Orientation to Field Education at NCSSS

1. Orientation to Field Education at NCSSS Loretta Vitale Saks, MSW, LCSW-C Director of Field Education National Catholic School of Social Service saks@cua.edu Fall 2010 This presentation is the intellectual property of the author and may be used only with written permission and appropriate credit.

2. Overview of Presentation • Social work curriculum at NCSSS • What is field education? • At NCSSS • In social work education • Field instructor role • Developmental stages of internship • Supervisory relationship • Summary of field-related assignments • Process recordings • NCSSS & CUA resources

3. Field Education at NCSSS • BSW program • Juniors • Spring semester (observational) experience • Seniors • 16 hours/week; 480 hours/year; Tues & Thurs • MSW program • Foundation year • 16 hours/wk; 480 hrs/yr; Wed & Thurs • Advanced year: Clinical; Clinical Health; Social Change; Combined • 20 hours/wk; 600 hrs/yr; Tues, Wed, 1/2 days on Thurs • Sometimes Combined students intern up to 24 hours/week

4. Field Education at NCSSS • A model that works: internship + integrative seminar • 3 credits (per semester) = internship hours + weekly field seminar • Liaison =Seminar professor • Your link to NCSSS and the Office of Field Education • Visits agency at least once during year • Consultant, mediator, problem solver, adviser, support • Instructor of weekly field seminar • Facilitates discussion of field issues • Supports what you are teaching and modeling • Role plays; case presentations ; project presentations; class exercises; guest speakers (field instructors!)

5. Our Courses • Check out our course outlines • BSW: http://ncsss.cua.edu/courses/outlines/ugrad.cfm • Rigorous CUA requirements + generalist social work program • MSW: • http://ncsss.cua.edu/courses/Outlines/MSW/Foundation.cfm • http://ncsss.cua.edu/courses/outlines/MSW/Advanced.cfm • Emphasis on theory, discrete Ethics course • View curriculum in Field Manual • Undergraduate Social Work major: p. 44 • MSW: pp. 45-46

6. Field Education is … • “an experiential form of teaching and learning (where) the social work student is helped to: • consciously bring selected knowledge to the practice situation; • develop competence in performing practice skills; • learn to practice within the framework of social work values and ethics; • develop a professional commitment to social work practice; • evolve a practice style consistent with personal strengths and capacities; • develop the ability to work effectively within an agency.” Jenkins, Lowell and Sheafor, Bradford, editors (1981). An overview of social work field instruction in Quality instruction in social work. Longman: New York.

7. Field as Signature Pedagogy • “Signature pedagogy represents the central form of instruction and learning in which a profession socializes its students to perform the role of practitioner. • In social work, the signature pedagogy is field education.” • (CSWE Educ. Policy 2.3) • Field instructors help students gain the skills and knowledge to put into practice what they read, discuss and write about in the classroom.

8. Field Instructor Role • “The quality of the field instructor is the most significant factor affecting students’ satisfaction with the field placement.” 1 • We appreciate how busy field instructors are & provide as much support as possible. Here’s what field instructors have written in their evaluations of our field program: • “I look forward to having a student intern from NCSSS each year mainly due to the high caliber of students and the support and training available to me as a field instructor.” • “You are such a class act.” • “Every time I reached out to the field education staff they were most helpful. I really enjoyed working with people who are professional, caring, considerate and efficient.” • “The field seminar class was helpful to the student which, in turn, was helpful to me as a field instructor.” 1 Fortune, A.E. and Abramson, J.S. (1993). Predictors of satisfaction with field practicum among social work students. The Clinical Supervisor, 11(1), 95-110).

9. Field Instructor Role* Alfred Kadushin cites 3 primary supervisory functions: Educational Administrative Emotional-supportive * Kadushin, A. (1992). Supervision in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.

