Uw madison social work program

The types of agencies working with the field education program are varied. Field units are organized around a social problem area or a field of practice.

Each unit has a range of field placement agencies and settings appropriate to its theme. The emphasis for undergraduate placements is on applying the knowledge and skills of generalist social work practice with systems of all sizes. The focus is on learning and applying analytic and interventive skills within an ethically based, problem-focused approach. Social work students should be advised that the Wisconsin Caregiver Law requires a Wisconsin background check Caregiver Check and Wisconsin Criminal History for all potential field-education students prior to the field placement.

More information regarding this process is available at Field Education on the social work website. For more information about field units, the agencies they work with, and field course expectations see the Field Education Handbook. Field unit availability may vary from year to year. This unit provides opportunities to work with human service agencies and community programs. The practice perspective is generalist social work in direct and indirect services to individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

The primary purpose of the field placement and seminar is to provide generalist practice opportunities for the development, integration and application of key competencies that are met through measurable practice behaviors. Theory and concepts learned in the classroom are integrated with practice opportunities, fostering the implementation of evidenced-informed practice.

This unit has been developed for generalist practice year students BSW and first year MSW students wanting to learn generalist social work practice in settings providing services to people with serious and persistent mental illness who are eighteen years of age and older.

The placement settings include private non-profit mental health agencies, primarily providing comprehensive community support services. Students are involved in child welfare, child protective services, juvenile delinquency, foster care, institutional reintegration and community social work.

Field placement activities include individual and family counseling, child and family assessment, case management, juvenile court services, foster care services, institutional reintegration, group work, neighborhood and community services and overall program planning. Students in this unit may have field placement settings in voluntary community agencies that work collaboratively with the county human services department. Placements provide opportunities to learn, develop and demonstrate competencies through practice behaviors in all or most of the required social work competency areas.

Field placements available through this unit are primarily located in Dane and surrounding counties. Depending on resource needs, this unit may include Title IV-E students. Placements may also be arranged in voluntary community agencies that have collaborative relationships with county human services. This unit has been developed for generalist practice year students who are interested in doing advocacy and promoting inclusive communities, especially with persons differing abilities.

Since the objectives of the level foundation year are primarily to teach and provide experiences in generalist social work practice, students will learn skills and knowledge applicable to a wide variety of social work settings. There is also the opportunity to work with two Madison-based programs doing international projects. Through work with individuals, families, groups, and communities there will be a focus on issues related to human rights, access to services, communication challenges, and community acceptance and inclusion.

The integrative seminar will utilize group work, faculty, student, and guest presentations, multimedia and experiential activities. The focus of this unit is direct social work practice in juvenile and adult criminal justice community and institutional settings.

The unit focuses on helping students conceptualize client typologies related to social responses and interventions including: pre-sentence decisions, probation and parole supervision, institutional interventions, group homes, juvenile community treatment, policy and planning administration.

Interventions related to conceptualization of client subtypes, demography of crime and delinquency and violent crime are some of the major content areas for study. This field unit provides field placements in a variety of agency, community, health care and institutional settings that primarily serve older adults.

All of the field placements deal with issues of aging, community, mental health, policy, and institutions. The primary purpose of the field placement is to provide an opportunity for guided practical experience in social work settings so that students may acquire the knowledge, values, and skills essential for professional gerontological social work practice. This field unit provides opportunities for integrating theoretical content and knowledge with the practice experience. The practice perspective of the aging and mental health unit is generalist practice, which includes a problem-focused generalist approach with a special emphasis on:.

Students are involved in child welfare and child protective services, juvenile delinquency, foster care and community social work. Placement activities include child protective services initial assessment, family assessment, case planning, individual and family counseling, case management, juvenile court services, foster care services, neighborhood and community services and overall program planning.

Placements provide skills in case assessment and planning, case management, counseling, court services, group work and community resource networking. Professors : Lawrence M. Berger, MSW, Ph. Curtis, MSW, Ph. Meyer, MSW, Ph. Robert, MSW, Ph. Assistant Professors : Lauren Bishop, Ph. A complete list of all faculty and staff in the school is available on the School of Social Work Directory. The United States Department of Education requires institutions that provide distance education to disclose information for programs leading to professional certification or licensure about whether each program meets state educational requirements for initial licensure or certification.

