In addition to classroom work, each student has two different practicum placements during the two-year program. Students are assigned to a first-year placement that exposes them to both macro and micro practices, and to a broad range of clientele. The program is structured so that students participate not only in direct service, but in community outreach, advocacy, staff meetings, consultation, research activities, and staff development programs.
Practicum days are two full eight-hour days per week for first-year students (Monday and Wednesday) for agency placement, and Fridays for practicum education modules. The second-year placement is coordinated with a student’s choice of concentration and specialization. Second-year students are in practicum three days per week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday). Practicum placements may include evening hours. Approximately 1,100 hours are required in a practicum placement over the two-year period, for which a total of 21 units of academic credit are given.
It is important to note that all MSW students are expected to travel to their practicum placement. Most placements are located a considerable distance from campus. Because public transportation can be unreliable and time-consuming, access to a car or other reliable transportation is necessary. Reasonable efforts will be made to place students with disabilities in accessible agencies and locations.
Professional Practice
The MSW is a professional practice-oriented degree that assumes the school and community of social work agencies are engaged together in the education process. The UCLA Department of Social Welfare relies heavily on the practicum and community agencies to help produce competent practitioners.
The Department of Social Welfare is an integral part of the University of California, adhering to its established policies. Affiliation with a wide spectrum of community agencies, which may provide suitable educational opportunities for our students is sought. The practicum education is a course which must meet University and Council of Social Work Education (CSWE) requirements. The Chair has final administrative responsibility in all matters pertaining to the Department.
Practicum Instructor Criteria
A signed Affiliation Agreement is required between the agency and UCLA before students can be placed in the agency site.
To Begin the Process
Our Department uses an online application to screen new agencies. Agencies interested in becoming a placement site for the MSW program should submit their application here. We will review your application and contact you as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please contact Carmen Mancha at cmancha@luskin.ucla.edu.
Selection Process
In the course of the academic quarter the practicum faculty will conduct a needs assessment for the next academic year. This need attempts to:
- Review the placements currently in use
- Assess the educational needs and areas of specific interests of our students, both new and those moving into second year
- Determine what we shall need in the way of additional placements, new programs, and in which geographic areas
Once the assessment is completed, and it is deemed probable that a placement can be mutually beneficial, and member of the practicum faculty will make an appointment with selected agencies to further discuss the specific arrangements.
Practicum Education Responsibilities
Click here for a PDF of Practicum Education Responsibilities.
Information for Practicum Instructors
Practicum Staff Directory
Director
Susan Lares-Nakaoka, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.A.
Director of Practicum
(424) 259-5066
Susan@luskin.ucla.edu
Practicum Faculty
Laura Alongi Brinderson, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
CALSWEC Practicum Consultant
(310) 206-9201
alongi@luskin.ucla.edu
Larthia Dunham, M.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
(310) 206-4436
dunham@luskin.ucla.edu
Toby Hur, M.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
(310) 825-9736
thur@luskin.ucla.edu
Tranishia James, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
(310) 825-4310
tjames@luskin.ucla.edu
Erin Nakamura, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
SWECE Program Director
(424) 259-5127
enakamura@luskin.ucla.edu
Hector Palencia, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
(310) 825-9736
hpalencia@luskin.ucla.edu
Resheda Patterson, M.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
patterson23@g.ucla.edu
Stephanie Tuazon, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
steptuaz@ucla.edu
Michelle Talley, L.C.S.W.
Practicum Faculty
DCFS Practicum Consultant
(310) 206-2697
talley@luskin.ucla.edu
Administrative Staff
Carmen Mancha
Practicum Coordinator
(310) 825-2257
cmancha@luskin.ucla.edu
Tera Sillett
Title IV-E Admin. Analyst
(310) 206-6048
tsillett@luskin.ucla.edu
Amy Tinoco
SWECE Admin. Analyst
If you are looking for the general UCLA directory, it can be found here.
Practicum Education Faculty Profiles
Read more about our practicum faculty.
