[humanser] Tips for preparing for field placement

[Quinto Sanchez]

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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