10. Educational Role • Teacher • Orientation sets the stage for the entire year • Provide knowledge necessary to become social worker, and the space to practice being a social worker • Let evaluation process guide what you teach • Help student learn to evaluate self accurately • Student as adult learner • Help student take responsibility for learning • We reinforce that in the classroom • Foster mutual process of reflection and exploration • Promote increasing student autonomy

11. AdministrativeRole • Negotiate between student’s needs and agency’s needs • Consider student learning objectives, school requirements (see Field Manual, pp. 11 - 18), school assignments • Consider agency requirements • Consider your own strengths and interests • Create environment that permits student to do job well

12. Supportive Role • Provide a safe place for student to express uncertainty, ‘not knowing,’ feelings of inadequacy • The field seminar provides a group forum where these concerns can be shared and normalized • Parallel process • Intern - field instructor relationship parallels client – intern relationship • Student who feels supported by field instructor will (hopefully) be similarly supportive of client • Important to model professional boundaries

13. Developmental Stages of Field Internship • Stage 1: Anticipation … Honeymoon • Positive expectations … & anxieties • Stage 2: Disillusionment & Confronting Reality • “What’s wrong? • “This isn’t what I thought it would be.” • Stage 3: Competence & Mastery • Confidence grows • Expectations more realistic • Stage 4: Closure & Termination • Ambivalent process • Time for reflection – on past endings, on growth The information above is taken from Cochrane, Susan F. & Hanley, Marla Martin (1999) Learning through field: A developmental approach. (1999). Allyn & Bacon: Boston, MA; and Sweitzer, H. Frederick and King, Mary A. (2004). The successful internship: transformation & empowerment. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company: Canada.

14. Developmental Stages & the Supervisory Process • How student moves each stage will affect the supervisory process, offering: • Obstacles to the supervisory relationship • Opportunities for growth • Task accomplishment • Increasingly complex assignments • Hoped for resolutions vs. staying ‘stuck’ • Concerns that can be discussed or avoided

15. Thinking about Supervision • Self-assessment • Education and experience • Supervisory/teaching style • Consider strengths, weaknesses, limitations • Recall your own field experience • Identify agency supports and stressors impacting you • Remember that we’re here to offer support and assistance • Your assigned liaison • Staff in Office of Field Education

16. Thinking about Supervision • Recognize shift in role • Helper of clients to mentor/educator/supervisor of students • “Start where the student is” • Doer to explainer • Practitioner to one who assists student with interpreting/applying theory to practice • Member of agency hierarchy to supervisor & evaluator of student • Employee to advocate for student’s positive learning experience Ortiz Hendricks et al, quoting Perlman quoting Aptaker, (1966), (4-5).

17. Thinking about Supervision • Assessment of student • Previous work/volunteer experience • Student’s specific interests • Theoretical knowledge • Organizational understanding • Attitudes and values • Goals and objectives for placement • Prior experience being supervised • Expectations of field instructor • Obstacles to learning

18. Getting Off to a Good Start • Before student arrives • Student’s mailbox & voicemail box/e-mail ready • Desk, phone, computer and office space identified • Time set for orientation and initial supervisory meeting • Business cards (blank or imprinted) • Talk to colleagues about student’s role in the agency • Intern who is part of the ‘team’

19. Getting Off to a Good Start 2. Plan orientation for intern(s) • Tour of agency • Introduce student to everyone • Help student understand agency • Mission and function • Organizational structure • Policies & procedures manual • Glossary of relevant terms • Staff names, emails and telephone extensions • Social worker’s role in agency

20. Getting Off to a Good Start Plan orientation for intern(s) (Cont’d) • Information to review with student • Required agency documentation • Computer training • Safety issues • NASW Code of Ethics • How student will introduce self to clients • Confidentiality • Limits to confidentiality • Suicidality • Threat of homicide • Risk of abuse or neglect

