Field Placement

Managing Expectations in a Social Work Field Placement: How Mindset Took Me From Disappointment to High-Profile Press Event

Is your field placement disappointing or just not what you expected? By shifting your mindset, you can find something unexpected that brings you one step closer to your true potential.

A Not-So-Typical MSW Internship: 100% Remote

Being a student during the COVID-19 pandemic presented difficulty in finding an on-site field experience. It was time to consider something different—a 100% remote placement.

5 Tips for Success at Your Social Work Internship

Internships are outstanding opportunities to expand your knowledge with firsthand experience. You will learn about yourself and gain a greater understanding of the nuances of the profession. Here are 5 tips for success.

Create a Great Social Work Field Education Experience

Have you thought about taking on a social work student in your agency? A great agency field experience takes planning, careful interviewing, connections with nearby schools of social work, and careful integration of social work competencies.

5 Tips for Connecting Theory to Clinical Social Work Practice

Which model of practice am I using? How do I proceed with a particular client’s needs? These five tips will help social workers with making the connection between theoretical models and clinical practice.

A Common Experience: MSW Interns and the Fear of Treating Trauma

If you are an MSW student and have experienced anxiety related to treating trauma, please know that you’re not alone. Talk about it, and start building your toolbox.

Applying the Strengths Perspective to Your Self-Reflection

As an undergraduate social work student, I am familiar with the concepts of self-reflection and the strengths perspective. However, I do not recall being instructed or advised to use the two collaboratively.

Social Work Field in the Time of Corona: Moving Forward Professionally From the Unexpected

This term’s experiences are invaluable to your future as a social worker, because you are the cohort who uniquely found resiliency in the face of adversity during a pandemic. Here are five tips for professionally framing your field experiences.

COVID-19 and Your Social Work Placement: 19 Ideas for Overworked, Anxious, Yet Determined Field Students and Supervisors

From a team of seasoned social work educators, we hear you. Here are a few ideas for alternative activities to help both undergraduate and graduate social work students meet their field requirements during the COVID-19 crisis.

Coronavirus: Concerns Among Graduating Social Work Students

With the global pandemic known as COVID-19, graduating social work students are faced with finding new ways to complete field hours and must finish coursework online. Congratulations, class of 2020. We will make it through!

The Life-Changing Experience of a Social Work Field Placement Away From Home

Completing your social work field placement away from home, in another country or state, takes emotional fortitude. It also provides rich experiences that will change your life.

Having Difficult But Necessary Conversations With Your Social Work Field Instructor

Some conversations may not feel comfortable, but they are necessary. It is hard to do with our clients what we cannot do for ourselves. Tips are provided for difficult conversations with your social work field supervisor.

Reflections on What I’ve Learned About Trauma in Social Work Practice Since My Field Placements

Most of the clients who came into my office, no matter what the diagnosis, had a history of extensive trauma, including childhood sexual abuse, physical abuse, domestic violence, neglect, and exposure to violence, among other difficult experiences.

Navigating Your Field Placement Search as an Online Student

How do you secure your field placement? Especially for social work students in online programs and others whose schools require them to find their own placements, these 10 tips will provide guidance.

In the Field - CALM: A High-Impact MSW Field Internship Experience

CALM (Caring, Action, Leadership, Mindfulness) is a new project at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh that offers two MSW students a paid internship experience in campus violence prevention.

The Stages of Change: A Model for Social Work Students in Field Placement

A recurring issue for social work students in field placement is that of the slow rate of client change. Understanding the Stages of Change Model allows you to meet clients where they are in regard to readiness to change.

In the Field: From Social Work Student Intern to Hired Social Worker

I elaborated a plan and was prepared to work hard as a social work student, but also as an intern, to maximize my chances of being employed in a competitive market. As it turned out, the plan worked!

Legislative Field Placements & Social Work's Impact on Policy

Living With Uncertainty

Our clients come to us with depression, anxiety, relationship concerns, health issues, grief, and loss. We list our specialties on our cards and websites. How many of us list “dealing with uncertainty” as a specialty?

8 Tips for New Social Work Interns

Drawing from my experiences as a student, social worker, field instructor, field liaison, and now coordinator, I have been able to see all sides of the field education experience. I learned many valuable lessons, and I want to share them with you.