Clinically Oriented MSW Programs? Experience Needed to Get Into Programs?

[dtb424]

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This is my first post!! 🙂. And this is going to be a loaded post because I have a LOT of questions...

I just graduated with a B.A. in psychology and I know that I want to do psychotherapy. Initially, I had planned on taking the Psy.D/Ph.D route...but because of financial/health reasons a 5 year program is not really feasible. Because I had planned on doing that, most of the experience that I have at this point is research-oriented (albeit clinical research). Here are my questions:

1.) What are some clinically oriented MSW programs in the US? I'm from the DC area and would love to stay here, but wouldn't going to grad school somewhere else (especially if it's warm there...I don't do too well in the cold).
2a.) What sort of experience looks good for an MSW program. Like I said, the experience that I have is predominantly in clinical research (mild traumatic brain injury and autism) so I'm not sure how that ranks with MSW admissions people.
2b.) I'm looking for a full time job right now (just for a year) before I go to grad school...what kind of job would help prepare me/boost my resume for an MSW program?

Would appreciate any help!! Thanks!

 

[jessalynne]

This is my first post!! 🙂. And this is going to be a loaded post because I have a LOT of questions...

I just graduated with a B.A. in psychology and I know that I want to do psychotherapy. Initially, I had planned on taking the Psy.D/Ph.D route...but because of financial/health reasons a 5 year program is not really feasible. Because I had planned on doing that, most of the experience that I have at this point is research-oriented (albeit clinical research). Here are my questions:

1.) What are some clinically oriented MSW programs in the US? I'm from the DC area and would love to stay here, but wouldn't going to grad school somewhere else (especially if it's warm there...I don't do too well in the cold).
2a.) What sort of experience looks good for an MSW program. Like I said, the experience that I have is predominantly in clinical research (mild traumatic brain injury and autism) so I'm not sure how that ranks with MSW admissions people.
2b.) I'm looking for a full time job right now (just for a year) before I go to grad school...what kind of job would help prepare me/boost my resume for an MSW program?

Would appreciate any help!! Thanks!

To be quite honest, it's not that difficult to get into a MSW program.

What qualifies a school as "clinical" other than that is a matter of opinion, but since you are interested in psychotherapy you should look at schools that offer second-year placements and/or concentrations in settings like hospitals (a great place to watch diagnoses be made), outpatient treatment centers and even schools can be an excellent training ground for individual therapy. And many more. (My first-year placement had me conducting basic counseling/therapy sessions from the second week. I was terrified, but you learn by doing.) Anything they list as MENTAL health, counseling, etc., is probably more along the lines of the experiences you're looking for. Not all schools have or require concentrations -- I did not complete one but rather made up my own.

There are required courses that every MSW student must take to be able to sit for a licensure exam. Those courses can be taught from a variety of perspectives, and it really varies even within the school from professor to professor. Some schools will advertise being more "clinical" than others -- in NYC, NYU is the "clinical" school, Columbia is the "research" school and Hunter is the "social justice & policy" school. But they all require 900 hours of a supervised internship. I have worked with LMSWs and LCSWs from all four major NYC schools (Fordham is the fourth) ... all are wonderful clinicians. You can go to Columbia and take two research classes and be done; you can go to NYU and work on program development and policy, you can go to Hunter and focus on research. Policy concentrations are now increasing at NYU, for some reason.

Do some investigation and go to some school's web sites and see what you find. Look at the course requirements and offerings. Read how the school describes itself. How do YOU feel about the school? Gut feelings are important in this profession. Trust them, but be prepared to challenge them. Look at where the school has internships affiliations. Are those the kinds of experiences you want to get?

Regarding experience, many people, myself included, began a MSW program with no social service experience. My background was in research and biology; my professional experiences were in newspaper.

That's why there's an entrance essay -- it's your chance to explain your background and how it applies to the career. Tell the admissions committee why your background is in research and why you've changed your mind. Show them that you can think critically, are attuned to issues of diversity and have experience relating to people. I don't know the scope of your research, but I ran fMRI studies with the elderly. That was my way of talking about related experience.

The employment question is probably not as important as the volunteer experiences. Get a job where you can make the most money and save it; volunteer in an area that you find interesting. You can have meaningful human interactions in so many lines of work, but you can demonstrate your attention to a cause by what you do for free.

I've probably read about 500 admissions essays and worked with countless admissions officers ... this is the information that I've gleaned from them over the years.