Rachel blogs about taking what she’s learned in her MSW coursework and field training to her work with families in the child protection system.

My name is Rachel, and I am an MSW IV-E student interning within a child protection unit in the metro area. This past year has been my first experience working in a county child welfare setting, so I entered my internship with a clear head, not entirely sure what to expect. The first few weeks were a rush of learning county protocols, procedures, and SSIS. Though as things caught rhythm, I began to really appreciate the crossover between what I was learning in my classes and what I was seeing in the field.

For me, one of the most challenging aspects of interning in child protection was engaging with my clients. For clients with complex issues, the child welfare system can sometimes seem like just another invasive entity that threatens their fragile status quos. My Family and Children anchor and boost courses offered me new perspectives on engaging with youth and parents who may feel less than enthusiastic about my involvement in their lives. I was able to bring these perspectives back to my internship to better engage my clients.

As my supervisor was quick to remind me, interviewing skills are ones that we will work on throughout our careers as social workers, regardless of the setting. Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a clinical interviewing technique that we spent time learning about in several of my courses. This interviewing technique requires the interviewer to take a non-assuming, strength-based approach to working with clients to help nurture positive change in their lives. One of the most important experiences I was able to have at my county internship was the opportunity to attend a day-long MI training facilitated by an agency that frequently partners with counties in the metro area. At the training I was able to spend the day focusing on the MI model in-depth, and practice interviewing techniques with professionals from agencies all over the area. Bringing this technique back to my internship has provided me with a new tool in my interviewing toolbox, one that will help me better serve families and children throughout my social work career.

Written by Rachel, a Title IV-E Scholar