ABOUT UMASS AMHERST
UMass Amherst, the Commonwealth's flagship campus, is a nationally ranked public research university offering a full range of undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University sits on nearly 1,450-acres in the scenic Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, and offers a rich cultural environment in a bucolic setting close to major urban centers. In addition, the University is part of the Five Colleges (including Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College), which adds to the intellectual energy of the region.
W.E.B. DU BOIS FELLOWSHIP TRAINING OVERVIEW
The mission of the CCPH W.E.B. Du Bois Diversity Fellowship is to continue the multicultural training and clinical experience of the early career clinician who has successfully completed the masters in social work. We will offer continued supervised clinical experience, to deepen and broaden the fellow's clinical skills. Our goal is for them to leave the fellowship en route to the independent level of clinical practice and prepared to take on leadership roles. Fellows will be expected, in addition to general clinical responsibilities, to provide training and support to underrepresented campus communities.
The training philosophy/educational model is focused on developing practitioners in a university-based managed care setting. Our goal is to produce very competent multi-modal practitioners who will successfully transfer treatment skills to a variety of outpatient settings within the rapidly evolving world of health care. To achieve this, fellows will work as a part of our multidisciplinary treatment team utilizing a variety of brief treatment modalities to address a wide range of diagnoses and presenting problems. These include intensive brief therapies for individuals, couples, crisis intervention, on-call management of emergencies, and outreach/consultation. Disciplines represented within our treatment team include clinical social work, clinical and counseling psychology, psychiatry, and advanced practice nursing, together with trainees in psychology, social work, and psychiatry. In addition, a community mentor specifically drawn from a pool of qualified licensed clinicians of color will be engaged to mentor and support the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellow.
PHILOSOPHY AND GOALS
The training program has a fundamental commitment to provide experiential and didactic learning experiences that will maximize the personal and professional development of highly competent mental health professionals. Development is viewed as the process of forming a professional identity, which includes an increased awareness of self, responsible and ethical clinical behavior, increased professional skills, and a respect for and sensitivity to others. The W.E.B. Du Bois Diversity Fellowship has a specific commitment to issues of race, social justice, and diversity.
Our university mental health focus offers a wide variety of direct clinical contacts ranging from minor maladjustment to severe psychotic disorder. Accordingly, the fellowship is designed to deepen and mature the fellow's professional competency. Fellows refine their expertise in systemically applying a variety of brief therapy modalities to more skillfully address each client’s unique clinical picture. In addition to individual therapy, supervised training experiences are provided in crisis intervention, outreach/consultation, and cultural humility. Individual supervision is provided by licensed senior social workers with additional training by active clinicians in the disciplines of psychology, advanced practice psychiatric nursing, and psychiatry.
In recognition that the goal is development of an independent level of clinical competence, the fellow will have an increasing level of clinical responsibility as compared with their internship year, all while having ready access to consultation and supervision.
FELLOWSHIP ACTIVITIES
The fellow will have a broad base of responsibilities and activities, consistent with that expected of a functioning professional. They will receive close supervision at the beginning of the fellowship, with increased autonomy and independence as time goes on. Responsibilities will include Individual Psychotherapy, Intake, Group Psychotherapy, Outreach and Consultation, Clinical Triage, and Crisis Intervention. Fellows will also participate in staff in-service training, weekly case conferences, and regular staff meetings. Fellow will independently provide on-call/ emergency services, and will work up to maintaining a robust caseload similar in size and breadth to a staff level clinician.
ELIGIBILITY
Successful completion of social work master’s degree by start date.
ADDITIONAL DETAILS
This is a 12 mont
If you haven’t already heard about the National Association of Social Workers, NASW, you will as the summer progresses. It is the one organization that advocates for our clients as well as ourselves as social workers. There are over 145,000 NASW members across the US.
When you join as a student, your membership fee is $57. After you graduate, you pay an increased (but still reduced) rate for three years. Regular membership is $225/year. Therefore, if you join as a student you get quite a bargain!
But what if you're not planning on staying in Mass? This is not a problem. When you join, you can pick which State Chapter you want to join, as there is a Chapter in each state and US. Territory.
You can easily join online.
If you have any questions, you can contact our Western Mass. Coordinator, Jeff Schrenzel, via email at jschrenz@wne.edu. We hope you become a member this summer.
Looking for a late night study space?
The Fine Arts Center atrium is a new alternative study space and is open until 11 p.m. even on weekends! It has recently been fitted out with study tables and chairs and is an awesome, comfortable space to study!