The other day at my placement was particularly difficult for me. One of my clients, let’s call her S, came in after having cut herself a few days earlier and as I questioned her, I learned that she had some suicidal ideation. In layman’s terms, this means that she expressed some wishes or fantasies about […]
Social Work in Substance Abuse
As per Dr. Straussner, “if one is interested in learning and being challenged, it’s [the substance abuse area] a wonderful field. The knowledge of addictions treatment will come in handy no matter where one works.” Dr. Straussner is a professor of social work at NYU’s Silver School of Social Work. Aside from being a lecturer, […]
Social Work Internship: 10th week
This was a busy week with my conducting seven one-on-one sessions, having two intakes, making a presentation to two women groups, as well as attending a seminar on the role of social workers in within the oncology and palliative care arena. In terms of the individual sessions, two of the seven appointments were with new […]
Social Work Career Advice from a Dean: MSW to PhD Journey
Social work career advice from Dean Nancy Smyth, PhD: her path from MSW to Dean, why MSW is just the beginning, 10+ essential clinical competencies for private practice (substance abuse screening, mental health assessment, domestic violence, trauma, dissociation, CBT, MI, record-keeping), women in academia challenges, virtual reality therapy applications, and trauma-informed care integration.
Social Work Internship: 7th Week
To give an update, since my last post, I’ve started conducting one or two intake interviews per week as part of my regular clinical work. An intake interview essentially involves asking a prospective client various questions to find out who referred the client (self, inpatient psychiatry unit, emergency psychiatry unit), what is the client’s main […]
