[humanser] Tips for preparing for field placement

Mon Jun 4 03:35:28 UTC 2012

Anjelina,

In deciding whether to go right into a grad program versus getting some work 
experience under your belt, there are some questions you can ask yourself 
such as:
1. What do you really want to do? Are you interested in doing psychotherapy 
or do you want to do mor info and referral, etc, as the previous emailer 
asked you. If you're not sure what you want, it could be beneficial to get 
some experience before getting your Master's.
2. How much work experience do you have? If you don't have much experience, 
it may be worth waiting. Sometimes, people can get an idea of what doing 
therapy or other types of social work jobs will be like, but until they do 
some work, they don't always really know what it's like. Working for a while 
might help you clarify your goals and desires.
3. What kind of funding do you have? For example, I got my undergrad degree 
in Pastoral Studies with a minor in psychology. I was doing campus ministry 
for three years after I graduated. The state rehab agency said, "You have a 
job so we're going to close your case. If you want to get a Master's degree 
and want some money from us, now is the time." I figured I could always go 
back and do campus ministry, but the funding was there for my Master's 
degree, so I went for it. So money plays a role.

4. How motivated are you? Are you sick of school and want to get out there 
or are you really in the mindset of getting more education? I bring this up 
because I am now considering whether I want to get a Psy.D., a PhD., or an 
Ed.D. I've decided that I don't want any of them enough to really pursue 
them at this point. Your motivation for schooling will affect the timing of 
when you pursue a graduate degree.

While my Master's is in counseling psychology and not in social work, I 
think some of these issues and questions are relevant. I wish you the best 
as you make your decision.

Kathy McGillivray
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Quinto Sanchez" <sanchezq at prodigy.net>
To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2012 8:32 PM
Subject: Re: [humanser] Tips for preparing for field placement

> Hello Anjelina,
>
> I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Intern currently, and finally am 
> going to finish my hours next month for full licensure. In regards to your 
> question of whether to work before pursuing your MSW or not. I would say 
> that you having a degree in social work allows you to work on various 
> levels assisting others; the question is   if your goal is to directly 
> provide psychotherapy or something along the lines of case management/ 
> information and referral. If you really want to provide psychotherapy I 
> would recommend to go on ahead and immediately finish your schooling. If 
> your choosing to perform case management or information and referral, then 
> go on ahead and start working. The reason I say this is that with a BSW I 
> don't think you are permitted  to perform actual therapy but, if therapy 
> is not your goal then you might as well find employment and you can always 
> pursue your MSW in the future. So it all comes down to what are your goals 
> for working. I hope this helps a little.
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Anjelina" <anjelinac26 at gmail.com>
> Sent: Sunday, June 03, 2012 4:50 PM
> To: "Human Services Mailing List" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Tips for preparing for field placement
>
>> Good evening JD,
>> Thanks for your helpful advice. After your undergraduate degree did you 
>> immediate get your MSW? My academic adviser recommended I work for a few 
>> years before attempting a MSW, but since my strongest interest is working 
>> with the disabled population I am trying to decide which would be the 
>> most practical next step.
>> I appreciate all the feedback from the list.
>>
>> Anjelina
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jun 3, 2012, at 3:06 PM, "JD Townsend" <43210 at Bellsouth.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Angelina,
>>>
>>>
>>> I have supervised student internships for a wide variety of students, 
>>> including blind folks.  I only rejected one blind person - in our 
>>> interview he stated that he had left an engineering degree program for 
>>> something easier and had no "feel" for our field.
>>>
>>> As a blind man I do have, perhaps, less bias than others;  however, what 
>>> I look for are:
>>>
>>> Sincere interest in the field;
>>> A good smile and a sense of humor;
>>> Reliability and trustworthiness;  and
>>> Excellent blindness skills.
>>>
>>>
>>> The latter include good social skills, knowledgeable use of adaptive 
>>> equipment (practical, everyday use of devices), and, especially, 
>>> flexibility.
>>>
>>>
>>> I have had my interviews myself and have had blind student interns who 
>>> felt that their internships were wasted time as they were only 
>>> observers, not allowed to do productive work.  Emphasize your ability to 
>>> do the work of the agency, be that doing assessments or running groups. 
>>> Your abilities in forming relationships, writing skills, and 
>>> assertiveness will put you in good stead.
>>>
>>> And, I suggest that you read some of the writings of Dr Kenneth Jernigan 
>>> from the NFB website as it was through these publications that I learned 
>>> the philosophy of the NFB.  That philosophy got me my first job 
>>> following my MSW degree and has not failed me in over 30 years of 
>>> professional employment.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> JD Townsend LCSW
>>> Helping the light dependent to see.
>>> Daytona Beach, Earth, Sol System
>>>
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>>
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>
>
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