Culture and the Psychosocial Implications of Socioeconomic Position Part 3. Social Determinants of Health: Policy and Community Interventions

Course Summary

Important note about this learning material: This course is Part 3 of a three-part series designed for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors on the topics of culture and the psychosocial implications of socioeconomic position. Parts 1 and 2 of this series are companion courses. Part 1 for social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors can be found here; Social workers can find Part 2 here and psychologists, counselors, and marriage and family therapists can find Part 2 here. Although it is not necessary to read the companion courses with this course, the learner’s experience will be enriched by the information presented in Parts 1 and 2.

This content is similar to a different offering intended to meet California pre-licensure requirements for social workers, school psychologists, marriage and family therapists, and counselors on the topic of culture and the psychosocial implications of socioeconomic position. If you are seeking the California required courses, Part 1 is here, Part 2 is here, and Part 3 is here. Due to content overlap, participants should take either the California requirements or this course, but not both.

This learning material is Part 3 of a three-part learning series. Part 1 introduces the reader to the concept of social determinants of health (SDH) and specifically examines some of the health outcomes related to particular SDH on population groups in the United States highlighting California in particular. Part 2 expands upon these concepts by demonstrating application of SDH knowledge within a variety of existing clinical frameworks, as well as integration into assessment and treatment interventions. This third and final module in the series focuses on integration of these elements into the development of policy and interventions on mezzo- and macro- levels and on a public health scale. Current research regarding frameworks that consider SDH and think “outside the box” of traditional frameworks is presented, including Health At Every Size (HAES) and Fat Acceptance approaches to health management, Housing First (HF) interventions for individuals with substance use disorders, safe injection/overdose prevention sites, alternatives to the use of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health Disorders (DSM-5-TR) in mental healthcare, and prison abolition/restorative justice movements. Implications for the child welfare, immigration, education, health and health insurance systems in the U.S. are considered and explored, with current research and problem-solving possibilities presented. Additionally, compatibility with the use of SDH as a lens for understanding and developing interventions while considering codes of ethics and professional conduct from the NASW, APA, NBCC, and AAMFT is explored. Challenges found within penal codes and other legal standards and mechanisms are described and examined. This learning material culminates with vignettes that demonstrate the connection between clinical work and policy work using the lens of SDH.