Growing Global Social Work
Author(s)
GSSW
Communication Team
GSSW’s new Global Social Work Certificate gives MSW students the skills and knowledge needed to work cross-culturally
Beginning this fall, students at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work (GSSW) can add a certificate in Global Social Work to their MSW.
“It made sense to focus on global practice in a certificate because then students in any pathway could take it,” says certificate coordinator and Professor of the Practice Ann Petrila, director of Global Practice Bosnia. “Whether they work domestically or internationally, students can expand their perspective and see the many ways we’re interconnected in the world. Students who take the certificate will end up with a much broader worldview and understanding of historical issues that helped us to get here and how we can move forward.”
Certificate courses cover topics such as ethical considerations when working in communities other than one’s own, and injustices and inequalities in the context of domestic and international policies and agreements. Students develop the skills necessary for approaching international social work practice with cultural curiosity and humility. “We look at how we practice social work in the United States and how it looks different elsewhere,” explains Petrila, who works in Bosnia with survivors of genocide and co-authored a recent book about their experiences. “What do we need to know about working cross-culturally when systems such as mental health care are set up so differently? Are there things we do here that are applicable, and how do other places and communities organize themselves to impact change? What can we share and how can we partner — always with the cautionary note that we’re not the saviors of the world.”
Students also participate in Let’s Go Global, a series of monthly trainings and activities related to international social work. Although the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted international travel, students will also have the option to take courses or complete internships abroad once travel resumes.
