Graduate Social Work Students’ Experiences with Group Work in the Field and the Classroom

For decades, group work scholars have described a discrepancy between student preparation for group work practice and opportunities to work with groups in the field practicum and professional practice. Educators in related disciplines such as counseling and psychology have expressed similar concerns. This article reports findings of a study of MSW students in a program that includes a practice methods specialization in group work. The purpose was to determine the prevalence of group assignments among all students regardless of their method specialization. A majority of all respondents reported substantial opportunities to practice group work and receive appropriate supervision. Opportunities for majors in group work were significantly greater than for their non-group work counterparts. However, a majority of all students did not feel classes prepared them for group practice. Findings suggest social work must renew its commitment to preparing all students for this practice modality.     

Modifying Field Instructors' Supervisory Approach Using Stage Models of Student Development

Abstract

There is a growing awareness of field instructors' need for training in their important role as educators (Abramson & Fortune, 1990; Raschick, Maypole, & Day, 1998; Raskin, 1994). Research suggests that due to workload demands field instructors tend to be expedient and practical in supervision (Rogers & McDonald, 1995), suggesting the importance of field instructor training that is relevant, accessible, and easy to implement. This article provides information about how and when MSW students typically learn certain skills coupled with a supervisory framework to help field instructors vary the structure, support, and supervisory focus of their supervision depending on the developmental level of their students. The framework is based on a synthesis of developmental stage models of students in social work (Holman & Freed, 1987; Saari, 1989) counseling, and psychology (Friedman & Kaslow, 1986; Ralph, 1980; Stoltenberg, McNeill, & Delworth, 1998). Implications for field instructor training are discussed.     

同等学力在职研究生培养计划的个性化制定与思考

同等学力在职研究生作为在职人员进修的主要渠道之一,在面临新时代的挑战下,也应当进行改革以追赶时代发展的步伐.鉴于同等学力在职学员的特点和目前我国大部分高校仍采用传统研究生教育模式的现状,培养计划应注重个性化改革,即根据学员的背景、特点及在实际工作中渴望提升综合能力的需求,采取灵活多样的招生和办学模式,注重工作和学习以外的精神辅导,加强导师和管理者的管理约束力,建立跟踪和反馈机制,在双导师和管理者的有效管理下,达成在职学员进修的目的.     

An Integrative Approach to Teaching Consultation and Supervision

This article describes an approach to teaching consultation and supervision. The course treats the two helping processes as natural outgrowths of counseling within an integrated conceptual framework. The course is not meant to train specialists in consultation and supervision. Rather, it is designed to help future practitioners gain adequate understanding of the two helping functions and acquire attitudes and skills required for consulting and supervisory roles. The didactic component of the course is based on the Three-Dimensional Intervention Model. It helps clarify the generic unity and specific differences of consultation and supervision vis-à-vis counseling. The course structure also provides students with opportunities to adapt counseling skills to situations typical in consulting and supervisory work.     

The NonMSW Task Supervisor,MSW Field Instructor,and the Practicum Student

Abstract

This paper adds to the literature on field instruction and supervision of social work practicum students by nonMSW professionals. It shares insights gained from a focus group discussion of professionals' experiences with practica when there was no MSW on site. Reported findings indicate student, agency, and relational characteristics contribute to the success of these placements. The focus group and the authors conclude that active involvement of all three parties -the on-site nonMSW supervisor, the off-site MSW field instructor, and the practicum student -in a triad model of field education increases the likelihood that these practica provide students with field learning experiences that are among the very best.     

Advancing Doctoral Social Work Education: An Application of the Social-Ecological Framework

Graduates of social work doctoral programs are an integral part of social work education and, as faculty, training of BSW and MSW students. Missing from the literature are theoretical frameworks that advance the study of “what works and for whom” in social work doctoral education. Building upon the existing literature, this article proposes a conceptual framework for enhancing doctoral students’ experiences, as well as doctoral education programs. Specific strategies grounded by this framework are put forward to guide PhD students and educators in advancing doctoral social work education.     

Meeting health,mental health,and housing needs of older adults: A case review of the congregational social work education initiative

This article presents results from an innovative social work field education program, which prepares BSW and MSW students to work in interdisciplinary teams with congregational nurses as they serve persons age 55+ or older. The Congregational Social Work Education Initiative is a field education project based on an applied interdisciplinary model, whereby social work students at the graduate and undergraduate level partner with congregational nurses to serve at-risk members of congregations and religious affiliated organizations (RAOs). Students and nurses provide free health, mental health, and wellness services to address individual, family, group, and community health, mental health, and housing issues. Funded by community health foundations, it trains BSW and MSW students for professional practice in congregational and community religious affiliated settings through interdisciplinary and collaborative methods. Information on the development of the model and case illustrations are provided so other social work educational programs and congregational nurse programs might duplicate its success.     

Welcome to our World: Evaluation of a Workshop to Orient Students to Social Work Education

This article reports on BSW and MSW students' satisfaction with a required orientation workshop designed to socialize them to professional educational and to academic and professional standards of behavior. Students viewed video‐recorded vignettes that addressed problematic behaviors in class and field, followed by faculty‐led, small‐group discussions. BSW students rated the workshops as more helpful than MSW students did. First‐year MSW students rated the workshops as significantly more helpful than advanced standing students, suggesting that more experienced students perceive less need for an orientation. Open‐ended questions revealed that students appreciated the opportunity to meet faculty members and other students.     