21. Getting Off to a Good Start • Tasks and assignments • During orientation period • Assign reading about program-specific issues and populations • Review case files or program reports • Shadow field instructor and/or other staff • Identify appropriate assignments • Learning experiences of increasing difficulty • To consider: • Agency's needs • Student’s learning needs • Student’s level of study and prior experience • NCSSS educational requirements • Think about micro – macro – mezzo assignments

22. Developing the Supervisory Relationship • Supervisory meetings • Relationship building, an ongoing process • Call on liaison if need some help! • Encourage student to submit agenda ahead of time • Sample agenda in Field Manual (p. 48) • Meet regularly • Minimum of 1 hr weekly • More availability early in the year • Important to meet throughout the year • Keep challenging your student to grow • Who can student go to in your absence?

23. Developing the Supervisory Relationship • Discuss your role & student’s role • Personal Style Inventory can be helpful tool • Field Manual, pp. 64ff • Create a good learning environment • Discuss student’s concerns as they arise • Help student feel valued as person and colleague • Give feedback from strengths perspective • More focus on + than – • Clear, consistent, supportive • and also … • Critical, challenging and constructive

24. Developing the Supervisory Relationship • Review Learning Plan & student’s workload regularly • Clarify purpose of assignments • Provide detailed directions • Clarify expectations for student’s performance • Use competency-based language • Encourage feedback from your student

25. Field-related Assignments • BSW Seniors & Foundation Year MSWs • Macro paper: understanding agency as organization • Process recordings • Psychosocial assessment • Case presentation • Macro project summary • Clinical/Clinical Health concentrators • Psychosocial assessment of client • Process recordings • Application of theory to treatment of client

26. Field-related Assignments • Combined concentrators • Clinical case presentation (1st semester) • Project case presentation (2nd semester) • Process recordings • Social Change concentrators • Presentation of planning activity or • Presentation of analysis of policy

27. Process Recordings • A detailed narrative of a client session or meeting/group or event • More often, narration of part of a session or meeting or event • Never becomes part of agency records • Field Manual contains ‘traditional’ process recording template & format for macro process recording

28. A brief example …

29. Why Process Recordings? • Foster development of student’s use of self • Gain self-awareness • Learn to evaluate and assess own work • Become comfortable sharing difficult feelings and interactions • Useful supervisory tool • Field instructor can identify strengths as well as areas where student can grow • Together, can examine dynamics of client-student interaction • Encourages student’s application of theory to practice • Can role play alternate scenarios Neuman, Karen M. and Friedman, Bruce D. Process recordings: Fine-tuning an old instrument. (1997). Journal of Social Work Education, 32 (2). 237-243.

30. Evaluating Process Recordings • What was effective? Ineffective? Why? • Is student able to accurately distinguish between thoughts and feelings? • Is student able to set aside feelings that could interfere with the process of the interview? • Look for student’s growth over time Wilson, Suanna. Recording: Guidelines for social workers (1980). New York: The Free Press (25ff).

31. Evaluating Process Recordings • Look for growth in ability to identify specific techniques • Beginning student won’t be consciously aware of techniques • More advanced student will have conscious awareness of techniques used • We’re all about theory … theory … theory • As they are ready, students will be asked to apply theory to content of interview (in analysis column) • Cognitive-behavioral: probing for activating event • Psychodynamic: probing for underlying meaning; additive empathy

32. What the Research Says… • Student satisfaction with field instructors has been positively correlated with the frequency with which process recordings were assigned and reviewed. • Satisfied students’ field instructors seen as having better understanding of theory and practice. • Students felt they learned more. Knight, C. (1994, October). Personal and supervisory determinants of MSW and BSW students’ perceptions of effective field instruction. Paper presented at Annual Conference of ABSWPD, San Francisco.

33. Finding Support • Feeling stuck? Questions? Concerns? • Use Field Manual as resource • Contact your field liaison • Contact us • 202-319-5457 • saks@cua.edu • Ask to be connected with a ‘veteran’field instructor