Social Work

What is Social Work?

Social workers assist people in enhancing their social functioning, in resolving problems and in coping with the many forces influencing the quality of daily living. Social workers help individuals, families, groups or communities. They also address institutional, governmental and organizational policies, laws, and regulations in an effort to create services that are responsive to the needs of vulnerable people.

Social workers promote social justice and social change with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Social workers are sensitive to cultural and ethnic diversity and strive to end discrimination, oppression, poverty and other forms of social injustice.

Why Major in Social Work?

Training for generalist social work practice prepares students for a variety of entry-level social work jobs in human services agencies and community-based organizations. These jobs may include case management, counseling individuals and groups, client advocacy, working with community-based organizations and many other rewarding tasks.

The social work major requires 420 hours of field practicum during senior year and gives students many practice skills in working with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.

Students who major in social work want to be involved in a profession that cares deeply about society's most vulnerable people. A bachelor's degree in social work enables graduates to sit for licensure to practice professionally at the bachelor's level in Maryland and in many other states.

Social Work at Hood College

The Hood College Social Work major is accredited by the Council on Social Work Education. This accreditation gives graduates the opportunity to apply for advanced standing at many graduate schools of social work, which allows students to earn a master's degree in social work (M.S.W.) with one additional year of graduate study.

Hood is also known for its attentive faculty members, all of whom have practice and research experience. Recent faculty projects—which have involved students as well—have included conducting research predictors of performance in field education and elder mistreatment.

The major includes coursework in human behavior and the social environment, social policy and human service institutions, social research and social work methods. Course content includes social work values and ethics, social work practice methods, populations at risk, human behavior across the life span, human diversity and issues relating to economic and social justice.

During the field placement, students also complete a seminar course to allow for close communication between student, faculty field liaison and field instructor. This arrangement provides regular support for students and is a means of further understanding and processing the experiences that occur while in the field.

Internships

Hood's social work students have completed field placements at the following sites:

Adult Services Unit, Frederick County Department of Social Services
CASS (Community Agency School Service)
Citizen's Nursing Home
Family Partnership of Frederick County
Frederick County Department of Aging
Frederick County Department of Social Services
Frederick County Detention Center, Inmate Services
Heartly House (domestic violence center)
Homewood at Crumland Farms (nursing home)
Northampton Nursing Home
St. Catherine's Nursing Center
Springfield Hospital Center
Washington County Department of Social Services
Way Station, Inc. (psychosocial rehabilitation services)

What Our Students Say..

"What I enjoyed most from Hood College’s social work program was the small class size. Students and professors were able to hold in-depth discussions about social work challenges and issues, which gave students the critical thinking skills they needed to be successful social workers." -Class of 2007

"My time in the social work program at Hood is one of the most valuable experiences of my life. The intimate environment supported strong relationships with both the faculty and my peers as well as provided me with a solid foundation for social work practice and fully prepared me for graduate school" -Class of 2007.

"When I think about the education I received in the social work program at Hood College I always feel a mixture of gratitude and relief. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to be involved in such a wonderful program. I am sure that I benefited from the small class sizes, the challenging course work, my educational and exciting internship and (most of all) from the support and assistance I received from my professors. I am relieved that I was involved in such an impressive program that helped me transition easily into graduate school and then into the world of social work as a career. As I completed my graduate work, I felt more and more certain that I was better prepared and confident because of my education at Hood. I have learned that members of the community are aware of this outstanding program and I have earned respect from my co-workers and supervisors because of my participation in the program." -Class of 2007

Alumnae and Alumni Success Story

Zoe Worrell, a 2002 graduate, received a prestigious Jack Kent Cook Scholarship, worth up to $50,000 toward her graduate studies. As one of two graduating seniors with the highest grade point average in her class, she also earned the Hood College Academic Achievement Prize.

Faculty

Joy Swanson Ernst, Ph.D., M.S.W.

Assistant Professor of Social Work, Director of the Social Work program
Phone: (301) 696-3754
E-mail: ernst@hood.edu

Prior to her employment at Hood, Professor Ernst served as the research director for the Family Connections Project at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, a federally funded project aimed at testing the effectiveness of home-based services to families at risk for child neglect. She has presented and published on the neighborhood-level factors associated with child maltreatment, elder mistreatment, geriatric enrichment in social work education, and on child welfare practice in New Zealand. Her research focuses on elder mistreatment.

Lynda Sowbel, LCSW-C, BCD

Associate Professor of Social work and Director of Field Instruction
Phone: (301) 696-3878
E-mail: sowbel@hood.edu

Professor Sowbel teaches courses on social work methods of intervention with individuals, families, groups and organizations. She has more than 20 years of experience in psychiatric and clinical social work, program administration and field instruction. She has presented on a wide range of topics, including aging enrichment integration into the baccalaureate curriculum, field education, mental health and cultural competence. She has published on topics related to aging enrichment, models for mental health recovery and substance abuse preparedness for MSW students.

For complete departmental information in our online catalog, click here.

For complete information in our online catalog, click here.

Academics.