Practicum Sequence
From September through April, you are encouraged to focus exclusively on your learning in your internship.
The Smith SSW internship is a unique and intensive learning opportunity that provides you with one of the most advanced training opportunities found in graduate education. With sites across the country, Smith has partnered with some of the finest training institutes, providing you with a breadth of clinical experience unmatched by other social work programs.
During your two supervised internships periods, you will work directly with clients (as individuals or groups), supported by on-site supervisors and training directors at our affiliated centers and by our faculty advisers. Your work with your adviser will include assignments such as monthly narrative and statistical reports, developing a learning plan, an issue-oriented report, and a major case study.
Our Office of Practicum Learning also provides additional training and support through integrative practicum seminars throughout the year. Each summer when you return to campus, you will bring all your learning back into the classroom, enriching the experience and your understanding of your coursework.
Core Courses
SOCW 510 Preparing for First Year Practicum (1 Quarter Hour)
Coordinating Sequence: Practicum
Fulfills: SSW Core Course
This 2-day intensive will prepare students to maximize practicum learning opportunities while removing the mystery and performance anxiety related to starting the practicum.The course will:Introduce key practicum experiences and concepts, such as professional ethics, dual roles, being observed & evaluated, managing conflict and role as learner Explore and practice methods that can enhance critical thinking and problem solving skills Provide skills to successfully navigate the complexities of working with colleagues, supervisors and agencies The course takes place the first month of Winter Term (virtually)
Winter
SOCW 580 Practicum Instruction in Social Work (30 Quarter Hours)
Coordinating Sequence: Practicum
Fulfills: SSW Core Course
M.S.W students are assigned a practicum for 30 hours per week for a period of 34 weeks from September through the end of April, with a two week mid winter break and additional periods of vacation and independent study both prior to and following the practicum period. First year practicum is specifically chosen to provide students a strong general foundation for clinical social work practice.
Winter
SOCW 581 First Year Practicum Learning Seminar (2 Quarter Hours)
Coordinating Sequence: Practicum
Fulfills: SSW Core Course
The First Year Practicum Learning Seminar is designed to provide an opportunity for students to integrate theoretical concepts from the classroom with the experiential learning gained in practicum settings. The seminar will help students to integrate social work frameworks, perspectives and practice models derived from theories of human behavior in the social environment on micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice, and deepen understanding of how context shapes practice when working with individuals, family systems, groups, organizations and communities. Through the use of case presentations and peer learning, the course will create opportunities for students to deepen learning, understanding, and application of CSWE competencies. If students are enrolled in the perspectives of clinicians of color, the course will also illuminate particular issues related to practicing as a clinician of color. The course meets for 10 sessions September-April for 2 hours/month.If students are enrolled in a section that uses simulation-based education, students will practice knowledge, skills, and demeanor in a supportive environment. In January seminar sessions, student volunteers will have an opportunity to practice with an actor who is trained to portray the kind of individual students might encounter in an agency setting. Students will have the opportunity to give and receive reflections from the instructor and peers.
Winter
SOCW 680 Practicum Instruction in Social Work (30 Quarter Hours)
Coordinating Sequence: Practicum
Fulfills: SSW Core Course
M.S.W. students are assigned a practicum for 30 hours a week for a period of 34 weeks from September through the end of April, with a two week mid-winter break and additional periods of vacation and independent study both prior to and following the practicum period. The second year internship offers an opportunity not only to deepen clinical skills and experience, but to develop areas of specialization within the profession.
Winter
SOCW 681 Second Year Practicum Learning Seminar (2 Quarter Hours)
Coordinating Sequence: Practicum
Fulfills: SSW Core Course
The Second Year Practicum Learning Seminar is designed to support second year students' academic learning process during their practicum. The goal is to foster students' abilities to successfully engage with and integrate multiple conceptual frameworks into direct clinical practice. The seminar will revisit summer course content to provide further continuity and integration during the second year practicum. Students will present their own clinical work and critically examine the treatment process including: systemic and structural dynamics in which the therapeutic relationship unfolds, internal transferential and countertransferential dynamics, and meaning making processes that inform treatment formulations, interventions, and evaluation. The course meets for 10 sessions September-April for 2 hours/month.
Winter