Advanced Clinical Practice: Clinical Practicum
The Clinical Practicum helps students acquire advanced clinical skills and competencies to function as independent practitioners in clinical social work with adults, adolescents and/or children. Graduates are expected to be competent to evaluate and treat a variety of intrapsychic, interpersonal, and social disorders. Cases for study in the practicum are drawn from each student's clinical practice and are conducted with individual consultation by experts from the ICSW's faculty.
The Clinical Practicum allows flexibility in clinical training while encouraging clinical work in depth. As students progress through the program, their portfolios grow and travel with them. The portfolio consists of all case study write-ups and treatment summaries, along with an evolving learning plan. The following guidelines for the clinical practicum constitute a general plan, which may be changed when appropriate.
Case Studies
Each student is required to complete three sets of three case studies. The case study may consist of a new case the student is working with or a treatment review of a case that has been in treatment for some time.
Treatment Cases
Each student is required to carry a total of three cases in individual treatment and a fourth case in a modality other than individual treatment (e.g., couple, family, or group therapy). The student will see at least one client twice a week, and the others not less than once a week. Two clients are seen for a minimum of two years each, and the remaining two for at least 100 total treatment hours.