MSW Specializations Summaries

Loyola University School of Social Work offers five primary specializations for the advanced course work of the MSW Program. Please click on a specialization for more detailed information.

Children and Families

Schools

Mental Health

Health

Leadership and Development in Social Services (LDSS)

The Children and Families specialization prepares students for advanced practice with children and families coping with developmental needs at different stages of the life cycle, that is, in the children, families, and social institutional domains (child welfare, schools, and community services). Using family as the organizing concept of this cluster, goals include differential clinical intervention with a broad range of family forms and structure in varying organizational arrangements, as well as development of and consistent application of a practice philosophy regarding families and children including use of self.

 Advanced practice in the child domain reflects mastery of the central concepts of child development, direct social work treatment of children, research and law related to child issues, service delivery, and social work macro roles in child and family oriented settings. Designation of an advanced practice cluster focusing on families and children reflects the clinical significance of these two major client groups without limiting the particular theoretical practice framework. The curriculum of the Families and Children cluster is as follows:

• All students choosing this specialization will take the section of SOWK 610 F (Social Policy in Practice) that is designed for Families and Children advanced practice cluster.
• All students in the Families and Children cluster will be required to take SOWK 612 (Family Diagnosis and Treatment) since it is necessary for all students to have knowledge and skills related to work with families even if their specialization is primarily in direct work with children and /or adolescents.
• Students wanting to work specifically with children and adolescents will be required to take either SOWK 620 (Clinical Social Work with Children) or 615 (The Adolescent Client: Diagnosis and Treatment). Students only need to take one of these courses in order to fulfill the specialization requirement. 
• Other electives can either be taken within this cluster or outside the cluster.
• Students who would like to pursue a track within the Child and Family specialization can take additional courses from the Advanced Family Treatment Track.  These students will be required to take SOWK 613 (Advance Family Therapy) and SOWK 611 (Treatment of Couples). SOWK 612 (Family Diagnosis and Treatment) is a prerequesite to these courses and can be taken in the Summer or Fall terms. SOWK 611 and SOWK 613 are only offered in the Spring terms. This track is ideal for students interested in family therapy, marital counseling, divorce mediation, and working with blended family.
• Students in this cluster will have appropriate field work second year placements in particular areas of work with children and families such as school social work, social work with couples and families, and social work with children. The second year field placement is specifically matched to the student’s area of focus and is an essential part of the student’s development of an advanced level of skill in the chosen area.

Schools Specialization- Type 73 Certificate

School social work is defined as a specialty by a number of national and local organizations. Illinois, along with several other states, requires individuals to be certified to practice as a school social worker. In order to qualify for certification, individuals must receive their training through accredited institutions of higher learning.

TYPE 73 SCHOOL CERTIFICATE REQUIREMENTS

Students interested in pursuing the Type 73Certificate, which enable them to be a social worker in a public school in Illinois, must meet the requirements of the Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) and Loyola School of Social Work.

ISBE Requirements

ISBE requires that students pass all four sections of the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP-400)* exam and the Content Area exam (184) before being officially accepted into the type 73 program.  The scores for the Test of Academic Proficiency (TAP-400) or the previous Basic Skills test (300 or 096**) will be honored for up to ten years.

 Please review the following link for additional information, http://www.isbe.state.il.us/certification/default.htm Please follow the directions on the Illinois Certification Testing System (ICTS) website for information on test registration and test dates and location.  A study guide is available for the content area tests for social work at the following link. http://www.icts.nesinc.com/PDFs/IL_field184_SG.pdf

*Students may substitute a composite ACT plus writing score of at least 22; or a composite (mathematics and critical reading) SAT score of 1030 for the TAP test.

The official score report cannot be more than 10 years old (month/year) at the time of the application. Please also note that the ACT with the required plus writing component began in March 2005. ACT scores prior to that year and month even if within the 10 year window are not acceptable.

Please review the substitution rules as outlined in the section entitled Applying for Full Admission to an Illinois Educator Preparation Program from ISBE at:

http://www.isbe.state.il.us/certification/pdf/act-sat-grade-use-notice0113.pdf  

The ISBE Form 73-60 noted in the above link must be submitted to the Student Services Office in the School of Social Work 111 E. Pearson St, Chicago IL 60611 Room 850  in order to obtain the required signature from the licensure officer.

