What is a Self-Directed Practicum? A Guide to the University of Calgary’s Innovative Practicum Option
If you’re a University of Calgary MSW student (or thinking about applying), you may have heard about the self-directed practicum, and then immediately wondered what it actually is. I know I did. In fact, I didn’t even realize it was an option until halfway through my foundational year.
When I first looked into it, it sounded promising, especially for students with specific interests, limited access to traditional placements, or a desire to shape their own learning path. I was intrigued by the flexibility, creativity, and customizability it offered, but there wasn’t much information out there since it’s currently unique to the University of Calgary.
This blog post is my attempt to fill that gap. I completed a self-directed practicum this year and want to share what I learned. Whether you’re an applicant curious about the University of Calgary’s MSW program or a current student trying to decide whether this path is right for you, I’ll break down what it is, who it might be a good fit for, and what I wish I’d known before starting.
What is a Self-Directed Practicum?
A self-directed practicum is exactly what it sounds like: you direct it. Instead of being placed at a traditional agency, you design your own practicum experience around your learning goals and interests, with the support of a Faculty Field Instructor and Faculty Liaison.
You still need to meet the same learning objectives as any other MSW practicum, and you’re still accountable for completing your required hours (450 or 500, depending on whether it’s the foundational or advanced practicum). The main difference is that you’re not anchored to a single placement organization. Instead, you’re building the practicum yourself, often through a combination of learning activities.
Your hours and learning activities are divided into two categories:
Applied Practice (at least 1/3 of your hours): This includes all interactive, action-oriented work. Examples include creating your learning agreement, preparing for and attending supervision, volunteering, attending live trainings and webinars, creating resources, conducting research, presenting, attending conferences, touring community organizations, and building your network through informational interviews. In short, anything that provides you with an opportunity to interact with others live (in-person or virtual) or produces a tangible output.
Self-Directed Practice (up to 2/3): This is your independent learning. Examples include reading, listening to podcasts, watching videos, or completing self-paced trainings. If it’s passive or solo learning, it likely falls here.
During the self-directed practicum, you will attend weekly group supervision with other self-directed practicum students, led by your Faculty Field Instructor, who is a registered social worker in Canada (mine was a clinical social worker in private practice). These sessions are where you’ll reflect on your learning, talk through challenges, and get feedback and support from both your supervisor and peers. It is valuable space for shared reflection, encouragement, and cross-pollination of ideas, which many students describe as one of the most meaningful parts of the experience.
Outside of supervision, you’ll create a learning agreement (required for all practicum students, but often more open-ended and time-consuming for self-directed ones), track your hours, and show how each learning activity you chose aligns with the core practice objectives for your level of study. To learn more about the practice objectives, see the “Supporting Documents” section of the Field Education Manual.
Before starting the self-directed practicum, you’ll need to complete a proposal and get it approved by the faculty. This is a separate step from the learning agreement, even though they’re similar. The proposal is submitted before your practicum begins (typically in the fall) and outlines your goals, proposed activities, and how you plan to meet the core practice objectives. Once it’s approved, you’ll move on to developing your formal learning agreement during the practicum itself. Your Field Education Coordinator will reach out to you when the time is right, so there’s nothing you need to do other than monitor your emails and think about what you might want to focus on.
The self-directed practicum model was originally developed to support students in rural and remote areas who were struggling to access traditional placements. It’s since grown into a flexible, student-led option for anyone with a clear sense of what they want to learn and how they want to grow as a social worker.
One of the biggest benefits of this model is its flexibility. You have a lot of autonomy in what you choose to learn about and the activities you pursue to acquire that learning. Additionally, if something isn’t working, you’ve learned what you need to from a particular activity, or you encounter a new opportunity, you can shift gears mid-practicum, as long as it still meets your objectives and is approved by your supervisor.
Who It’s For (and Who It Might Not Be For)
The self-directed practicum isn’t for everyone. It’s a unique path that offers a lot of freedom, but it also demands a high level of initiative and self-organization. If you thrive with external structure, prefer a set schedule, or want to be immersed in a traditional agency environment, with lots of supervision and support, this model may feel too open-ended and independent for you.
It might be right for you if:
You have a clear sense of what you want to learn or specialize in.
You live in a rural, remote, or underserved area where placements are limited.
You’re juggling work, caregiving, or other responsibilities and need flexibility that an agency-based placement doesn’t allow.
You have a niche or interdisciplinary interest that is challenging to match to a traditional placement (e.g., veterinary social work, art therapy, animal-assisted therapy, anti-oppressive approaches to social work).
You want to explore multiple areas of social work and integrate learning across different roles or settings.
You’re entrepreneurial or project-driven and feel excited by the idea of designing your own practicum.
You enjoy working independently, setting your own schedule, and managing your own time.
Conversely, it may not be the best fit if:
You’re looking for direct practice experience with clients in a traditional setting.
You want an on-site team or supervisor available to you daily.
You struggle with time management, need more structure, or find it difficult to stay accountable without external deadlines.
You find the idea of building your own practicum more stressful than exciting.
There’s no “better” or “worse” option, just different ways of meeting the same learning outcomes. The key is knowing which environment helps you learn best, and which model will support your goals.
