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Anthony Hill, Associate Director of Field, and Carolyn duBois, Director
of Field.
Because Smith is a nationally based school,
it affiliates with the finest placement agencies across the country. More than 120
agencies in 20 states, and now Canada and Thailand, currently participate in Smith's field program,
providing students with training opportunities in schools, family service and child guidance
agencies, mental health clinics, medical as well as psychiatric units of hospitals, and college
counseling centers under private and public auspices. New placement settings are constantly being
explored by the Field Office which balance the training needs of students with the geographic
representation of students and the support network available from alumni in various areas. Placement
agencies are responsible for continuing to carry out the professional training offered at Smith
by providing sound clinical experience and supervision consistent with the quality and focus
of the School's educational mission.
Students are in their assigned field placements for 30 hours a
week for a period of 34 weeks from September through the end of April, with a two-week
mid-winter break and additional periods of vacation and independent study both
prior to and following the field practicum periods.
The process of assigning a student to an agency for field placement
is a careful and thoughtful one, designed to match each student's educational needs with a specific
agency. Although the School is unable to guarantee a particular geographic area for field placement,
students are asked to identify their preferred geographic choices. The School is committed to
taking into account the personal circumstances of students when making placement decisions and
works with students to meet their educaitonal needs as closely as possible. First year placements
are specifically chosen to provide students a strong foundation for clinical social work practice.
The second year internship offers an opportunity not only to deepen clinical skill and experience,
but also to develop areas of specialization within the field.
Smith's commitment to individual student support and mentorship
continues into the field. Agencies join the School in selecting qualified supervisors who act
as clinical field faculty, providing each student with a minimum of two hours of clinical supervision
per week, as well as with clinical field instruction. In addition, students are assigned a Smith
Faculty Field Advisor (FFA) to whom they report on a monthly basis. The FFA is available to the
intern at all times for phone or e-mail consultation and visits the internship sites twice during
the field placement period, meeting with the intern and with the supervisor. The FFA is the intermediary
between the School and the field agency ensuring a quality learning experience and the highest
standards of clinical field instruction through supervision. Through this intricate network of
supports, continuous communication is maintained with the School about each student's professional
development and learning needs.
In line with the School's goal of becoming an Anti-Racism
institution, students participate in an Anti-Racism Field Assignment as a part of the second
placement. This project ties the student in a meaningful way to the School's commitment to fight
oppression and to promote social justice. Second year students complete an anti-racism assignment
designed to help students develop skills in the areas of both analysis and implementation, to
learn how to conduct anti-racism and empowerment work in affiliation with their agencies, and
to implement an action-oriented project. This assignment is designed to be collaborative in nature
and is developed in consultation with the faculty field advisor and the student's supervisor
or other agency staff person.
Smith's well-recognized, intensive, clinically diverse,
and closely monitored field internships are like no other social work training experience. The
duration and rigor of this learning consistently provides Smith's graduates with a distinct advantage
after graduation. Employers are eager to hire graduates with such rich and concentrated learning
opportunities and Smith graduates find themselves readily employed.
Carolyn S. du Bois, Director of Field
Work
Anthony C. Hill, Associate Director of Field Work
Patricia Lumbra , Field Coordinator & System
Specialist
Patricia Gilbert , Administrative Assistant |
