School of Education - Social Work

Thank you for your interest in the social work major. Social work graduates of Warner University will be prepared to model their Christian faith through advocacy and professional practices which encourage the improvement of society and enhance the well-being of its most oppressed populations.

Our social work students are very active on campus and in the local community. The Social Work Student Association provides many opportunities for volunteerism and community advocacy. Our students have been involved with organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Guardian Ad Litem, Lake Wales Care Center, Good Shepherd Hospice, Victim's Advocate, and the Polk County School Board. In addition, social work majors complete 400 hour field placements during the final semester in which they gain extensive practice experience at a social service agency.

Our students are provided the knowledge and skills needed to work with clients with a variety of social problems on multiple levels. Graduates are prepared for career opportunities in school systems, child welfare, healthcare, mental health, addictions, domestic violence, criminal justice, gerontology and developmental disabilities. Many graduates wishing to practice as clinical therapists go on to pursue a master's degree in social work (MSW).

As the Social Work Program Director, I am eager to share the most recent happenings in our program. In February 2011, the Social Work Program had its first successful Commissioner Site Visit from the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). On June 13, 2011, the Commission on Accreditation reviewed the commissioner visit report and all submitted documents and voted to grant the program candidacy! While full accreditation will not be attained until June 2014, all students admitted to the social work major at Warner University will now be eligible to enter graduate school with advanced standing, shortening the course of study for the MSW by as much as one year.

This is definitely a very exciting time for the social work program at Warner University. I would enjoy speaking with you or answering any questions you may have about the social work major. Please feel free to contact me at erica.sirrine@warner.edu or (863) 638-7678.

Erica Sirrine, MSW, LCSW
Social Work Program Director
Assistant Professor of Social Work