Below is a listing of our Generalist Field Units. Click on a link to view a specific unit or scroll down to browse. Note that not all participating agencies listed may be able to take students in a specific year. The listings are meant to provide the students with a general idea of possible placements.
Social Work Practice in Community Agencies
Social Work Practice in Intellectual and other Disabilities
Social Work Practice in Public and Private Child Welfare
Social Work Practice with Older Adults
Social Work Practice in Community Agencies
This unit provides opportunities to work with human service agencies and community programs. The practice perspective is generalist social work in direct and indirect services for individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Also available is an opportunity to work in a multicultural agency setting serving persons of diverse ethnic, cultural, linguistic and national backgrounds. The primary purpose of the field placement and seminar is to provide generalist practice opportunities for the development, integration and application of the competencies that are met through observable behaviors. Theory and concepts learned in the classroom are integrated with practice opportunities, fostering the implementation of evidenced-informed practice.
The emphasis in this unit is on problem-solving and multi-method, evidence-informed interventions with active consultation, support, and teamwork from the student unit, agency staff, faculty, and other professional relationships. The integrative seminar provides an arena for student presentations, guest presentations, and other seminar activities. Content areas include learning styles; ethical dilemmas and ethical decision making; diversity; cultural competence; social justice and human rights; resiliency; dance movement therapy; grief, domestic violence; educational and advocacy services. Students have input on topics for lecture topics and guest presentations for second semester.
Social Work Practice in Intellectual and other Disabilities
This field unit’s focus is on social work with persons with intellectual and other disabilities and their families. Through direct and indirect practice students work with individuals, families, organizations and communities to enhance the quality of life for persons with disabilities. Guided by the principles of normalization, self – determination and inclusiveness, the focus is on creating and strengthening personal and environmental conditions that enable and support people with disabilities to lead satisfying lives in the community. Students complete their field work with community based agencies and organizations supporting people with disabilities and their families. The integrative seminar will utilize group work, faculty, student and guest presentations, multi – media and experiential activities.
Social Work Practice in Public and Private Child Welfare
This is both a public and private social service agency unit with practice including both direct and indirect services to clients. Most students are involved in direct practice which includes services to both voluntary and involuntary clients. Services include group and individual work, case management, client advocacy and case planning. Indirect services may include program planning, administration and evaluation. Placements in the public sector will include both child protection and foster care related positions.
The practice perspective is generalist social work in direct service to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. As an integral component of social work education, the primary purpose of the field placement and seminar is to provide generalist practice opportunities for the development, integration and application of key competencies that are met through practice. Theory and concepts learned in the classroom are integrated with practice opportunities, fostering the implementation of evidenced – informed practice. The educational focus for BSW and first year MSW students is on acquiring the competencies for entry level generalist practice.
Social Work Practice with Older Adults
This field unit provides field placements in a variety of agency, community, health care and institutional settings that primarily serve older adults. All of the field placements deal with issues of aging, community, mental health, policy, and institutions. The primary purpose of the field placement is to provide an opportunity for guided practical experience in social work settings so that students may acquire the knowledge, values, and skills essential for professional gerontological social work practice. This field unit provides opportunities for integrating theoretical content and knowledge with the practice experience. The practice perspective of the aging and mental health unit is generalist practice, which includes a problem – focused generalist approach with a special emphasis on: 1) direct service to older adults and their families; and 2) resource development and coordination. The course will continually analyze material with an ecosystem approach, building an understanding of micro, meso, and macro systems.
Students have the opportunity to develop skills in working with the individual, with groups, and at multiple levels of the person – in – environment interface. For example, placements may provide experience for developing the following skills: engagement, assessment, intervention, counseling, termination, case management, crisis intervention, planning and program development, inter – professional collaboration, interdisciplinary teamwork, advocacy, mobilization of resources and group work. Students are placed in diverse settings, ranging the entire spectrum of services for the long – term care and support of older adults, from working in agencies whose primary focus is providing supportive services to help maintain older adults in their own homes, to more formal institutional settings such as nursing homes.