SOCWK 483 - Social Work Practicum: Block Placement

12 credit(s)
The social work practicum block placement is an intensive supervised field experience at a selected social work agency. Students spend this semester in the field under the guidance of a university-appointed field instructor and the Director of Field Education. This service/learning experience is supported by a weekly process seminar, which facilitates the integration of social work theory and practice. This course is designed to prepare students to become entry-level generalist social work practitioners. While in the field, students gain skills and experiences in working with client systems at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels by using an eclectic knowledge base that is couched in systems, strengths, and problem-solving perspectives as well as the value base of the social work profession. It assists students in developing generalist social work practice skills, and a better understanding of the interconnectedness of client challenges at the micro level and larger macro issues in the client’s social environment (i.e., person-in-environment perspective). It will assist students in developing leadership skills and a better understanding of the interconnectedness and interdependence of global issues, community, and client issues. Additionally, students will complete a Capstone Project. We want you to be successful in your practicum experience! Please be prepared to spend 32 hours each week for the entire fall semester in a specified human services agency for a total of 440 hours. Your weekly practicum seminar will support your field learning connecting theory to practice. This is in effort to prepare you for graduation and becoming generalist social work practitioners. You will be provided with the opportunity to analyze and share your practicum experiences, increase knowledge of various practice problems and settings, and work on refining generalist social work skills. Topic coverage depends in part upon your identified interests and needs. May be repeated once for credit.
Prerequisite(s): SOCWK 480 and Instructor Consent Required.