Clinical School Social Work Practice

Hybrid Online and In-Person Post-Master’s Certificate Program

Demand for high-quality school-based mental health services is at an all-time high. To help upskill social workers currently practicing in or adjacent to schools to meet the growing and changing needs of youth and families, NYU Silver is offering this year-long Post-Master’s Certificate Program. It provides comprehensive training in school social work practice with a focus on culturally responsive and evidence-based practices, harnessing emerging technologies, effective leadership in school social work, and crisis intervention. 

Through the program, which is under the umbrella of our School Social Work Training Academy, you will develop a critical lens and advanced skills to create positive and sustainable change within educational settings.

Open to those with at least two years of post-MSW experience working with children and families, the 41-CE contact hour program is tailored to the busy schedules of school social workers. 

Students will engage in four, five-session virtual course modules throughout the year, focusing on current trends in school social work practice. They will also participate in two in-person sessions at the end of each semester bringing together students and instructors for collaborative learning and inquiry at NYU Silver’s main building in the heart of Greenwich Village.

Program Highlights: 

• Rigorous: All courses are taught by seasoned school social workers with extensive experience in New York City Public Schools and charter schools. 
• Flexible: The hybrid format of online and in-person learning is tailored to the busy schedules of practicing school social workers.
• Research-informed: Courses expand on MSW-level content by highlighting current research and intervention. 
• Practical: The certificate program provides real-world applications, equipping you with cutting-edge tools and techniques for interacting with students, families, and school communities.
• Career-enhancing: After the program, you will receive a certificate in School Social Work from NYU Silver School of Social Work.

Courses

• Course #1: Anti-Oppressive & Anti-Racist Clinical School Social Work Practice
  
• Course #2: Advanced Clinical Crisis Intervention in Schools 
• Fall Learning Collaborative  
• Course #3: School Social Work Leadership 
• Course #4: Use of Data and Technology in School Social Work Practice  
• Spring Learning Collaborative

Ten synchronous Zoom sessions are scheduled for both the fall and spring semesters on Wednesday nights from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. After each semester, all participants and instructors will convene for a full day of collaborative learning. This gathering aims to foster a sense of community and facilitate the integration of knowledge gained from the online sessions.

Fall 2024

Anti-Oppressive & Anti-Racist School Social Work Practice (5:00-6:30 PM)

• September 4, 11, 18, 25
• October 2

Advanced Clinical Crisis Intervention in Schools (5:00-6:30 PM)

• October 16, 23, 30
• November 6, 13

Learning Collaborative (9:00 AM - 2:30 PM)

• November 20

Spring 2025

School Social Work Leadership (5:00-6:30 PM)

• January 8, 15, 29
• February 5, 12

Use of Data & Technology in Clinical School Social Work (5:00-6:30 PM)

• March 5, 12, 19, 26
• April 2

Learning Collaborative (9:00 AM - 2:30 PM)

• April 5

This certificate requires the completion of four course modules and participation in two in-person collaborative learning days.  Assignments include weekly readings and a final learning assessment in the form of a project. 

Applying to this program requires an MSW and at least two years of post-MSW experience in direct school social work or related professional services provided within or adjacent to the school environment. For questions about eligibility, please contact Dr. Gabriella McBride.

Gabriella McBride, LCSW, DSW

Gabriella McBride, LCSW, DSW, earned her MSW degree from CSSW in 2006 and DSW from NYU in 2023. Following a supervisory role at New York Foundling, she joined Mott Haven Academy Charter School in 2009, where she served as a Founding Social Worker and the Director of Social Services until 2021. Gabriella has supervised MSW students since 2007 and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at NYU Silver since 2016. Gabriella's teaching is influenced by critical pedagogy, aiming to transform social work practice both within the classroom and in practicum placements. Gabriella's interest in the scholarship of teaching and learning focuses on adjunct pedagogical training, the use of simulation in social work education, and the framework of dialogic pedagogy as an anti-racist teaching practice. Gabriella is launching the School Social Work Training Academy at NYU Silver School of Social Work, a program dedicated to training school social workers serving youth and families in New York City.  Gabriella is excited to have assumed the presidency of the New York State Social Work Education Association (NYSSWEA) board of directors and to be part of the community of scholars and educators. Gabriella is also a proud mama of two beautiful children.

Marina A. Badillo-Diaz, LCSW, SIFI

Dr. Marina A. Badillo-Diaz, LCSW, SIFI, is an experienced school administrator and counseling director with a demonstrated history of working in community mental health and in education as a social worker. Currently, Dr. Badillo-Diaz is a consultant focusing on the training of educators and social workers with MABD Consulting. She is also an adjunct professor and board member of the National School Social Work Association of America. She is also the author of the blog, “The AI Social Worker”, a 21st Century Skills and AI guide for Social Workers. Her areas of interest include 21st-century skills, social-emotional learning programming, school social work practice, education, youth mental health, clinical supervision for social workers, AI Applications, data management, and workforce & career development.

