Creating Your Path in Clinical Practice with an Erikson Master of Social Work

Erikson Institute offers a unique Master of Social Work (MSW) degree with a deep grounding in child development not found in other programs. This preparation is helpful across the field of social work, and particularly in the area of mental health therapy, also called “clinical” practice.

Maggie Brett, LCSW, program director for the MSW program, says that 90% of Erikson social work graduates seek clinical positions. An Erikson education uniquely supports these professionals by giving them a firm foundation in reflective practice, where students learn individually and collectively about the power of self-reflection to enhance their work and protect against burnout.

“An Erikson education prepares reflective practitioners who seek out colleagues and supervisors who value the same,” Brett says. “The clinical coursework provides a deep foundation in theories of social work practice and the opportunities to develop skills. Erikson also emphasizes understanding the individual within their context and how to engage and assess not only the individual, but the family and community in which they belong.”

With two concentrations: Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, and Clinical Practice with Children, Adolescents & Adults, Erikson’s MSW program offers specializations that can meet the specific interests of students who want to become therapists.

Samuel Brownson, an Erikson alum (MSW ‘22) currently employed as a therapist at the institute’s Center for Children and Families, shares his thoughts about the value of an Erikson MSW:

“Every class tied into child development and enhanced my knowledge of how meaning is shaped within families, communities and the wider social milieu,” Brownson says. “It was a great foundation for any type of mental health work because so much of our emotional life is informed by the first years of life, and the more we can understand how our clients’ self-concepts, defenses, etc. are formed in those years, the more we can understand the things our clients carry throughout their lives and how they can heal.”

Learn more by attending our virtual information session on June 12. Register here