Securing Internships

In the Foundation Year you are assigned to internships that will fulfill the requirements for developing your generalist social work practice skills. Advanced Concentration Year students are asked to list some of their choices for internships. Although the Practicum Education Department will make every effort, we cannot guarantee that students will be assigned to one of these choices. Students who perform social work-related jobs at their place of employment may wish to consider an Employment-Basedfield placement. Final approval of field sites and instructors is at the discretion of our practicum education department.

You will find lots of information about internships in the Practicum Manual. If you would like to propose an internship site, you will need to fill out a Proposed Field Site Form and make sure the internship meets the following criteria. If you work in a social service job (case aide/manager, CASAC, etc.), you may qualify for employment based placement, as long as you and your agency meet the criteria and your role is a new assignment with a qualified new practicum instructor (not your current supervisor.)

Criteria for All Internships:

Assignments must follow the plan approved by the Graduate School of Social Work Practicum Development Department. The practicum liaison must be notified immediately of any changes.

1. Foundation Year Assignments
• Direct service assignments provide students with experience in pre-encounter, engagement, exploration, contracting, assessment, ongoing interventions and termination.
• Assignments may include a variety of organization and community work, casework and collateral contacts.
2. Advanced Concentration Year Assignments
• Clinical assignments in the second year provide the students with ongoing counseling opportunities that will further develop engagement, assessment and intervention skills.
• Assignments may include individual group, family and collateral contacts.
• Students should have the opportunity to work with a variety of issues.
3. A qualified practicum instructor must be assigned. Qualifications include 3 years post-MSW experience, an LMSW, and the Seminar in Practicum Instruction (SIPI). If your internship is employment-based, the Employment-Based Practicum Instructor must differ from the intern’s regular supervisor AND cannot serve as the practicum instructor for more than 1 academic year.
4. The student’s assignment must be appropriate as a practicum and accommodate the student’s educational needs in the following ways:
1. The assignment should be considered an educational experience and should be limited in size and scope based on number of hours.
2. The level of assignment must be consistent with the student’s learning needs in the internship.
3. The assignment must include at least one hour per week of individual supervision, plus available time for other learning opportunities.
4. Process Recordings:
   Full-time interns are responsible for writing a minimum of 2 process recordings weekly for the practicum instructor to review and utilize as a teaching tool. Part-time interns must submit at least 1 process recording weekly. These process recordings should follow school guidelines.

Criteria for Eligible Internship:

Students must complete 600 hours of field placement per academic year.

Full-Time (21 Hours) practicum assignment includes:

• 10 – 14 hours of direct service assignments.
  (Client contact, collateral contacts)
• 1 hour of practicum instruction
• 1 hour for process recordings.
• Staff meetings, team conferences, in/service training.

Part-Time (15 Hours) practicum assignment includes:

• 7 – 10 hours of direct service assignments.
• 1 hour of practicum instruction.
• 1 hour for process recordings.
• Staff meetings, team conferences, in/service training.

Criteria for Eligible Employment-Based Internship:

An employment-based intern must complete 450 hours of an internship per academic year, in an assignment different from his/her regular work responsibilities that includes a change of program and/or population served.

Full-Time (15 Hours/Week) practicum assignment includes:

• 7 – 10 hours of direct service assignments.
• 1 hour of practicum instruction.
• 1 hour for process recordings.
• Staff meetings, team conferences, in-service training.

Part-Time (11.5 Hours/Week) practicum assignment includes:

• 6 – 8 hours of direct service assignments.
• 1 hour of practicum instruction.
• 1 hour for process recordings.
• Staff meetings, team conferences, in-service training.