Violence Prevention and Response

Reducing the Horror of Violence in Our Communities

Certificate Program Director: Marc Pilisuk, Ph.D [1]

The last 30 years have seen an upswing in violence. The incidents of 2012 are seared into our memory, from the street corners of Chicago to an elementary school in Connecticut, from a Sikh temple in Michigan to a movie theater in Colorado. Efforts to keep violence away from our cities, families, schools, and communities have been tried. But what violence prevention methods really work? How can they best be implemented? Answer these questions and gain practical experience making this world a more peaceful place.

This certificate combines practical intervention skills with an understanding of the psychological and social roots of violence and its counterpart, nonviolence. You may choose to specialize in a particular area of violence (e.g., domestic violence, youth violence, gang behavior, gun violence by the mentally ill) or you may wish examine the issue of violence prevention more broadly.

Who Should Take This Certificate Program

This certificate is designed for professionals (e.g., police officers, nurses, doctors, psychotherapists, teachers, educational administrators, consultants, judges, social workers, etc.), paraprofessionals (e.g., those working in the courts on a paraprofessional basis), and community activists who wish to create effective strategies for identifying, reducing, and/or eliminating violence in a variety of settings. Completion of this certificate will enable potential employers or other organizations to identify you as someone who has specialized, graduate level knowledge in the area of violence prevention and response.

Curriculum

The certificate in Violence Prevention & Response requires 16 units of coursework, including four three-credit courses, a professional, three-credit practicum, and a one-create integrative paper. Required Courses: STR 6510, STR 6515, STR 6530, and one approved elective. Faculty members will help you choose a meaningful set of courses to meet your educational goals.

Practicum: A three-credit practicum equivalent to one month of full-time effort is required. While each learner is responsible for creating his or her own practicum, Saybrook faculty members are available to provide ideas and guidance. The practicum must be directly involved with violence prevention or response to a specific issue.

Integrative Paper or Project: The last activity in the certificate program is writing a final paper that integrates what you've learned from the four courses and the practicum. This culminating assignment also gives you an opportunity to assess your strengths, identify further learning needs, and develop a specific plan for continuing your personal and professional development in the area of violence prevention and response.

Learning Objectives

Upon completing this certificate, students will:

• Have enhanced capacity to design violence prevention programs, guide successful intervention efforts, and conduct program evaluation research on these problems
• Understand theories about the origins of violence and non-violence
• Be familiar with theories of the origin of youth violence and intimate partner violence and be able to critically evaluate them
• Have a clear understanding of how different interventions relate to specific theories of violence
• Appreciate the cultural, ethical, political, economic and psychological aspects of the perpetration of violence and abuse.

Learning/Teaching Approach

Learning will take place through an individualized advising format. The director of the certificate will work with you to plan your courses and guide you in developing a professional practicum. For your courses, students will work one-on-one with instructors on a reading list and will write three essays for each course.

Your practicum section, which will be planned with an advisor, is tailored to your professional needs. For example, the practicum may involve hands-on training and practice in domestic violence counseling, or working in a school violence prevention program with a specialized community-based organization, public health program in government, or social service agency.

What's Next

For more information on this or other certificate programs, please complete the form on the right. You may check multiple options.

To enroll in this certificate as a non-degree student, go to Apply Online [2] and select the desired certificate option. This certificate is available to current Saybrook degree students in certain programs as part of, or in addition to, degree classes. Please contact Admissions [3] or your faculty advisor/mentor about enrolling.