Trauma Informed Practice Specialization
Our Trauma-Informed Care (TIC) approach to service provision takes into account an individual’s past, which may include trauma, and involves practices to reduce the risk of retraumatization. It is a systematic approach valuable to clinics and hospitals, schools, human service agencies, policy making spaces, and anywhere social work takes place.
Ranked #11 of affordable online Master of Social Work degrees in the U.S. by AffordableColleges.com, this distance education program is designed for individuals whose circumstances do not provide them the opportunity to attend on-site, campus-based MSW programs. The Foundation track is designed for individuals who do not have a social work undergraduate degree from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accredited program. If you do have an undergraduate degree from a CSWE accredited program, please review our Advanced Standing track.
Program features
- Students will learn an integrated approach to treating acute and complex forms of psychological trauma, including various cognitive and body-centered psychotherapies and approaches
- Based on the latest research regarding the effects of trauma on brain and body, students are trained on how to build client safety through mirroring and co-regulation, developing cognitive and somatic resiliency, and maintaining heart rate control
- Students are provided extensive opportunities to practice and refine techniques while under supervision
- The TIC Concentration is cutting-edge and the UNI MSW program is the only program in Iowa that offers this specialty
- Dedicated faculty who have strong relations with human service professionals and agencies
Take your career to the next level
- Students who receive their MSW from UNI pass the Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) exam at a rate that is higher than the national average.
- The UNI Department of Social Work has 153 partnerships in 40 Iowa communities that provide quality internships for students.
- A 2014 National Association of Social Workers, Iowa Chapter study shows an average $13,000 increase in salary for social workers who have earned their MSW versus those with an undergraduate degree.
Convenient course delivery
This program incorporates the same high standards and course workload expectations as the on-campus MSW program, but features the convenience of course delivery without the necessity of commuting to campus.
Courses are offered online using Blackboard, an online learning management system requiring Internet access and a web browser. Most courses will also meet Tuesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. (CST) via interactive video conferencing. Students study with the same group of adult learners for the duration of the program, networking with working professionals facing similar challenges.
This program is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). Accreditation verifies that the MSW degree meets the high standards considered essential to providing a high quality social work education, and ensures that every student graduating from a social work program in the U.S. possesses the same requisite skills and knowledge.