Overview
Make a positive impact on children and families.
The Child and Family Practice specialization focuses on four of the key social problems affecting individuals, including mental illness, intimate partner violence, poverty, and substance use.
You will have the opportunity to expand your knowledge in a variety of practice areas. Our electives and practicum experience center around special populations and social problems such as:
- foster care and special needs adoption
- substance use
- family violence
- sexual abuse
- physical and mental illness
- agency administration and program planning
- supervision
Our agency-based practice gives you the opportunity to take what you learn in the classroom and apply it to working with children and families. Through this experience, you will learn how to develop, deliver, and manage services to meet the needs of clients. Whatever your interest may be, we have just the spot for you. Agency locations include, but are not limited to:
- mental health facilities
- child welfare agencies
- substance use disorder treatment programs
- youth centers
- prevention agencies
- hospitals
- homeless programs
- intimate partner violence centers
- courts
- community centers
Practicum Placement Requirements
Generalist Practicum
The Generalist Practicum focuses on the development of general practice competencies in an agency-based setting. The Generalist Practicum requires a minimum of 400 hours over 12 weeks during a summer semester, averaging 33-35 hours per week, in conjunction with one concurrent course, the Generalist Practicum Seminar, which is taught in-person. The Generalist Practicum is only required for students completing the full program; Advanced Standing students do not complete the Generalist Practicum.
Specialist Practicum
The Specialist Practicum builds competence for specialist practice with children and families. The Specialist Practicum requires a minimum of 700 hours over two consecutive semesters (fall and spring; 16 weeks each semesters), averaging 22-25 hours per week, in conjunction with concurrent Specialist Practicum Seminar and Practice Evaluation (research) courses, which are taught in-person each semester. All students, including full program and Advanced Standing, complete a specialist practicum placement during the final year of the program.
Sample Plans of Study
View these sample plans of study to get an overview of courses in the Child and Family Practice specialization.