Jessica Chock-Goldman, DSW, LCSW

Dr. Jessica Chock-Goldman, DSW, LCSW is the Director of Clinical Services/Social Worker at Bard High School Early College of Manhattan. She is the former School Social Worker at Stuyvesant High School. She received her Doctorate of Social Welfare in Clinical Social Work at NYU School of Social Work focusing on restructuring how mental health and suicidal ideation are addressed within the Department of Education (DOE). She is an adjunct professor at NYU School of Social Work, and Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, and has taught numerous Continuing Education Workshops on Culturally Responsive Suicide Prevention and Intervention in Schools to MSW students and clinicians. She has two years of advanced clinical training at the Ackerman Institute for the Family, received her MSW from NYU School of Social Work, and her BA from Oberlin College.

Krystal Folk-Nagua, DSW

Dr. Krystal Folk-Nagua, DSW, is a Black feminist and abolitionist social worker passionate about dismantling the school-to-prison pipeline and advocating for and advancing the lives of Black and Brown youth and women. She is an Adjunct Professor at NYU Silver School of Social Work and was previously the Director of Social Work at a Charter middle school. Dr. Folk-Nagua has previous experience as a therapist at an alternative to incarceration program and as a forensic social worker at a public defender’s office. Dr. Folk-Nagua sits on the board of the School Social Workers Association of America (SSWAA) and the New York State School Social Work Association (NYSSWA). She received her DSW from NYU, her MSW from Columbia School of Social Work, and her BSW from the University at Albany.

Abigail Levites, DSW, LCSW

Abigail Levites, DSW, LCSW is a School Social Worker for the NYC Department of Education. While receiving her MSW in 2013, Abigail worked at Passages Academy, the school system for youth in juvenile detention and placement. After graduation, Abigail began working in transfer schools, sparking her passion for helping previously disengaged youth obtain their education. In 2017, she became a founding School Social Worker for Judith S. Kaye High School, a transfer school in District 79 aimed at serving youth involved in the criminal legal system. She received her DSW from NYU in 2023 with a focus on abolition social work and the structural inequalities of the public education system in NYC and beyond. Abigail utilizes abolition theory as a guiding framework for her social work practice, as well as all other areas of her life.

41 NYSED and ASWB/ACE Continuing Education Contact Hours will be awarded for this program. For participants who are looking to fulfill the required CE’s on maintaining professional boundaries, you can participate in NYU Silver's Self Study free of charge (an additional 3.0 Continuing Education Contact Hours).

55 jurisdictions accept ACE-approved provider CE contact hours. ACE is not an approved Continuing Education provider in the states of New York (though NYU Silver is NYSED CE approved in NYS) and West Virginia, unless the event is outside of West VA. ACE only approves individual courses in New Jersey, though NYU Silver is CSWE-accredited and therefore accepted for licensed NJ professionals. Here is a full list of statutes related to social work CE.

Access the Post-Master's Certificate application here.

The following is required for the application: 

• Application (inclusive of statement of interest in application)
• Professional Recommendation Letter (in application)
• Resume & Cover Letter (in application)

The cost of this certificate program is $2,800, which includes tuition and the cost of an online compendium of readings.
Application Fee: $50

Cost Breakdown:

• Anti-Oppressive School SW Practice (7.5 CEs): $538.43 (due in the fall semester)
• Advance Clinical Crisis Intervention in Schools (7.5 CEs): $538.43 (due in the fall semester)
• Fall Learning Collaborative (5.5 CEs): $323.10 (due in the fall semester)
• SSW Leadership (7.5 CEs): $538.43 (due in the spring semester)
• Use of Data & Technology in CSSW (7.5 CEs): $538.43 (due in the spring semester)
• Spring Learning Collaborative (5.5 CEs): $323.10 (due in the spring semester)

Total Tuition - $2,800.00

Available discounts include:

• 25% discount for NYU Silver School of Social Work MSW/DSW/PhD alumni
• 25% discount for practicum instructors currently working with NYU Silver School of Social Work graduate students
• 15% discount for applicants who have already completed one NYU Silver certificate program
• 15% discount for employees of New York City Public Schools

Please note: discounts may not be combined.

Deposit: To secure your place in the program, you must pay a $250 non-refundable deposit upon acceptance. This deposit is applied to the total cost of tuition and is due two weeks after you are admitted.

Refund Policy for Early Withdrawal
The $250.00 program deposit is non-refundable. Students who withdraw before the first class will be refunded 100% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students who withdraw after up to and including two (2) sessions will be refunded 70% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students who withdraw after up to and including four (4) sessions will be refunded 55% of their fees (minus the deposit). Students who withdraw after four (4) sessions will receive no refund.