Allison Terbieten , M.S.W. Class of 2009

I began my career as a social worker at a drop-in art studio serving youth who were street-involved, homeless or in transition.  I decided to pursue an M.S.W. because I felt there was more that I could be doing.  Luckily for me, the reputation of Smith's School for Social Work had reached the Northwest.  I heard glowing reports about the program and its focus on psychodynamic clinical social work practice.  I found that I shared many of the values expressed by the school and was especially impressed by the commitment to becoming an anti-racism institution.

Social work spans the breadth of human experiences so it is doubtful that a school could teach one everything needed to feel prepared for practice.  Smith has provided me, in my almost two summers here, a strong base in clinical social work.  Since it is an intensive program with relatively few students, this leads to a lot of learning outside of the classroom.  The process, which is often emphasized, is truly what makes the Smith experience so special.

For my first field placement, I returned to my community in Seattle where my interest in social work was first sparked.  My first placement was at Catholic Community Services in their Children's Treatment Program.  This program provided outpatient therapy for youth.  One of the things that drew me to the program was getting to be immersed in a creative learning environment during the summers and then returning home for the year to apply the things I've learned. This enables me to further develop and understand much of what I have learned during the summer.  While in my field placement I had great support from fellow students, my supervisor and my faculty field advisor.