SW 515 Practicum I

Field Practicum I provides an intensive, experiential opportunity for students to integrate coursework with practice, developing their understanding and application of the generalist person-in-environment framework while also establishing a solid generalist skill base that will be further developed as the progress through the program's specialized curriculum. In this course, students are assigned practicum placements to ensure that they are provided challenging learning opportunities and receive high-quality supervision from an on-site, program approved field instructor. Students are also provided with a faculty advisor to assure that placement-based learning objectives are aligned with the nine CSWE generalist core competencies. Prior to visiting their field placement, students receive training to support meaningful engagement, assessment, planning, and intervention activities with clients. To further bolster this initial toolkit, students are also exposed to basic principles and skills associated with Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Brief Therapy, and StrengthsBased Social Work Practice. Ultimately, the goal of this initial education and training is to ensure students enter their field placement with generalist knowledge and skills they can readily apply with beginning confidence as they work directly with clients. This generalist knowledge and skills also services as the foundation for more-specialized knowledge and skills students included in subsequent courses.

Credits

3

Offered

Annual Fall Semester