Keeping safe: teaching undergraduate social work students about interpersonal violence

Abstract

While most social work graduates will not practice in organizations specializing in the threat or aftermath of violence, they will encounter clients affected by interpersonal violence and trauma in almost all fields of practice. Therefore, the social work curriculum should provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to work with these clients. In developing a suitable curriculum it is important to be mindful of the adverse reactions students might experience when exposed to traumatic material, especially those who have experienced prior trauma. This article discusses a third-year social work course that examined social work interventions in response to interpersonal violence, with a focus on sexual assault and domestic violence. It describes four “safety strategies” implemented in 2010; (a) ongoing recognition of, and education about, self-care and vicarious trauma, (b) development of a supportive culture in the classroom, (c) accessible avenues of personalized support and debriefing, and (d), providing transparent and diverse curriculum. Finally, it draws from relevant research and student feedback to discuss the strengths and limitations of each “strategy.”