Field placement is a part of the Master of Social Work (MSW) student's formal educational requirement.  Harris Hospital offers a MSW student the opportunity to train in an inpatient psychiatric setting in collaboration with clinical social workers and other members of a multidisciplinary team.  The MSW student receives close supervision from an experienced social worker and has to integrate, utilize, and apply classroom concepts and theory into practical experiences.  Social work values and ethics are emphasized while working with a diverse and vulnerable population.  The MSW student undertakes psychosocial assessments, financial applications, individual, family, and group counseling, and discharge planning, including arrangement of placement and follow-up after care appointments.

At Harris Hospital each patient is assigned a social worker who is dedicated to making each patient's stay count.  Under the direction of Kay Seymour, Social Work Director, the department serves as an unlimited resource to patients, multi-tasking all facets of care providing the individual care each patient needs.  The goal of making it count doesn't stop with the end of the patient's hospital stay, but coordinating efforts to provide a smooth transition when they leave the hospital as well.