Social Work Field Internships
Field Internships are an integral part of the BSW and MSW programs. Selection of an internship site is facilitated by the Social Work department and FBI, criminal, and child abuse clearances are generally required.
For more information regarding field education requirements, please refer to the BSW or MSW Field Work Manual.
Field Education Contacts:
Heather A. LaBarre, Ph.D., LCSW
Tim Seip, MSW, LSW, ACSW
please contact the Social Work Department for archives of student field profiles.
BSW Field Placement Spotlight
Alma Ariza - Comprehensive Health Services
My responsibilities as an intern in the medical case management department will be to assist with new client intakes by gathering biopsychosocial assessments and help assess client needs. I will be supporting the medical case management department by linking clients to various supportive services such as medical care, transportation, dental assistance, and coordinating referrals to housing resources, and other community resources available. Additionally, it is also my responsibility to empower clients in recognizing their diverse strengths. I will apply my skills by practicing confidentiality and cultural sensitivity in this highly diverse practice with a stigmatized population. I will support clients by helping reduce stigma for healthier well-being.
Kristy Billig - The Salvation Army Children's Services
As an intern, I will participate in the TRBI training and work with the HALO program to promote traumainformed care for children from hard places. I will research and connect both resource (foster) and biological families with resources to promote permanency and overall well-being. Another of my responsibilities will be to network with and engage the community in the annual Rock n' Run fundraiser that TSACS hosts during National Foster Care month.
Vanessa Cruz-Vasquez - Community Outreach Center
The Community Outreach Center offers volunteer opportunities to Kutztown University students. At my field placement with the Community Outreach Center, I serve as coordinator for the Hunger and Homelessness programs. These programs focus on addressing food insecurity and homelessness in the local community through awareness, advocacy, and direct service. My responsibilities include supporting food drives, coordinating meal service at The Opportunity House in Reading, PA, assisting with campus and local food pantries, and engaging in educational activities such as National Hunger Awareness Week.
Shantae Cuevas - Northampton County Children, Youth and Family
My field responsibilities include assisting with case notes and observing the caseworker’s interactions with clients. I will attend team meetings, court hearings, and trainings that are needed to be successful in my role. The primary responsibility I will have as a social work intern is to ensure that I absorb all the information and skills provided to me and apply them throughout my internship and career.
Sebastian Hess - Northampton Community College - Spartan Cares
At NCC, I identify the nonacademic needs of students and refer them to college and community resources. I also monitor students’ academic and non-academic progress and conduct basic needs assessments. I compile and keep current information on available college and community resources and maintain data entry and case management notes for continuity of service and to support grant requests. I communicate and collaborate with college staff and meet Core Competencies and responsibilities as directed by NASW and the Code of Ethics.
Brooke Toohey - Allentown School District
In Allentown School District, I am placed at Hiram W. Dodd Elementary School where I support the families and students by contacting guardians to provide assistance in finding nearby agencies that meet the students needs. I also conduct follow ups with the guardians after they have been referred, to continue any additional support. I work closely with my field instructor and observe oneon-one client interactions and take part in different group sessions with students during the school day. Additionally, I assist in the schools monthly food drive and share the information to the parent and community through designing posters each month that are placed around the school and sent out to all guardians.
MSW Field Placement Spotlight
Riley Brandon - Thirteenth and Union Elementary School
I will support students, families, and the community by helping remove barriers to academic success and social-emotional well-being. My responsibilities include assisting with home visits, holiday drives, community walks, IEP and attendance meetings, and providing resources to families in transition. I’ll engage in parent outreach, co-facilitate small groups on social skills and coping strategies, and foster collaboration with educators and community partners. I’ll also evaluate interventions, analyze data on attendance and engagement, and grow my practical skills while making a meaningful impact.
Shawn Campbell - LVHN Reilly's Children's Hospital
To develop the following abilities in my placement: Assess the psychosocial needs of children and their families; Initiate and maintain therapeutic relationships with children and families; Respond to patients or families in crisis; Providing safe environments for children and families; Use trauma informed interventions and to implement social work services
Angie Hernandez - Lebanon VA Medical Center
My field placement responsibilities are focused within the acute care unit where I am currently placed in the hospital. A few of my field placement responsibilities include conducting biopsychosocial assessments, patient discharge planning, nursing home placements, safety planning, completing advance directives, and engaging in agency staff meetings with other healthcare professionals within the unit. Additionally, I will employ the social work role of a broker, brokering resources that will support the veteran during their hospital stay and after discharge. Additionally, I will take on the role of an advocate within multidisciplinary team meetings, as I advocate on behalf of the veterans within the unit who may need specialized care and or resources.
Shauna Teat - Success Rehabilitation
Field placement responsibilities involve assisting in the recovery process through different methods. One method involves developing activities that promote someone's social, cognitive, and physical skills. It includes engagement with clients and staff of the agency. Other responsibilities involves maintaining a safe environment, assisting in clients goals and treatment.
Dylan Torres - Creative Health Services
The mission as an intern in creative health services is to learn and practice how to provide family based therapeutic interventions by utilizing the family based evidence based model. As an intern, I will be decoupling my skills in creating treatment plans, practicing assessments with clients, and applying systems theory. This placement aims to aid in my growth as a clinician/social worker.
Maria Magdalena Torres - Northampton County DHS-SPTF/L.O.S.S. Team
As an MSW field intern with the Suicide Prevention Task Force & L.O.S.S. Team at Northampton County DHS, I support suicide prevention and postvention efforts through crisis response, outreach to families, and collaboration with community partners. My role includes assisting with program development, engaging in needs assessments, and helping connect youth and families to resources. I also contribute to strategies aimed at reducing suicide risk among at-risk youth and those in out-of-home care. Through research-informed practice, documentation, and interagency collaboration, I am building skills in advocacy, crisis intervention, and systems-level service delivery.
Emily Velez - PA Counseling Services
For my position as a Master’s Level Outpatient Therapy Intern, I intend to learn a lot in the first couple months and do a lot of observations. The agency took me through a typical orientation process [for a full-time employee] and introduced me to many new faces. As I settle into my role, I will do intakes, conduct treatment plans, take progress notes, and take on a small caseload of clients. I will see clients anywhere from young children to older adults well into retirement age. As is the case with any internship, I have the responsibility of reporting to my supervisor and other administrators to coordinate meeting times and ask necessary questions along the way. I am eager to learn a lot and gain more knowledge of the clinical field.
Site Ideas
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Placement Examples
- Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit #21
- Salvation Army
- Lehigh Valley Health Network
- Berks County Children and Youth
- Diakon
- Northampton County Children & Youth Services
- Advantage Home Health and Hospice
- Willow Brook Nursing Home
- Berks Counseling
- Concern
- Northampton County Community College
- Service Access & Management, Inc (SAM)
- Clinical Social Work Associates
- Caron Foundation
- PA Counseling
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School Placement Examples
- Blue Mountain School District
- Phineas Davis Elementary School
- Pennsbury High School
- Wilson School District
- Reading School District
- Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit
- Pan American Charter School
- Pottsville Area School District
- Allentown School District