About

Preventing violence and related injury will require practitioners and researchers that understand and can impact the interrelated risk and protective factors. Families and individuals involved child maltreatment (CM), intimate partner violence (IPV), sexual violence (SV), and suicide attempts (SA) touch many systems (e.g., child welfare, law enforcement and the courts, medical care, mental health care, IPV shelters, etc.). This means that prevention training must reach beyond single disciplines. The goal of this certificate program is to prepare you to meet this challenge.

This package of courses, training opportunities and field experience focuses on violence and injury prevention in young families and among youth. For MSW students it is designed as an individualized concentration. For MPH students this program may be completed through elective credit and a specific Transdisciplinary Problem Solving course on child maltreatment. Students from other degree programs are also encouraged to participate and should contact the center for information about course packaging. Practica/field placement opportunities and faculty advising include both domestic and international foci. The program is open to graduate students at the Brown School as well as students from other universities.

Training incorporates both cutting edge research and new methods to approach transdisciplinary problem-solving. For example, certificate scholars will be introduced to concepts from systems thinking/system dynamics and their application to violence prevention through the Social System Design Lab.

Upon successful completion of the program you will receive a certificate of completion in addition to your graduate degree and a letter of recommendation from the center director that details your training and project work.

What is required?

Course Work

Recommended courses are drawn from a variety of schools and across campuses. Course grids are available for MSW, MPH and dual degree students. Students in other disciplines should contact the center to help with curriculum planning.

Practicum

2nd year practicum (MSW students) and/or field placement (for MPH only students) with an organization engaged in policy, research or direct services in violence and injury prevention.

Meetings and Trainings

You will be asked to attend research meetings and lectures to enhance your understanding and experience of violence prevention. Please keep proof of your attendance to provide at your exit interview.

Attendance at meetings and trainings further provide the transdisciplinary perspective and insure linkage between curriculum and the field. A listing of events you can attend can be found here. Please note that there is often a fee associated with these meetings which will be the student’s responsibility.

Evaluation

MSW and MPH students are encouraged to do their required evaluation or culminating experience related to preventing one or more of these forms of violence.

More Information

A list of courses can be found here. Please note that the course listings are being modified. If a course you took is not there, it could mean that the class is not being taught anymore, not that it does not count towards the requirement. Please contact us with any questions.

A brochure including FAQs can be found here. After enrolling in the program, you can track your curriculum progression using this checklist.

For more information and to enroll in the certificate program, please complete this form and email to bcvip@wustl.edu or mail to:

CVIP
1 Brookings Drive
MSC 1196-251-46
St. Louis, MO 63130

CVIP Alumnus

“The certificate program allowed me to dig deep into the multifaceted problem that interpersonal violence presents with students of various backgrounds, interests, and degree programs. Many doors opened for me because people knew that the skills and knowledge I gained from the program’s transdisciplinary approach trained me a how to be team player who could think critically about and problem-solve around complex social issues. My experiences with the certificate program’s field education and the classroom work fueled my desire to be a more holistic advocate for children–a lawyer who considers how a child’s physical, psychological, social, and economic needs are affecting his or her legal situation.”

Aubrey J.D. Edwards-Luce, MSW​
Washington University in St. Louis
School of Law