** The ITLS Basic Skills Model (096) (administered prior to September 11, 2010) cannot be applied to fulfill passing requirements for the test of Test of Academic Proficiency.**

Loyola’s Requirements

Loyola’s SSW has five specializations from which students may choose. Specializations are typically declared by the end of the first semester; however, students who wish to specialize in schools must commit sooner to make sure that they meet the ISBE requirements listed above. In addition to passing the exams prior to acceptance into the schools program and interviewing for an internship, students must also complete an internship (which is the entire academic year of the school they are placed in), as well as the five required courses and four electives (specific course requirements listed under academic advising) http://www.luc.edu/socialwork/academics/MSW_Specialization_Descriptions.shtml#schoolshttp

MSW Fall & Summer Applicants, including Advance Standing Students

Students who enter the MSW program in the fall & summer or as Advanced Standing must pass all sections of TAP and the Content exam by March 15^th   and be formally accepted into the Schools specialization before they are eligible for a school internship.

Due to the scheduling requirements of school internships, the schools specialization and Type 73 eligibility is limited to those beginning the program in the Summer or Fall terms only.  Interested students are encouraged to discuss options with the admissions coordinator on this subject

Post-MSW Applicants

Applicants to the post-MSW Type 73 Certificate Program must pass both the TAP and the Content Exam as a condition of admission to the Certificate Program. Details can be found at: http://www.luc.edu/socialwork/academics/academics_certificates.shtml

BSW-Five Year Students

Students will make application for schools specialization as part of application to the five-year MSW program in the fall of their junior year. They then follow the deadlines applicable to the MSW fall applicants above, beginning in the fall of their senior year.

Part Time Students

Part time students wishing to do schools specialization are limited to entering the MSW Program only in the fall semester and must remain a part time student for the duration of their program. This will result in a 4-year program. 

Applying for Certification

Once students have completed the required ISBE tests, course work and internship and degree conferral has been completed, candidates may proceed to the following link for next steps to receive the Type 73 certificate which includes filling out the School Entitlement Form.

Mental Health Specializations

The mental health specialization focuses is on persons of all ages who are coping with stressful situations related to a physical and/or mental illness or disability, as well as on the support systems that are significant for those persons (families, residential care staff, etc.). While there is a particular focus on illness and disability, both functional and physical, the content of this cluster is also concerned with all who seek growth in bio psychosocial functioning through dealing with personal and environmental obstacles to fulfilling life choices and aspirations, and who desire to cope more adequately with stressful situations in their life context. There is an emphasis also on health and mental health services which adequately responds to the needs of the physically and mentally ill as well as those with ongoing physical challenges or disabilities. Students are prepared to work in inpatient and outpatient health and mental health agency settings. This advanced clinical practice content prepares social workers for multiple roles, including conducting and /or participating in the bio-psycho-social diagnostic process as well as planning, implementation, and evaluation of practice. Social workers often function as a part of a team with professionals from other disciplines. The social worker’s functions include:

Mental Health advanced practice presupposes a similar knowledge base and related competencies as they apply to the domain of mental health. This practice can include additional fields of study as: long term treatment of individuals with personality disorder, outpatient treatment of individuals, families, and groups, psychosocial treatment of severe mental illness, mental retardation, substance abuse, family violence, as well as psychosocial aspects of medication manage- met, care and needs of the elderly, and psychosocial rehabilitation.

 The curriculum is as follows:

• Student will take the section of SOWK 610H (Social Policy in Practice) which will aid them in developing their area of focus in Mental Health.
• Students can then choose between taking SOWK 616 (Psychotherapy with Adults) or SOWK 617 (Principles and Interventions in Clinical Social Work).  Oftentimes students will take both courses with one fulfilling the requirement and the other counting as an elective.
• Students will also need to take SOWK 604 (Advanced Social Work Practice with Groups) or SOWK 612 (Family Assessment and Intervention).
• Students focusing in the Mental Health area are encouraged to take at least two electives focusing on social work practice models related to the populations they intend to serve (e.g., Treatment of Adults, Treatment of Severely Mentally Ill Clients, Treatment of Adolescents). These courses will ensure that students are familiarized with the DSM, have some experiencing assessing clients, and opportunities to develop appropriate interventions.
• The students choose a second year field placement with their area of focus in mind and use the field placements to integrate curriculum content.

