CEDARVILLE — Most people know someone — or have been someone — who has been through a crisis. But how prevalent are crises? And, how should we respond to a crisis, whether in our own lives or in the lives of those around us?

To help prepare future social work leaders and other professionals for crisis intervention, Cedarville University’s department of social work will offer a special topics course in crisis intervention beginning in August.

The specially designed course will lead students through a theological understanding of suffering that is intended to better equip them with practical skills to work through crises, including natural disasters, suicide, homicide and domestic violence.

Cedarville students from any academic discipline can take the course, which will be taught by Melissa Brown, assistant professor of social work. This is the second time the course has been offered at Cedarville.

One of the goals of the course is to train professionals in all fields to be better informed and prepared with practical skills to assist in a crisis situation. The information from the class is intended to make a crisis less intimidating for the future leaders.

“All of us come across the dark parts of life,” said Brown. “Regardless of what population you work with, you’re going to encounter people in crisis. While not everyone needs to be highly skilled in regard to crisis intervention, we can all grow in our comfortability in helping people in a time of crisis.”

The course is a combination of lecture and discussion, giving students plenty of opportunities to engage with the material, utilizing textbooks alongside Scripture.