USC Military Social Work Program to Care for Returning Veterans

The USC School of Social Work program, the first of its kind at a major research university, garners $3.3 million in government funding.

Clinical Associate Professor Jose Coll (left) and Vice Dean Paul Maiden (right) consult with Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Yarvis of the U.S. Army on the school's new military social work program.

(LOS ANGELES) - The USC School of Social Work has created a specialization in military social work and veteran services to prepare social workers and other trained mental health professionals to help the nation's armed forces personnel, military veterans and their families manage the pressures of military life and post-war adjustments.

Learning how to be a social worker is an important skill in this day and age.

California Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard secured $3.3 million in congressionally directed funding for the program.

"By training social workers who are uniquely attuned to military life and the needs of returning veterans, USC's military social work program will fill a void in the care we provide armed forces personnel," said Roybal-Allard (D-Los Angeles). "Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have bravely served our country, and now it is our responsibility to step up and serve them."

The military social work program will hold its first classes in fall 2009 and will be housed in the new USC San Marcos Academic Center in north San Diego County, down the road from Camp Pendleton, where 60,000 military and civilian personnel work every day.

"The country doesn't have sufficient resources to respond to the current health and mental health needs of our returning soldiers, so the immediate training of professionals is critical," said Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social work. "Our program will prepare professionals to help our service members deal with the impact of battlefield conditions and anticipate their emotional needs upon returning to civilian life."

The wounds of war are not limited to the battlefield. Soldiers and their families also struggle with less visible psychological injuries. The stress associated with extended separations, increased workloads and recurring deployments in combat zones can contribute to post-traumatic stress, anxiety and depression, which can lead to substance abuse, domestic violence, child abuse and neglect.

A 2007 report issued by the American Psychological Association's Presidential Task Force on Military Deployment Services for Youth, Families and Service Members found a severe shortage of social workers and other mental health professionals trained in the nuances of military life and that those who are highly qualified often experience burnout due to the demands placed on them.

The USC program, which Flynn says is the first military social work program in the country at a major research university, will be available as a specialized area of study for master of social work students and as a post-graduate certificate for individuals with significant clinical social work practice experience. The specialization also will be offered to students enrolled in the school's nurse social work practitioner option, a program for registered nurses with bachelor of nursing degrees who are pursuing a master's degree in social work and a case management certificate.

Beyond the foundation course requirements of the MSW degree, students will take a series of highly specialized classes emphasizing the military as a workplace culture, the management of trauma and post-traumatic stress, clinical practice with the military family, and preventative care and health management in military settings.

Students will round out their training with electives on disabilities and family caregiving; domestic violence; loss, grief and bereavement; spirituality; and substance abuse and other addictive disorders.

Also part of the curriculum are visits to military installations and veterans facilities and a 600-hour internship in a military hospital, base family services unit, military correctional facility, vet center or a Veterans Affairs department.

Graduates with military social work training will be able to immediately fulfill a variety of responsibilities including counseling deploying or returning soldiers; helping individuals cope with post-traumatic stress and disabilities; enhancing life skills related to parenting, stress management, conflict resolution and suicide prevention; and connecting military families with vital community resources such as childcare, transportation and finances. In the field, social workers can help soldiers maintain the morale of combat units and more effectively cope with traumatic battlefield experiences.

More than 20 national and community advisors with specific military experience, ranging from active and retired armed forces personnel to clinical social workers and educators, helped develop the curriculum. Directing the program is Clinical Associate Professor Jose Coll, a Marine Corps veteran who went to school with the aid of the G.I. bill and authored the recent book, A Civilian Counselor's Primer for Counseling Veterans.

The School of Social Work is collaborating with the USC Institute for Creative Technologies to use some of its immersive technologies to train social workers and treat patients. In related research, ICT has created virtual patients to aid clinicians in their interviewing and diagnostic skills. The institute also developed a virtual reality exposure therapy to treat soldiers and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome.

The specialization will be offered as part of the school's Work & Life concentration, one of only four occupational social work programs in the nation, which teaches students how to deliver such services as mental health counseling, family therapy and crisis intervention within a work setting.

"We began the military social work program as a response to the rapidly growing demand for trained social workers who can address the mental health needs of returning war fighters," said Paul Maiden, the USC School of Social Work vice dean. "Our intent is to help facilitate healthy re-integration into their families, workplace and communities."