Following is this disclosure information for this program:. Virgin Islands. Belinda Velazquez, Academic Advisor bvelazqu wisc. Hannah Klusendorf, Academic Advisor hklusendorf wisc.

Information on when the program was first accredited and our last accreditation review are available on their Directory of Accredited Programs. The first year curriculum is generalist and direct practice in orientation. It is designed to provide you with foundational social work knowledge, values and skills and to prepare you for the Advanced Generalist Specialization.

The course was renumbered and renamed in fall In a broad social justice framework, advanced practice students continuing from the Generalist year or advanced standing students entering the Program with a recent BSW MSW students complete a generalist advanced practice specialization, and may choose a social problem focus area.

The Aging focus area prepares students to work successfully in a variety of settings that tackle the unique and intersecting issues related to health, aging, and disability.

They develop knowledge and skills around cutting-edge social work topics such as consumer-directed care, consumer-centered assessment, and end-of-life care. Students also learn about current services and policies related to health, aging, and disability, and critically examine opportunities for policy and program improvements. Students who graduate with this focus area are well-trained to take professional positions in a variety of settings from community-based service programs and organizations, to hospitals and residential facilities, to policy positions at the state and national level.

Students may specialize in one or both of these areas by:. Note: Course offerings, particularly electives, are subject to change at any time based on instructor availability, enrollment, and other factors. The Child, Youth, and Family Welfare focus area is intended for students with an interest in school social work, child welfare, or advanced generalist social work practice with children, youth, and families in other contexts and systems e.

The focus area exposes students to the policies and practice philosophies of multiple service systems, the ways in which these varied systems intersect, and models of coordinated service delivery for families involved in multiple systems. Students are exposed to innovative prevention and intervention strategies designed to reduce risk and promote resilience in children, youth, and families from diverse backgrounds and family structures.

The Health focus area prepares students to work successfully in a variety of settings that tackle the unique and intersecting issues related to health. Students who graduate with this focus area are well-trained to take professional positions in a variety of settings from community-based service programs and organizations, to hospitals and nursing homes, to policy positions at the state and national level.

The Mental Health focus area prepares social workers for advanced practice roles in community mental health and substance abuse services organizations, particularly those that address the needs of the most marginalized, oppressed, and disadvantaged members of our communities.

A recovery orientation, consumer empowerment, and cultural competence are woven into the mental health focus area curriculum. Although the focus area embraces a life course perspective, it primarily focuses on clinical social work practice with children, youth, and adults who are living with, or at risk for, serious mental health and substance abuse problems.

Students must become familiar with conceptual and theoretical frameworks for understanding the nature, etiology, course, and consequences of major mental disorders, and both evidence-based and emerging models of clinical social work practice. Effective social work practice also requires an understanding of how social policies and mental health and substance abuse funding streams affect service delivery systems and consumers of service and their families, particularly members of marginalized, oppressed and underserved populations.

By submitting this form, you agree to receive communications from UW—Madison. Read our privacy policy. We value your privacy and will never sell your email or information about you. Our friendly, knowledgeable enrollment coaches are here to answer your questions. Contact an enrollment coach to:. Visit with our coaches on campus or at an upcoming student fair in your area. Connect with a coach. This program challenged me in the way I approach situations and prepared me for advanced practice within the generalist specialization.

My classmates and I have examined practice problems in the context of social work values, and the program has allowed me to examine how I professionally think and feel while incorporating social work competencies. U niversity of W isconsin —Madison. Explore Programs Contact Us Apply. Get More Information. Is this program right for you? Admissions requirements. Earn a grade of C or better in an approved statistics course within the last five years. Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.

Submit evidence of English language proficiency, if applicable. Ideal applicants will: Have completed 30 semester credits of social science coursework before applying. Program highlights. Our class sizes are kept small, so you have more one-on-one time with faculty and can work more closely with your fellow students. Draw on faculty expertise and top-notch academic advising to guide you.

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