Field Education

Field Education

Welcome! My name is Professor Forehand, and it’s my honor to serve as the Field Director for the UT Tyler Social Work Program. As the Field Director, it’s my job to help students prepare for Field, find their placement site, and make the most of their Field experience. On this page, you will find the link to the Field Manual, FAQs about Field, and my contact information. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions—I am here to help!

If you are an agency interested in becoming affiliated with us as a placement site, please reach out to me via my email, listed below. We are always interested in adding new sites and I’d be delighted to talk with you about our program!

Chloe Forehand, LCSW
Phone: 903.730.3925
Email: cforehand@uttyler.edu

Field FAQS:

1. When do I take Field?
   You take Field during your senior year.
   
   
2. How many hours do I have to do for Field?
   Field is 420 hours total. You can opt to do a split placement (210 hours over Spring and Fall Semesters of your senior year) or a block placement (420 hours during your last semester of your senior year). Please note: For split placements, you must start in the Fall Semester. You cannot start a split placement in the Spring Semester.
   
   
3. Do you offer summer placements?
   Currently, we don't offer Field placements during the summer.
   
   
4. What is the timeline for Field?
   
   As early as possible during junior year
         1. Meet with Professor Kenney to determine readiness for Field.
   
   Semester Prior to entering Field (Last semester of junior year for split placements and first semester of senior year for block placements):
   
   
   1. 1. Attend the Pre-Field Workshop at the beginning of the semester.
      2. Sign up for Tevera, explore prospective sites, and complete required paperwork.
      3. Once preferred sites have been identified, schedule a meeting with the Field Director to confirm everything is in order.
      4. Schedule and complete placement interviews no later than April (for Spring Semester) or November (for Fall Semester).
      5. Sign up for liability insurance and complete all agency requirements (background checks, drug screens, etc.)
      6. Complete all prerequisite courses, including UT System core curriculum requirements and all required BSW courses.
      7. Enroll in appropriate Field courses:
         1. BLOCK Students: SOCW 4601 Practicum I, SOCW 4602 Practicum II, SOCW 4141 Integrative Seminar I, and SOCW 4142 Integrative Seminar II, all concurrent during Field placement.
         2. SPLIT Students: SOCW 4601 Practicum I and SOCW 4141 Integrative Seminar I in the Fall Semester and SOCW 4602 Practicum II and SOCW Integrative Seminar II in the Spring Semester.
            
            
5. Do I get to pick my site?
   
   You do! Our affiliated sites are listed in Tevera and we encourage you to reach out for interviews with multiple sites. Field is a great time to explore your social work options.

 

1. Are there paid sites?
   
   For the most part, the sites we partner with don't offer compensation to students. Occasionally, we will have a site that offers students a stipend, but this is not the norm. We do allow you to do your Field placement at your place of employment, as long as they meet our for partnering with us as a placement site. If you are interested in doing your Field placement at your place of employment, reach out to Professor Forehand for more information.
   
   
2. What if there's a site I want, but it's not listed?
   
   We're always open to new placement sites! Contact Professor Forehand to get more information about adding a new site.
   
   
3. Can I work during Field?
   
   We understand that many of our students work and want to keep working throughout their time in our program. We encourage you to choose a Field placement option (split or block) that will be the most sustainable for you and to make arrangements ahead of time, as needed. Block placements students are expected to be at their sites for an average of 30 hours per week and split placement students are expected to be at their sites for an average of 15 hours per week.
   
   
4. What is Tevera?
   
   Tevera is our online placement and time-tracking software. After attending the Pre-Field Workshop, you will be sent a set-up invite for Tevera. Then, you can begin exploring sites and completing the Pre-Field paperwork. You'll also use Tevera during Field to log your hours and supervision.
   
   
5. What if I need help with Tevera?
   
   Tevera has an excellent customer support team. If you have any issues, you can click the "Help" button in Tevera or contact Professor Forehand for assistance.

View the Field Manual