Tsu-Yin Chang, M.S.W. Class of 2008

I came to Smith for its unparalleled training in clinical social work. Bored with psychology research, I had been shadowing a friendly (and highly skilled) social worker in the Duke Medical Center. He ended up being a supervisor for a Smith SSW intern, and encouraged me down this path. The more "Smithies" I met through him, the more I was convinced I should pack my bags.

When I got to Northampton, classes emphasizing clinical skill building and attentive professors made me feel more at ease with the impending field placement. At Seattle's Harborview Medical Center my first year, I trained with the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team to treat chronic mental illness among adults and learned the in's and out's of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for adults with Borderline Personality Disorders. Not only did I receive plentiful and thoughtful supervision, I could also, after a long day's work, see a thought-provoking play or hear a punk trio on any given night of the week, but only after having devoured a meal of Vietnamese pho noodles. Having moved to Seattle knowing nothing and no one, I left it impressed with its stunning beauty and culture, with the support provided by the Smith community (both locally and back in Massachusetts from my Faculty Field Adviser), and knowing that a community of friendly faces would always welcome me back.

Such a satisfactory experience left me with the urge to explore, for my second year placement, another new locale -- San Francisco. There, at the Center for Special Problems, I received thorough training on various clinical issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, severe trauma, gender identity, and those who had committed sexual and domestic violence offenses. The strength of the Intern Training Program there coupled with the excellent supervision provided to me (by a former Smith MSW student herself!) left me completely clinically satiated. After graduation, and perhaps a bit of traveling, I expect to move back to one of these dazzling West Coast cities to start my career, both having been places in which I was able to establish meaningful professional and personal community.