When I was in the MSW program in Ann Arbor Michigan, we each had a 2 day field placement to gain experience. One year I was at a university counseling center and this was very good experience. I was able to do individual counseling, group counseling, participate in staff meetings and get individual supervision. Some of my friends had placements in youth centers, community mental health clinics and family agencies. An internship for social work is invaluable. It is a requirement in every social work program I believe.

Without the placement, a lot of the courses would’ve remained cerebral. The field placmeent internship enables one to encounter the day to day experience you’ll have once you get a job. First of all, there was the hour commute. I did this two days a week as part of my program, but others in the carpool did this daily. I was able to see what a long day this was when you work full-time. One of the people in the carpool was a single mom and I admired her determination to provide a good life and example to her children.

In terms of learning about clients, it was very useful to be exposed to different counseling techniques, a wide variety of clients and the challenges that are part of counseling. For instance, often people come ten to fifteen minutes late for their sessions. This cuts into the time and presents a dilemma for running over into the next session. There was also a lot of family situations that I dealt with which were difficult due to the conflicts in the family and financial strains they suffered. It is so rewarding when clients can learn better communication skills as well as find ways to change their perspectives to not feel as burdened by circumstances.

The field placement social work internship was essential in getting me from the books into the reality of client life.

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