My Biggest Lessons and Honest Reflections
To give you a feel for what a self-directed practicum can look like in practice, here’s how I structured mine. I focused on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is a clinical area I’m passionate about and hope to specialize in as a therapist. I structured the practicum around a core question: What do I need to learn to prepare for clinical work with individuals and families experiencing OCD and related conditions?
From there, I built a learning plan that combined reading, podcasts, trainings, informational interviews, and resource development. I attended webinars and workshops on OCD, trauma, and neurodivergence. I created clinician resources on stigmatized OCD presentations, presentations related to OCD, and explored justice-oriented adaptations to exposure therapy. I observed peer consultation groups, completed self-paced trainings, read books and articles, and listened to podcasts, including lived experience accounts of OCD. I created a resource repository for myself and to support other clinicians who want to specialize in OCD. Lastly, one of the most rewarding parts was conducting informational interviews with local OCD therapists. As you can see, the range of activities I engaged in was broad, but they all aligned with the social work practice objectives I needed to meet and my future career goals.
As mentioned, the single most valuable thing I did, and the piece of advice I’d give to anyone doing a self-directed practicum, was setting up those informational interviews. I learned so much that I couldn’t have found in a textbook or training. These conversations also helped me start building my professional network and opened doors for future opportunities. It was easily one of the most energizing and practical parts of my learning, and something I still do.
The biggest challenge? Avoiding burnout. It’s incredibly easy to overload your learning plan when you’re designing it yourself. Toward the end of my practicum, I found myself feeling worn out and struggling to focus. The good news is that time spent on self-care does count towards your hours since it’s essential for ethical, sustainable social work practice. I also cut a couple of activities from my plan to focus more deeply on the ones I was still excited about and prioritized activities I enjoyed most to help me stay engaged.
Would I recommend the self-directed practicum? Absolutely, for the right person. You’ll spend a lot of time working independently (unless you intentionally build in interactive elements such as volunteering, live trainings, informational interviews, or community-based projects). Additionally, to finish on time and pass, you’ll need to keep yourself motivated and commit 6-8 hours per day to stay on track, ensuring you address all the required practice objectives. It’s definitely not for everyone, but if you’re self-motivated, comfortable creating structure, and are excited to carve out your own learning path, it can be a really great experience that you won’t find anywhere else.
Related Reading:
How to Make the Most of a Self-Directed Practicum
There’s a lot to figure out when you’re building your practicum from scratch. Here are some tips to help you make the most of it:
Reverse-engineer your plan. Think about what kind of social worker you want to be and work backwards. Look at job postings to see what employers are looking for, identify gaps in your knowledge and skills, and build a practicum that helps you get where you want to go. For example, if you want to teach one day, consider completing the University of Calgary’s Certificates in University Teaching and Learning, which are free for graduate students.
Reach out to people. Informational interviews with professionals in your area of interest are gold. They build your network, offer insight you won’t find anywhere else, give you career guidance, and can lead to future opportunities.
Pick things you actually enjoy. Hate reading? Don’t fill your plan with books and journal articles. Instead, choose activities you do enjoy doing and build in variety to keep things engaging over the long haul.
Take self-care seriously. Intentionally build it into your learning plan from the beginning. Use your practicum as an opportunity to develop sustainable self-care habits because ethical, competent social work practice requires taking care of yourself, too.
Remember that you can adjust. Many students, myself included, start strong with ambitious learning plans and then hit a wall. It’s okay to revise your plan at any point. If you’re feeling stuck or overwhelmed, talk it through in group supervision or one-on-one with your supervisor to help determine the best way to adjust.
Track your time in a way that works for you. Whether you use an Excel sheet, Word doc, notebook, or an app like Toggl Track, just make sure you’re documenting not only what you did, but what you learned, giving yourself time and space to reflect and process your learnings.
Get creative. Some students have created podcasts, blogs, or email newsletters on their practicum topic. Others have run peer support groups, designed mental health workshops, or built resource libraries. One even used Canva to help visually process the content they were learning. Get creative and make it your own!
Build in accountability. When you’re working independently, adding external deadlines and structure can be helpful. Consider setting deadlines for yourself by scheduling presentations, sharing updates in group supervision, or committing to accomplish various activities by specific dates. You can also pair up with a peer from supervision to help stay motivated and check in regularly, providing some external accountability and support.
Related Reading:
Final Thoughts
If you’re considering this path, know that it comes with both freedom and responsibility. You won’t have a set schedule, a built-in team, or someone checking in on your progress every day, so you’ll need to be self-motivated, organized, and willing to adapt as you go. However, for the right person, it’s an amazing opportunity to build a practicum that’s uniquely your own.
If you’re drawn to the idea, trust that instinct and explore it. You don’t need to have it all figured out from the start. What matters most is your willingness to take ownership of your learning, ask for support when you need it, and adjust as you go. That’s what makes this practicum work.
Still in the application phase?
Check out our guide on applying to the University of Calgary’s MSW Program and tips on writing an MSW program proposal for the University of Calgary.
Considering your practicum options or actively seeking a placement?
How to find a social work internship is a helpful starting point.
If your plan includes agency work or volunteering, our placement interview tips can help you feel more prepared and confident.
