UTEP Department of Social Work Launches LCSW-Supervision Program
Published December 5, 2024
By Darlene Muguiro
UTEP College of Health Sciences
On the heels of a major gift from the LaMantia family earlier this year to support aspiring licensed clinical social workers, the UTEP Department of Social Work is opening applications to train up to 36 students in the first phase of its LCSW-supervision program, slated to begin this spring.
Upon graduating from a master of social work program, students wishing to pursue their clinical licensure are required to complete 3,000 hours of supervised clinical experience over at least two years, and to meet with for supervision sessions for a total of 100 hours. Through this experience, students further develop clinical intervention skills and the use of self in a therapeutic context. Yet the cost to work with a licensed Texas LCSW supervisor – at around $100 per hour, or $10,000 in total – is daunting for many recent grads, leaving many to simply forgo the certification and pursue a different path.
The recent $136,000 gift from the LaMantia family is designed to bridge this gap and, ultimately, help to address the dearth of mental health providers in El Paso County – reported to be 2.5 times lower than the national average (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). Funding will be used to provide the bulk of the supervision expenses for 36 aspiring LCSWs as well as costs for the state licensure exam. Candidates will be asked to cover a modest $20 per supervision hour charge.
Beginning this spring, the first cohort will embark on a 2.5-year training program with students assigned to one of the licensed supervisors in the department led by Dr. Viridiana Ortiz, clinical assistant professor of Social Work and Dr. Jason Mallonee, clinical assistant professor of Social Work. Each week, the students will report back to their supervisors on their experiences with clinical social work practice at their home agency (minimum of four direct clinical hours per week). Students and supervisors will troubleshoot any problem areas and will also meet in group sessions for further discussion.
The Department of Social Work plans to prioritize applications for the supervision program from graduates who are working in nonprofit or governmental settings, due largely to the great need for licensed professionals in these areas.
“We have nonprofit agencies that are so dependent on grant funding that when they bring in an LMSW, they simply don’t have the resources to hire someone to provide the supervision for that person to become licensed,” explained Mallonee. “So, if we prioritize those alumni and provide them a really good supervision experience, they’re more likely to stay in that setting and not transition to private practice.”
Applications for the LCSW-Supervision Program are available at the link below. The Department of Social Work will be accepting applications up to December 31st. For more information, please contact Dr. Jason Mallonee at jrmallonee@utep.edu, Dr. Viridiana Ortiz at vortiz19@utep.edu, or Paola Ramirez, program coordinator, at plramirez2@miners.utep.edu.
https://www.utep.edu/chs/sw/resources/lcsw-supervision-program.html
###
Go Miners!
