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 […]
Integrating Theory With Practice
Since my last post, I have been essentially settling into the routine of seeing between 8 and 9 patients a week at my placement in addition to the twice weekly group sessions, the weekly social work seminar and the other routine fixed weekly items on my agenda. The work that I am finding the most […]
Social Work in Advocacy and Public Policy
Are you interested in pursuing a career in advocacy or public policy? Melinda Lewis advises you to: “Choose an organization that you’re excited about not, just a job description that sounds good… also an understanding of how policy systems work, how to build organizational strength, and how change happens.” This week, I had the honor of interviewing […]
What Is Social Work In Child Welfare Like?
Many people are rather confused as to what child welfare social workers do, especially in light of how the media portray their role. @SocialJerkBlog, a social worker employed in the field of social work, describes her typical day as including “some parent training with clients. This can be working on behavioral charts and disciplinary consistency, […]
