MSW Students in Private Practice

The increasing number of MSW students engaged in private psychotherapy practice concurrent with their graduate studies has received little attention in literature on social work education. This article examines the educational, ethical, and legal dilemmas effected by this trend, and describes the policy developed at the University of Denver to address these problems. More broadly, it argues that schools of social work in general have a legitimate interest in adopting policies to prohibit or discourage MSW students from conducting private practice.