Anti-Oppressive Psychodynamic Social Work Practice
Program Overview
The Post-Graduate Clinical Certificate in Anti-Oppressive Psychodynamic Social Work Practice is an advanced clinical training program for practicing social workers and allied mental health professionals. The certificate integrates psychodynamic theory with anti-oppressive, trauma-informed, and equity-oriented social work frameworks to support relationally grounded, ethically attuned clinical practice.
The program focuses on how unconscious processes, power, identity, and systemic oppression shape therapeutic relationships, assessment, and intervention. Learners develop advanced skills in working with transference and countertransference, internalized oppression, clinical rupture and repair, and the emotional complexity of practice across diverse settings.
Program Structure
Total Modules: 12
Total Instructional Hours: 60 CE hours
Format: Fully online, asynchronous
Estimated Duration: 9–12 months (self-paced)
Assessment Model: 100% auto-graded interactive assessments
Delivery Platform: Thinkific with H5P interactivity and Motrain gamification
Each module is equivalent to 5 CE hours and includes structured instructional content, applied case material, reflective activities, and auto-graded assessments.
Intended Audience
This certificate is designed for:
Registered social workers and clinical social work practitioners
Therapists and counsellors working in community, healthcare, or private practice settings
Clinicians seeking post-graduate depth training in psychodynamic and anti-oppressive practice
Supervisors and senior clinicians wanting to strengthen relational and ethical decision-making
Graduate-level clinical training or equivalent professional experience is expected.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the certificate, participants will be able to:
Apply psychodynamic and anti-oppressive theories to clinical social work practice with marginalized populations.
Analyze how power, social location, and unconscious processes shape therapeutic relationships.
Recognize and respond to internalized oppression, bias, and identity conflict in clinical work.
Navigate transference, countertransference, and therapeutic ruptures with ethical clarity.
Design culturally attuned, trauma-informed, and justice-oriented clinical interventions.
Evaluate institutional and systemic influences on practice using psychodynamic and critical frameworks.
Foster psychological safety and resilience within therapeutic and professional relationships.
Curriculum Outline
Level 1 – Foundations of Anti-Oppressive Psychodynamic Practice
Goal: Establish core concepts linking psychodynamic theory, social work values, and anti-oppressive practice.
Module 1: Mapping the Terrain: Psychodynamic Theory & Anti-Oppression
Module 2: Transference, Power, and Positionality
Module 3: The Diagnostic Imagination and Its Limits
Module 4: Identity Conflicts and Internalized Oppression
Estimated Hours: 20 CE hours
Level 2 – Applied Clinical Practice
Goal: Develop practical skills for case formulation, intervention, and ethical decision-making.
Module 5: Unconscious Defenses in Marginalized Lives
Module 6: Intersectional Dynamics in the Therapy Room
Module 7: Ethics of Holding Complexity
Module 8: Political, Cultural, and Collective Contexts in Clinical Work
Estimated Hours: 20 CE hours
Level 3 – Advanced Integration & Praxis
Goal: Integrate theory and practice while addressing organizational and systemic dynamics.
Module 9: Organizational Shadows and Social Work Identity
Module 10: Somatics, Affect, and Embodied Knowing
Module 11: Politicized Clinical Practice and Collective Trauma
Module 12: Integration and Case-Based Synthesis
Estimated Hours: 20 CE hours
Learning Activities & Time-on-Task (Per Module)
Each 5-CE-hour module includes:
On-Screen Learning (2.0 hrs): Conceptual lectures, applied examples, and clinical illustrations
Guided Reflection (1.0 hr): Structured prompts connecting theory to participants’ clinical work
Interactive Application (1.0 hr): Case-based scenarios and decision-making pathways
Assessment (1.0 hr): Auto-graded quizzes or applied knowledge checks
All instructional and assessment activities are completed within the learning platform and count toward CE credit.
Assessment & Certification Requirements
To earn the certificate, learners must:
Complete all 12 modules
Achieve passing scores on auto-graded assessments
Complete required reflective and interactive activities
There are no written papers, oral exams, or live attendance requirements. Progress is tracked digitally through the learning platform.
Accessibility & Learning Design
The program is designed to meet accessibility and inclusion standards:
Captioned videos and downloadable transcripts
Plain-language instructional materials
Trauma-informed framing and content warnings where appropriate
Flexible pacing to accommodate diverse learning needs
Continuing Education & Ethical Scope
This certificate aligns with continuing education standards for clinical social work and allied mental health professions. Content focuses on clinical practice, ethics, supervision-relevant decision-making, and systemic analysis.
The program does not include business development, administrative management, or personal wellness content unrelated to clinical practice.
Certificate Award
Upon successful completion, participants receive a Post-Graduate Clinical Certificate in Anti-Oppressive Psychodynamic Social Work Practice indicating 60 CE hours earned. This certificate may be used for continuing education documentation, professional development portfolios, and post-graduate training records, subject to jurisdictional requirements.
