Understanding System

CLI TC556 - Understanding System-Involved Youth

Credits: 2

This two-credit course integrates didactic and experiential components in considering the challenges and triumphs of urban youth, particularly youth of color who are involved in state-sponsored systems of care.  The didactic portion involves a weekly seminar that focuses on the psychological, social, economic and historical aspects of urban marginalization.  By so doing, the seminar introduces students to many of the challenges that urban youth face and offers consideration of the factors that can lead to successful navigation of those challenges.  Special attention will be paid to the ongoing and pernicious experience of street trauma as an outgrowth of current racial and economic oppression. The experiential component of the course will involve ongoing conversations with incarcerated youth and young adults for the purposes of understanding their visions for the future as well as the factors that led to their incarceration.  Students will also receive training in mentoring as part of the experiential component of the course.  Overall, the core principle of the course is that in order to support system-involved youth, the emerging clinician must understand where they come from, the challenges they face, the barriers that hold them back, and the assets that can lead to resilience. 

Pre-requisites: CS600/605, LS659, CC522 (Clinical), LS659, CC522, FP501/502 (School), LS659, CC524, CN501/502 (Counseling)