education.