Agencies
AADAP/Olympia Academy, Los Angeles, CA
Actors Fund – Los Angeles, CA
AIDS Service Center – Pasadena, CA
Alliance for Children’s Rights – Los Angeles, CA
Alzheimer’s Assn., Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Anaheim Union High School District – Anaheim, CA
Asian Pacific AIDS Intervention Team – Los Angeles, CA
Asian Pacific Counseling & Treatment Centers – Los Angeles, CA
Aspire Public Schools – Los Angeles, CA
Aviva Community MH Center – Los Angeles, CA
Beach Cities Health District, Redondo Beach, CA
Boys and Girls Club Malibu Teen Center – Malibu, CA
California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, Pasadena, CA
California Hospital Medical Center, Pico Union – Los Angeles, CA
Cancer Support Community, Topanga, CA
Cedars-Sinai, C.O.A.C.H. Program – Los Angeles, CA
Centinela Youth Services, Everychild – Inglewood, CA
Child & Family Guidance Center, Northridge – Northridge, CA
Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Children’s Institute International – Los Angeles, CA
Chrysalis Downtown – Los Angeles, CA
City of Irvine, Lakeview Senior Center – Irvine, CA
City of Long Beach, Development Services – Long Beach, CA
City of Santa Monica, Human Services Div. – Santa Monica, CA
COACH for Kids and Their Families – Los Angeles, CA
Coalition to Abolish Slavery & Trafficking (CAST) – Los Angeles, CA
Communities In Schools – North Hills, CA
Community & Sr Serv, Adult Protective Servs. – Los Angeles, CA
Community Coalition – Culver City, CA
County of Ventura, Human Services – Ventura, CA
Covenant House – Los Angeles, CA
Didi Hirsch Community MH Center – Culver City, CA
Domestic Abuse Center – Northridge, CA
Downtown Women’s Center – Los Angeles, CA
East Whittier City School District – East Whittier, CA
Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center – Los Angeles, CA
El Centro Del Pueblo – Los Angeles, CA
El Nido Family Centers, Carson – Carson, CA
El Nido Family Centers, Mission Hills – Mission Hills, CA
El Nido Family Services – Santa Monica, CA
El Rancho Unified School District – Pico Rivera, CA
Exodus Recovery, Inc. – Culver City, CA
Family Services of Santa Monica – Santa Monica, CA
Foothill Family Services – Pasadena, CA
Friends of the Family
Greater Long Beach Child Guidance Center – Long Beach, CA
Hathaway-Sycamores, Outpatient – Pacoima, CA
Helpline Youth Counseling – Norwalk, CA
Hillsides – Youth Moving On – Pasadena, CA
Hoag Memorial Hospital – Newport Beach, CA
Holarchy Consulting Services – Hollywood, CA
Hollygrove – Los Angeles, CA
Human Options – Irvine, CA
Institute for Applied Behavior Analysis – Los Angeles, CA
Institute for Multicultural Counseling & Education – Los Angeles, CA
Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles – various sites, CA
Kaiser Permanente, various sites, CA
Koreatown Youth & Community Center – Los Angeles, CA
LA County Department of Children and Family Services, various sites, CA
LA County Department of Health Services, various sites, CA
LA County Department of Mental Health, various sites, CA
LA Conservation Corps – Los Angeles, CA
LA Family Housing Corp. – No. Hollywood, CA
LA Gay & Lesbian Center – Los Angeles, CA
LAMP Community
LAUSD, School Mental Health, various sites, CA
Lennox Educational Neighborhood Zone (LENZ – Lennox, CA
Liberty Hill Foundation – Los Angeles, CA
Little Tokyo Service Center – Los Angeles, CA
Long Beach Preparatory Academy – Long Beach, CA
Long Beach Unified School District – Long Beach, CA
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice – Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles Centers for Alcohol & Drug Abuse – Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations – Los Angeles, CA
Maryvale Family Resource Center – Duarte, CA
Mental Health America – The Village – Long Beach, CA
Motion Picture & Television Fund – Los Angeles, CA
New Visions Foundation – Santa Monica, CA
Occupational Therapy Training Program – Torrance, CA
ONEgeneration Daycare – Van Nuys, CA
OPCC – Santa Monica, CA
Opica Adult Day Care – Los Angeles, CA
Our House Grief Support Center – Los Angeles, CA
Pacific Clinics, various sites, CA
Partners in Care Foundation – San Fernando, CA
Peace Over Violence – Los Angeles, CA
Project 180 – Los Angeles, CA
Project IMPACT – Lynwood, CA
Prototypes Center for Innovation – Culver City, CA
Prototypes I-CAN – Pasadena, CA
Providence Trinity Care Hospice – Redondo Beach, CA
Public Counsel – Los Angeles, CA
Redondo Beach Unified School District – Redondo Beach, CA
Saint John’s Child & Family Development Center – Santa Monica, CA
Seasons Hospice & Palliative Care – Orange, CA
Shields for Families Project, Inc. – Los Angeles, CA
Simms/Mann-UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology – CAMPUS 693424
Social Model Recovery Systems – various sites, CA
South Asian Network (SAN) – Artesia, CA
South Bay Center for Community Development – El Segundo, CA
Southern CA Foster Family & Adoption Agency – Los Angeles, CA
Special Services for Groups – Los Angeles, CA
St. Barnabas Senior Services – Los Angeles, CA
St. Joseph Center – Venice, CA
St. Vincent’s Cardinal Manning Center – Los Angeles, CA
Step Up On 2nd – Santa Monica, CA
Teen Line – Los Angeles, CA
The Guidance Center – Long Beach, CA
The Help Group – Sherman Oaks, CA
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society – Los Angeles, CA
The Painted Brain – Los Angeles, CA
UCI Medical Center, CHAO Family Cancer Ctr. – Orange, CA
UCLA Counseling and Psychological Services – CAMPUS 155606
UCLA Health Marketing Services – Santa Monica, CA
UCLA Nathanson Family Resilience Center – Los Angeles, CA
UCLA Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital – CAMPUS 696724
UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center – CAMPUS 742230
UCLA TIES for Families – Los Angeles, CA
United Friends of the Children – Los Angeles, CA
United Way of Greater L.A. – Los Angeles, CA
VA Greater LA Healthcare, Sepulveda – Sepulveda, CA
VA Greater LA Healthcare, West Los Angeles – Los Angeles, CA
Venice Community Housing Corp – Venice, CA
Venice Family Clinic – Venice, CA
Ventura County Behavioral Health Department – Oxnard, CA
Ventura County Human Services Agency – Ventura, CA
Veterans First – Santa Ana, CA
Vista Del Mar Child Family Services – Los Angeles, CA
Watts Labor Community & Action Committee – Watts, CA
Weingart Center – Los Angeles, CA
West End Family Counseling Services – Ontario, CA
WISE and Healthy Aging – Santa Monica, CA
Women Helping Women – Los Angeles, CA
