Tsu-Yin Chang '08

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 (who were skilled clinicians themselves) made me feel more at ease with the impending field placement.  At Seattle's Harborview Medical Center 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 without knowing a soul, I left it impressed 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 a visit back from me.

I look forward to my second-year placement, which will take place at a San Francisco clinic that addresses everything from gender identity issues to domestic violence. I've already heard great things about their training program, and trust that my new West Coast city will not fail to dazzle.