Orientation to the Role of Field Instructor School of Social Welfare UC Berkeley Greg Merrill, LCSW

Who were you when you were a student? Demographics Educational Background Experiential Background Emotional Preparation Learning Styles and Preferences

What is Field Instruction? The facilitation of professional competency occurring in an agency-based context with agency based professionals serving as key instructional personnel and the key processes being experiential assignments and supportive and evaluative supervision.

Elements of the Field Work Instructor Role Teacher/Instructor Learning Facilitator Clinical Supervisor Administrative Supervisor Mentor/Coach/Supporter Gatekeeper

Stages of the Field Instruction Process Orienting the Student Assessing the Student Developing the Learning Agreement Providing Field Work Instruction Evaluating the Student

Orienting the Student Ready for the first day: workspace and communication access Schedule for first two weeks of all key meetings Down time reading and protocol review Key meetings with agency personnel and community partners

Assessing the Student WHAT – They Don’t Think They Know But They Do – They Think They Know But They Don’t – They Already Know – They Want To Know – They Need to Know HOW – They learn best – You Teach best – Others in your agency can best be a part of their educational process

Assess Knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are innate or have already been acquired Knowledge, skills, and attitudes that will need development to achieve desired professional goals and competencies How the knowledge, skills, and attitudes can most effectively be developed and most logical sequencing

Selecting Competency Areas Engagement Assessment Intervention Planning Evaluation and Modification Transition and termination Oral and Written Communication Use of agency and community resources Professional conduct and attitudes Use of field work instruction

Developing the Learning Agreement General Elements: – Familiarity with agency, community, population, presenting problems, and community resources – Cultural competence – Participation in agency and treatment team – Participation in supervision – Self-Development/Care Clinical Tasks: – Engagement, home visits – Psychosocial Assessment – Individual intervention (counseling, therapy, case management) – Group Intervention – Advocacy/Linkage – Termination/Transitions

Providing Field Instruction Selecting Teaching Tools: – Shadowing – Process Recording – Audio/video recording – Live Supervision – Reflective Exercises – Roleplaying – Intentional Case Assignment What should the supervision hour look like?

Evaluating the Student Strengths Areas of Developmental Need Provide feedback in a timely, clear manner; explain the impact of behavior; set clear behavioral objectives that are tied to learning goals and/or professional standards and/or ethics

Principles of Evaluation Review the process with supervisees at beginning, midpoint, and just prior to evaluation Anticipate and discuss related anxiety Link all feedback to explicit learning objectives and competencies Use specific behavioral descriptors vs. global attributions; choose language carefully Summarize strengths, efforts, and improvement with areas of developmental need with balance Recommend desired behaviors and methods Elicit input

Dissatisfying Evaluations Not completed on time (or ever) Supervisee self-evaluation overvalued Too global or vague, insufficient detail Overly detailed, key points unclear Problem areas not contextualized Language harsh, inflammatory Imbalanced – overlooks significant areas and overly focuses on others Biased – distorts, does not accurately represent or reveal whole picture Raises new concerns never before discussed: SURPRISE! Evaluation not sufficiently discussed, no request for input No bidirectionality

What Students Want... Available, Makes Time Competent and Ethical Warm, supportive relationship Individualized strengths- oriented assessment Organized and Dependable Elicits/Facilitates knowledge Addresses weak areas squarely but fairly Challenges in right amount Processes conflicts Assesses meaningfully Asks for input, feedback and adjusts

Wise Supervisor Perspectives on Working with Conflict (Nelson, Barns et al, 2008) Be open to conflict and interpersonal processing – see as part of role Acknowledge own shortcomings and model learning from mistakes Assume a developmental approach Discuss evaluation and conflict early on Create strong alliance Accentuate supervisee strengths Provide timely feedback Contextualize conflicts in light of development and environment Empathize with supervisee’s perspective See parallel process “Self-coach” Consult

Common Student Concerns Lack of Availability Overprotective Disorganized Hyperverbal Uses strategies that make me unproductively anxious Can’t tolerate disagreement Unable to convey expectations in a way I can understand Too critical or not critical enough Appears burned out and/or chronically stressed/overwhelmed Doesn’t ask for my input into supervision

Common Field Work Instructor Concerns

Field Consultant Role Consultant to Student Consultant to Agency/Field Work Instructor Educator Facilitator, Mediator Problem Solver Gate Keeper

Other Considerations Agency Safety/Risk Reduction Policy Stipends and Work Study