FAQS
Becoming an Internship Site for MSW Students
Thank you for considering hosting MSW interns at your organization We appreciate your interest in partnering with CSU Fullerton Department of Social Work MSW Program.
How many hours per week will the intern be at my agency?
Students are required to be at their internship 16-20 hours per week (2nd year is typically 20hrs). Students generally begin internships in late August/early September and finish their internships in early May.
What are the expectations for an agency hosting MSW interns?
Agencies provide MSW interns with tasks that help them develop skills in all nine competencies set by the Council on Social Work Education. These competencies are: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior; Engage diversity and difference in practice; Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice; Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice; Engage in policy practice; Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
What kinds of tasks does an MSW intern do?
Interns can engage in a variety of tasks, that help to prepare them to be master’s level social workers. Some typical activities include: case management, intakes/assessments, individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy, documentation, community outreach, collaboration, program development, and advocacy, grant research/writing.
What qualifications does the Practicum Instructor need?
The Practicum Instructor must have, at minimum, an MSW degree and be at least two years post-graduation. An LMFT or Licensed Psychologist can serve as Preceptor for the students; providing additional support and guidance, with the Practicum Instructor providing primary supervision. Practicum Instructors and Preceptors are required to complete a practicum instruction training course (CEUs are provided). New Practicum Instructors may attend the training concurrently in the fall when they are assigned a new student. Practicum Instructor trainings offered through universities in the Southern California region are accepted reciprocally at all university MSW programs in the region.
What are the Practicum Instructor’s responsibilities?
The Practicum Instructor meets weekly with each student for one hour of supervision, reviews the students’ weekly Educationally Based Recordings (process recordings), works with the student to develop a Learning Agreement, completes semester evaluations, and meets with the student and university Practicum Liaison at least once per semester, additionally as needed.
What kind of support will we have from the University?
Every student is assigned a University Practicum Faculty Liaison. The Liaison is there to support student success and is someone the agency Practicum Instructor can consult with throughout the internship if questions or concerns arise.
How does my agency become and approved internship site?
If an agency meets our requirements for student learning activities, has a qualified Practicum Instructor to provide supervision and executes an affiliation agreement with CSU Fullerton, they can then be approved to host MSW interns. The first step in this process is to complete the following form:
CSUF MSW Prospective Agency Form
Please feel free to contact our practicum team with any questions at mswpracticum@fullerton.edu