Social Work Practice in the Opioid Crisis with Adolescents and Adults

Catalog description

Opioid use has been on the rise since the 1990’s. With the increase in use, there has been an increase in social problems. The most notable is overdose death related to opioid use. The wide availability of prescription opioids fueled the growth of Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) and has contributed to the emergence of heroin and fentanyl in communities across America. This course will teach social work students the knowledge needed to effectively provide integrated, interdisciplinary OUD and other Substance Use Disorder (SUD) prevention, treatment, and recovery services to a varied client population in high need and high demand areas. The student will acquire knowledge and understanding of the specific concerns of children, adolescents, and transitional-age youth. The course will cover adults and specialty populations including LGBTVQ, women, and persons with mental illness. The course will also explore the development of community-based services, recovery-oriented systems of care and the importance of addressing social determinants of health to create a recovery from OUD and other SUD in high need and high demand areas for people at risk for behavioral health disorders. The current opioid crisis will be reviewed to understand the policy and social changes that occurred which enabled the widespread availability of opiates to the general population. Opioid use disorder (OUD) will be discussed to deepen the student’s understanding of the biopsychosocial aspects of OUD. Class readings and discussions will focus on how varied populations have been affected by this crisis and look at effective social work interventions to address the needs of those they serve.