Viking_Yearbook_66

--r- w.B. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK The School of Social Work is PSC's only full-fledged graduate school. Established in 1962, it now has 33 first year students, 21 second year students, and 1l instructors. One of the unique things about the school is its Field lntern program where students have the opportunity to apply classroom concepts. First year students spend two days a week on their field assignments and second year students spend two and a half. Of the major social welfare agencies in the Portland area,14 provide positions for interns. Serving double duty as social workers and super- visors are -17 field instructors, most of whom are not paid by PSC. Their role is crucial in training the intern, for they scrutinize every aspect of the siudent,s at- tempts to help people with emotionally-based prob- lems, even down to word for word examinations of the intern's interviews. Mrs. Phyllis Burnham of the portland public Schools is the field instructor for Jim Brown and Mrs. Arm- strong, two second year SSW interns at Markham and Capitol Hill grade schools. Mrs. Armstrong and Brown try to help children having emotionally rooted academic or behavioral problems. Teachers, princi- pals and even parents refer children to the social workers. After preliminary sessions with the child and his parents to see if he really has a problem, the school principal, counselor, nurse, the ieferring tea- cher and the field instructor discuss the child,s !rob- lem with the intern. lf they decide that professionar help is needed, they can refer the child to a treatment center or psychoanalyst. The actual treatment begins with several sessions in which the social worker tries to get acquainted with "his" child and his family. 179