Grayson College and Texas A&M University-Commerce Partner to Provide a Field Placement for Social Worker Intern

Texas A&M University-Commerce has joined with Grayson College to provide social services to GC students.  GC is now a Field Placement Site for Social Worker Interns.  The agreement allows students in the Bachelor Social Worker and Master Social Worker programs of study to complete one year of their field experience in the Office of Counseling and Social Services. The Director of Counseling and Social Services, Barbara Malone, will work closely with Brian Brumley, LMSW-IPR, Director of Field Education, to facilitate a successful field placement for Social Worker Interns.  The first Social Worker Intern to participate in the field placement at GC is Shelby Hoffmaster. 

“The addition of our new Social Worker Intern, Shelby Hoffmaster, to the Department of Counseling and Social Services could not have happened at a more needed time,” Malone said. “The department is receiving an increase in Emergency Aid applications due to the COVID -19 pandemic and loss of jobs.  She's been a vital partner in assisting with keeping records up-to-date while transitioning the department to virtual case management and telemental health.“

Hoffmaster is entering her first semester of the master's program for social work students at Texas A&M University-Commerce. She has been a student since 2017 and became an alumni of the university in December of 2019, graduating with a Bachelor of Social Work.  This internship will be her second field placement, as she completed her placement last year in the field of mental health. 

“This position means that I am able to advance my learning in a way that accommodates the caring of counseling and the giving back of social services,” Hoffmaster said. “Grayson Colllege has been extremely progressive in its effort to help students that are in need, and it is about time someone speaks for those students that are struggling. The connections made between colleges help with interconnectedness and meeting the needs of those who will use it the most.”

The key features of Grayson College’s Counseling and Social Services, being an approved field placement site for Social Worker interns, is the newly established Grayson Cares Emergency Student Assistance Program.  The new program was established in June 2019 and was funded by the United Way of Grayson County and the Grayson College Foundation. Grayson Cares permits students to submit an emergency request that will coordinate on-campus and community agency services, including Emergency Student Assistance, Food Pantry, Veteran’s assistance, transportation assistance, community partners and Texoma Council of Governments and Workforce Solutions. 

In this agreement, Social Worker Interns will have learning opportunities while providing individual counseling with clients who represent a diverse population.  Students served in the ESA program are enrolled in programs and courses in one of the six career pathways offered at GC.  Also, the ESA program serves students currently enrolled in the Adult Education Literacy and the Center for Workforce Learning programs.  

The placement activities and skills will include record-keeping activities such as intake summaries, treatment planning, and collaboration with community agencies, progress notes, and follow-up summaries. The case management activities include follow-up with the Financial Aid Department, enrollment status, completion rates, and monitoring with agencies and community partners. 

The permanent office location for Counseling and Social Services is still being determined. The Social Worker Intern will have an office in the same location as the Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Licensed Professional Counselor Intern.