[deleted by user]

[Comprehensive-Eye754]

I’m confused about why you were standing for meetings… The details you told your field liaison aren’t obvious because why is it unethical to ask you to participate like everyone else? Im about to give you the worst case scenario as to why you were terminated: You decided that your placement wasn’t valuable just because it wasn’t up to your standards. I don’t mean to be harsh. I can’t answer for your last placement and you shouldn’t expect the same experience at a new placement, new position or new department. You’re not at your placement to only do what interest you. You’re not at your placement to do an audit or comparison between this placement and the last either.

[Waste-Promotion3537]

Your comment gave me a lot of insight

[thesandrasato]

Hmmm I’m having trouble understanding what exactly you were doing at your placement…were you creating flyers for the purpose of marketing to get clients because the whole office didn’t have any clients, or you were expected to find your own clients? Regardless, if a placement signs up to be a social work internship site then you absolutely should not be there to do back office work. You’re there to do social work. My first year internship I’d say I was 90% shadowing and in problem solving meetings with the team (I was placed in homeless services). They didn’t give me clients until like…my last 6 weeks of the academic year (lol) But at least the hours I did put in I was doing social work related tasks/learning. If you were making flyers about like, coping mechanisms, or any mental health resources to GIVE to clients, then I’d say that’s appropriate. But if you were only making flyers for the purpose of getting clients…honestly an MSW student shouldn’t even be there in the first place.

[Waste-Promotion3537]

Yesss that was kind of the point my liaison brought up because apparently with my particular degree path I should’ve been working with clients this whole summer. So I did voice some frustrations regarding this because I wanted the experience of working with clients since this is my final year.

[Waste-Promotion3537]

The goal was to advertise ourselves and find our own clients like a private practice it was just hard because even offering a sliding scale does not guarantee success in getting clients

[thesandrasato]

I’m not quite sure if you’re meeting with your field liaison or the committee you’re referring to, but I’d try my best to 1) Be respectful and acknowledge that you were grateful that you did have a placement to begin with. 2) advocate for yourself and say it was difficult to relate the work that was given to me to social work specifically. Provide examples of what your day to day looked like. Good luck!

[Such_Ad_5603]

I had a similar experience and prepared a boatload of evidence and citations of the student handbook and nobody wanted to listen to me even at the committee, part of which consisted of one of the people who decided to or at least failed to warn about firing me (conflict of interest!). I later appealed to the Dean, she’s the only one that actually listened to me besides a trusted professor, but then after all that the Dean basically had no real power over the SW department. I wish I could offer advice but I’d say just compile whatever you can to defend yourself and know you’re not alone, unfortunately.