Health Specialization

This Health specialization is designed to train students to practice in a wide variety of health settings. Through course work in methods and policy, as well as field placements in a health setting, students develop an integrated knowledge base. They learn how policy affects practice and become acquainted with the changing health care environment. The design of the courses places emphasis and delivery of health services to diverse populations, including vulnerable and oppressed groups as well as those populations considered at risk for biological, psychological, social and environmental difficulties. Students are educated to participate in an array of clinical roles. These include:

The curriculum for this program is as follows:

• All students opting for this concentration in the second year must have completed the foundation courses and plan on taking the two required courses.
• One course, which evolves from the Methods Sequence, is Clinical Social Work Practice in Health Care (SOWK 614). The content is built upon the foundation knowledge provided in Human Behavior in the Social Environment (SOWK 500 and 501), as well as Individuals and Families and Small Groups (SOWK 503, 504, and 505).
• Health Policy (SOWK 602) evolves from the Policy Sequence. Students must also select a field placement, which has been approved by the committee (or Internship Coordinator) on the Health Option. Students at the Loyola's MSW at Carthage take the SOWK 602 and the SOWK 614 courses on the Loyola Campus to meet the requirements of the Health specialization if they are not available at Carthage.

Students are advised by their field supervisor as the health requirements (inoculations, medical exam and insurance) of the particular setting.

Leadership and Development in Social Services (LDSS) Domain

The Leadership and Development in Social Services (LDSS) domain prepares students to perform supervisory, managerial, and/or administrative practice within a variety of agency/organizational* settings.

Increasingly social workers are called upon to assume leadership and development roles and responsibilities for personnel development, program management, and agency/organizational administration. These roles and responsibilities can be lodged in supervisory, managerial and administrative positions. Students who would benefit most from the LDSS domain are those that have some direct service experience in their background and are interested in assuming a leadership position upon graduation.

Whether rooted in a generalist or clinical model of professional education, when promoted to leadership levels social workers must have the requisite knowledge, skills, and values to perform tasks and responsibilities including but not limited to the following: guide and support the work of others, assist the professional development of others, facilitate program development, manage people, programs, processes (political and non-political), services, administer agencies/organizations, engage financial planning, develop, implement, monitor and evaluate budgets, work with advisory and/or policy boards, support evaluation and research endeavors to assess effective and efficiency, and perform development activities, e.g., formerly known as fund-raising and grant writing. Social work supervisors, program managers, and administrators must also know how to work with diverse and multicultural personnel and clients as well as ensure quality services to all clients including vulnerable, oppressed, and disenfranchised populations.

The advanced concentration practice area of leadership and development in social services is critical to enabling social work as a profession to maintain control/mastery in the operation of social/human services agencies and organizations.

Curriculum:

In the Advanced Practice second year, LDSS students are required to take three core  courses specific to LDSS, complete two policy electives, and complete their fieldwork practicum and integrative practice seminar. The required courses are: SOWK650 Staff Management and Development, SOWK 652 Organizational Leadership and SOWK 653 Program Management and Development Practice.

• SOWK 650 (Staff Management and Development) prepares students for leadership and development practice in staff management and development positions, at all supervisory levels (1)  in social  and human services organizations. 

• SOWK 652 (Organizational Leadership) concentrates on the theoretical perspectives, organizational functions and structures, leadership styles, techniques and skills, and ethical and value-driven leadership knowledge and skills needed by those who seek to specialize in human services agency administration.

• SOWK 653 (Program Management and Development Practice), emphasizes planning, development and management of human service programs in addition to grant writing and other forms of resource development. 

The two policy electives are designed to complement the material they receive in these three core courses. They may choose from the following policy electives: the SOWK 610H, SOWK 610F, SOWK 602 or SOWK 609, as well as among the courses in the Philanthropy Certificate program or offerings in other departments that complement their interests and knowledge goals.

Field Placements:

Students interested in LDSS state their intention through the Fieldwork application that is turned into the Fieldwork Office in January of the student’s first year.  The staff in the fieldwork office then gives referrals to the students that fit their interest.  The fieldwork office does all placements and then assigns a fieldwork liaison once the placement is confirmed.

The second year LDSS field work placements are specifically developed to allow the students to put into supervised practice the theory they have been learning in class.  All LDSS field supervisors are social workers in upper level management at the field work organization.  Many of the organizations are the same ones that are available for our clinical practice students but the LDSS students are involved in management issues. Students are expected to work solely on administrative tasks and are not allowed to do direct service in LDSS placements. Agencies currently being used for LDSS students include: Lutheran Child and Family Services, Catholic Charities, Children’s Memorial Hospital, Department of Children and Family Services, Gads Hill Center, BUILD, Inc., JEWISH Federation and the Council on Jewish Elderly.  Students are expected to get experience in five areas of organizational leadership: finance, resource development, human resources, program evaluation and quality assurance, and board development.