For Practicum Agencies - Campus Option

To meet the objectives of Practicum Education, the School is affiliated with a broad spectrum of human service agencies and programs. These include a full range of mental health programs, health care settings, family services, home and community based systems, schools, college counseling centers, child welfare agencies, early intervention programs, prisons, court settings, elder services, substance abuse treatment services, violence treatment/prevention programs, HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment services, hospices, and more. Practicum Faculty keep abreast of shifts in service needs and populations at-risk in order to keep the School's curriculum current with developments in social services and to identify fields of practice that need professional social workers. Affiliated placement agencies must demonstrate a commitment to training social work students and have programs that reflect the values and ethics of the profession, as well as the School's mission, goals, and objectives. The agency and Practicum Instructors provide the opportunity for interns to develop a social work identity and to gain knowledge and skill in social work practice with particular emphasis on direct clinical practice.

We expect agencies to provide an environment that celebrates diverse individuals and to hold a commitment to creating equitable, inclusive practices and a willingness to foster conversations about power and privilege, race, and other marginalized identities. We expect Practicum Instructors to be able to work through difficult issues and conversations that support interns' growth and development as a social worker, as well as their own growth as a supervisor.

Practicum Placement Site Criteria

In order to qualify as a placement site, agencies must have demonstrated a program with standards and philosophy acceptable to the School, the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) and the professional community. The setting must adhere to the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, and provide needed services to the community. The agency must be willing to follow School expectations delineated in the Practicum Education Manual.

• The agency should provide a spectrum of learning experiences with attention to the educational value for the particular trainee along with agency service needs.
• Case assignments should facilitate student development of knowledge and practice skills.
• It is expected that agency staff will offer an orientation to the setting, its services, its safety procedures and its policies for their students.

As Simmons SSW is a single concentration clinical program, our affiliated placement settings must afford Practicum Instructors and agency staff opportunities to teach interns:

• Direct (micro) service to individual clients, couples, families and groups
• Intervention on the behalf of clients with larger institutions and organizations

Depending on setting and client needs, students are expected to learn several of the following:

• Advocacy
• Outreach
• Negotiation and coordination of services
• Administration
• Consultation
• Small-program planning
• Involvement in policy development

Although specific expectations will vary based on student experience and internship roles, in general, Simmons MSW interns should have no more than 40% of their internship hours designated as direct client-facing or “clinical” work. For a 24-hour per week student, this works out to approximately 9.5 direct care hours per week when at full capacity (mid-year). ‘Direct care’ in this context, could refer to: client sessions, facilitating groups, or any other direct client-interaction in the milieu. The remaining 60% of the time should be reserved for documentation, supervision, learning and training opportunities, project research, etc. Please note that this 40% expectation is a maximum and should not necessarily be treated as a goal to obtain for each and every intern. In particular, Year I students should have a much lower threshold for direct care than Year II students, and student caseloads should slowly build over time. For questions and more information, please contact your Practicum Liaison.

In making a commitment to participating in the training of MSW students, administrators are expected to adjust the workload of Practicum Instructors to allow adequate time for student teaching. A minimum of one hour per week is required for clinical supervisory meetings/instruction with each student and their primary supervisor. Group supervision is encouraged; however it cannot replace the required one hour of clinical supervision/instruction. In addition, time must be allotted for reading Process Recordings and other reports, planning informal conferences, and consulting with the Practicum Liaison and other school representatives as needed. If the Practicum Instructor is new to student supervision the agency should be willing to allow time for them to attend the Seminar on Practicum Instruction for new supervisors. In addition, the agency should assume responsibility for support and/or supervision of beginning Practicum Instructors and coverage of student cases at times when the student is in school or on vacation. Please refer to Expectations for Practicum Instructors for additional information.

Each year, practicum agencies complete an Internship Capacity Form and update their Agency Profile to update SSW and to describe the learning opportunities for the upcoming academic year. Since each placement is assigned a member of the Practicum Faculty, this faculty member plays a key role in the continuing assessment of the quality of the setting as a training site.

Expectations of agencies include:

• Practicum training must be valued and supported in the agency.
• Practicum Instructors should receive support and consultation on their supervision in the agency.
• In its commitment to overall quality of service to clients and training, it is expected that agencies will provide supervision, staff development, and other learning opportunities for staff and involve students in relevant offerings.
• The agency will recommend highly qualified staff to serve as Practicum Instructors (see Criteria for Selection of Practicum Instructors below) and when possible, a staff member will serve as overall liaison for the school, i.e., the training director.
• The agency will, to the best of its ability, provide an adequate caseload for learning.
• The agency will provide adequate office space, access to a telephone, and should reimburse for travel and other expenses incurred in carrying out the social work role.
• The agency will orient the student to agency practices and procedures, documentation requirements, safety issues, and provide needed specialized training for work with the agency's client population.

It is expected that the agency will recommend highly qualified staff as Practicum Instructors. Criteria include:

• Practicum Instructors/supervisors should be fully qualified according to Simmons SSW standards;
• All primary supervisors should have a master's in social work (MSW) degree, and two years of post-masters experience;
• Instructors in Massachusetts should be certified as licensed independent social workers (LICSW) or should be eligible for this license;
• The Practicum Instructor should have one year of employment in the placement agency; exceptions will be considered for experienced supervisors.

In making a commitment to participating in the training of MSW students, administrators are expected to adjust the workload of Practicum Instructors to allow adequate time for student teaching.

• A minimum of one hour a week is required for clinical supervisory meetings/instruction with each student. Group supervision is encouraged; however it cannot replace the required one hour of clinical supervision/instruction.
• Time must also be provided for reading Process Recordings and other reports, planning informal conferences, consulting with school representatives and completing student evaluations.
• The agency must provide time for attendance at the Seminar on Practicum Instruction for new Practicum Instructors.
• In addition, the agency should assume responsibility for supervision of beginning Practicum Instructors and coverage of student cases at times when the student is in school or on vacation.
• The school relies upon Practicum Instructors to keep the Practicum Liaison informed about their own or student absences or any other possible disruption of the learning process.

Essential qualities for Practicum Instructors include interest and ability in:

• Direct (micro) clinical practice
• Educational supervision
• Conceptualization and integration of various theoretical perspectives
• Engagement of students in critical thinking

Practicum Instructors should be grounded in a broad social work perspective and sensitive to issues of diversity in regard to race, ethnicity, culture, and sexual orientation. The school requests supervisors who have knowledge and skill in several methods or modalities such as family treatment, group work, and advocacy. In addition, Practicum Instructors should be able to refer students to other supervisors, readings, or consultants regarding modalities with which they are not familiar. Practicum Instructors should be familiar with and able to teach the various roles utilized by clinical social workers. They should also be aware of the range of fields of social work practice to enhance the student's broader training and to help them develop skill in accessing other services for their clients.

Practicum Instructors are expected to:

• Keep abreast of current content and trends in social work practice.
• Be objective in evaluating students' performance.
• Collaborate with the assigned Practicum Liaison particularly when difficulties arise.

The agency and Practicum Instructor are expected to provide an adequate and varied caseload for the three days per week of practicum placement. The Practicum Instructor ensures that the student be incorporated into the agency system and helped to learn its philosophy, mission, place in the community, practices, and procedures. It is also expected that there be adequate office space and equipment to accommodate students, including privacy for interviewing clients.