Field Instruction: Developmental Stages Offering Supervisory Opportunities Loretta Vitale Saks NCSSS Office of Field Instruction September 2005

Overview of presentation Developmental stages of field Developmental stages of field  How they may affect supervisory process  Issues for supervision  Tools for supervision

Field Internship Developmental Stages Stage 1: Anticipation … Honeymoon Stage 1: Anticipation … Honeymoon Stage 2: Disillusionment & Confronting Reality Stage 2: Disillusionment & Confronting Reality Stage 3: Competence & Mastery Stage 3: Competence & Mastery Stage 4: Closure & Termination Stage 4: Closure & Termination The information in this presentation 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.

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

Stage 1: Anticipation… Honeymoon Positive expectations as internship begins Positive expectations as internship begins Also … some anxieties Also … some anxieties  Feel vulnerable and self-conscious  What will role be?  What if …?  Will my field instructor …?  Will my student …? Important to identify support systems Important to identify support systems  For student  For field instructor too!

Stage 1: Issues for supervision What is supervision? What is supervision?  = support, teaching, administration  Offer safe environment  Supportive yet challenging  Open discussion of concerns  Clear supervisory boundaries  Clarify roles, expectations, and policies Kadushin, A. (1976). Supervision in social work. New York: Columbia University Press.

Stage 1: Tools for supervision Orientation Orientation  Key for helping student feel welcome and knowledgeable about agency  Initial learning activities likely to be more passive than active  Attend to administrative tasks Supervisory agenda Supervisory agenda  Helps student assume responsibility for learning  Have student relate classroom learning to practice Learning Plan Learning Plan  Can help student individualize placement  Clarify learning goals & activities

Stage 1: Tools for supervision Communication Styles Inventory Communication Styles Inventory  Useful tool for discussing communication styles & supervisory relationship  How we respond in ‘normal’ and ‘stressful’ situations

Stage 2: Disillusionment & Confronting Reality “What’s wrong?” stage “What’s wrong?” stage  May feel frustration, anger, confusion, panic, stress  May become disillusioned …  with agency  with field instructor  with social work “This isn’t what I thought it would be” “This isn’t what I thought it would be”

Stage 2: Issues for supervision Help student develop skills in receiving and giving feedback Help student develop skills in receiving and giving feedback Help student examine expectations Help student examine expectations Normalize feelings and behaviors Normalize feelings and behaviors Give permission for student to make mistakes Give permission for student to make mistakes  Necessary for growth

Stage 2: Issues for supervision Encourage student to confront doubts and fears Encourage student to confront doubts and fears  with peers  with field instructor  with integrative seminar professor Personal issues surfacing in supervision ? Personal issues surfacing in supervision ?  Overreactions to clients &/or field instructor?  Transference/countertransference issues?  Refer to CUA Counseling Center  Contact Counseling Center social workers for referrals

Stage 2: Tools for supervision Supervision as time for ‘checking in’ Supervision as time for ‘checking in’  Refer back to CSI if relationship is difficult  Refer back to Learning Plan to see how progressing  Assist students with tasks Review assignments Review assignments  Agency paper  Process recordings  Agency-required documentation

Stage 3: Competence & Mastery Confidence grows Confidence grows  More aware  More active  More analytical Really invested in the work Really invested in the work  Seek more challenging assignments  More tuned in to ethical issues  Learn to leave worries at agency Compromise between reality & expectations Compromise between reality & expectations Take more initiative in learning Take more initiative in learning

Stage 3: Issues for supervision Help student evaluate own practice Help student evaluate own practice Review growth Review growth  Is student seeking additional challenges?  Identify what learning is still needed

Stage 3: Tools for supervision Review process recordings, assessments, macro assignments Review process recordings, assessments, macro assignments  Interviewing and assessment skills  Use of self  Beginning to apply theory to interview or task Revisit Learning Plan Revisit Learning Plan Early Assessment Early Assessment  Discuss where growth most needed Review Final Evaluation to check that NCSSS expectations are being met Review Final Evaluation to check that NCSSS expectations are being met

Stage 4: Closure & Termination Ambivalent process for all involved! Ambivalent process for all involved!  “A process everyone would like to ignore” Time for reflection … Time for reflection …  On past experiences with endings  On growth and learning Use learning to develop new goals and plans Use learning to develop new goals and plans Much of this section is taken from Danowski, William A. (2005). In the field, a real-life survival guide for the social work internship. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Stage 4: Issues in Supervision Start the closure process early Start the closure process early  How does your agency deal with termination with interns? Exploration of students’ feelings about … Exploration of students’ feelings about …  Leaving the internship setting  Terminating with clients  Passing on incomplete tasks/projects to others  End of supervisory relationship

Stage 4: Issues in Supervision Parallel process Parallel process  Intern-client termination field instructor- student termination  Complicated feelings: ambivalence, confusion, sadness, relief What next? What next?

Stage 4: Issues in Supervision Talk about clients’ feelings about termination Talk about clients’ feelings about termination  ‘Experts at termination’ – may have had numerous social workers  How can termination help client grow in relationships? Mourn loss of relationship but hopefulness of taking something new with youMourn loss of relationship but hopefulness of taking something new with you

Stage 4: Tools in supervision Supervisory agenda Supervisory agenda Process recordings, case presentations, reports, projects Process recordings, case presentations, reports, projects Another look at the Learning Plan Another look at the Learning Plan  Have objectives been met?  New goals: discussion of career paths in social work NCSSS End-of-Year Evaluation of Field Participants NCSSS End-of-Year Evaluation of Field Participants  Good opportunity to evaluate self as field instructor

Enjoy the journey!