Multiple Perspectives in Supervision: Using a Peer Consultation Model to Enhance Supervisor Development

Research and literature in the profession of counselor supervision primarily focus on the development of the trainee and what supervision and supervisors can do to help foster that development. Considerably less attention has been paid to the developmental path of the supervisor or how specific training or experiences in supervision can be used in intentional ways to help influence the development of the supervisor. This article reviews what is known about supervisor development and discusses a specific intervention, the use of a peer consultation model with an intentionally diverse group of supervisors, to enhance supervisor cognitive development.     

MSW Students' Experience with Termination: Implications and Suggestions for Classroom and Field Instruction

Social work students' experiences with termination are rarely explored. This paper discusses the results of a survey of 54 MSW interns regarding termination and, in particular, premature termination resulting from placement completion. Twenty‐four percent of respondents experienced natural terminations, 35% experienced client‐initiated ones, and 93% experienced forced terminations resulting from internship completion. Students felt termination was well‐covered in practice classes, less so in supervision, and felt moderately prepared for the process. Nevertheless, students found terminations significantly harder than their sense of preparation would indicate, and recommend earlier, more comprehensive training in classroom and field settings to support them and their clients.     

School-Based Consultation to Improve Concussion Recognition and Response

Many students who have sustained concussions return to school requiring academic adjustments while their brains heal. However, school personnel often are not trained to accommodate these students. This exploratory project examined the usefulness of school-based training paired with ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of information to improve both concussion recognition and response among school personnel. A case study design was employed in which a school district received training that was followed by ongoing consultation and continued dissemination of concussion resources. This study highlights the importance of involving school psychologists in concussion management programs.     

Secondary Education: The School Development Program at Work in Three High Schools

This article brings together stories of how the School Development Program (SDP) is working at three different high schools. West Mecklenburg and Myers Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Timberland High School in Berkeley County, South Carolina, all had to reexamine their educational programs as well as the entire school environment when new groups of at-risk students transferred into the schools. The SDP provided a means of bringing all members of the various school communities together--parents, students, teachers, and administrators--to manage appropriate changes. The processes of team formation, committee work, and collaboration with the community are described as well as the various scheduling changes and new academic programs that were created to address student needs. The cumulative growth of experience with the SDP through personal contacts, national training events, and interdistrict consultation is also emphasized.     

Has Group Work Education Lost Its Social Group Work Essence? A Content Analysis of MSW Course Syllabi in Search of Mutual Aid and Group Conflict Content

This article presents the results of a content analysis of MSW group work course syllabi in an effort to better understand the extent to which mutual aid and group conflict, two important dimensions of social group work, are included and featured as prominent elements in MSW-level group work instruction.     

Mapping MSW Research Training

The surge of interest in evidence-based interventions necessitates MSW graduates who will pursue research activities in the workplace. However, evidence suggests that social workers tend not to use their research skills after graduation. This study examined three constructs that inform students’ relationships to research: (a) confidence in research skills, (b) academic activities that stimulate students’ interest in research, and (c) anticipated outcomes from future involvement in research activities. The findings suggest that MSW programs need to extend research training beyond the classroom by providing holistic research learning environments that clarify the role and purpose of research for the social work profession and provide opportunities for students to transform didactic research training into practical research skills.     

基于现代学徒制的三维度多元化考核评价体系的构建

评价工作对提升人才培养质量、促进教师快速成长、加深校企合作有着非常重要的作用,本文提出了基于现代学徒制的三维度多元化的考核评价体系,以学校、企业、学生为评价主体,形成反应层—学习层—行为层3个维度,全面监管人才培养过程,并在我校汽车检测与维修技术专业实施,取得一定成果。     

Postgraduate supervision: E-mail as an alternative

Abstract

Supervisors at higher education institutions cannot ignore the possibilities created by technology, and for the sake of this article, e-mail, as an aid for supervision on postgraduate level. After completing the modules for the Magister Technologiae (M Tech): Education qualification, students are required to complete a dissertation of limited scope. Many of these students cannot visit their supervisors on a regular basis, because of the time and costs involved in travelling far distances. The only time when some academics meet the students is when they attend the workshops on proposal writing. In this article the authors argue that e-mail supported supervision should be considered as an alternative to traditional one-on-one supervision. The research on which this article is based followed a qualitative design. Data were collected by means of open-ended questionnaires which were sent by e-mail to the participants and their responses were e-mailed back to the authors. The findings indicate the satisfaction of the students with e-mail supervision which enabled them to complete their studies in the prescribed time. The use of e-mail in supervision was found to create opportunities for further study even on postgraduate level.     

Preparing for the Inevitable: Training Social Workers to Cope with Client Suicide

Little attention has been given to educating and training social work students and professionals about working with suicidal clients. This article summarizes the literature on client suicide and the professional social worker, as well as presents results from a mixed methods study, which utilized both qualitative and quantitative data collected from a national study on client suicide among social workers. The results indicate that 55% of social workers will experience at least one client suicide attempt and 31% will experience a client suicide completion during the course of their career. Additionally, less than 50% of the social workers surveyed received previous training or education about client suicide in their MSW programs. Suggestions from social workers for the content of training classes on client suicide are included. Implications for practice and research are also discussed.     

AIDS Prevention for Adolescents at Risk

This paper describes a training program aimed at preparing 14 MSW students to teach AIDS prevention to adolescents at risk of HIV infection (i.e., increase knowledge, alter attitudes and teach risk-reduction behaviors). The majority of the students perceived this training not only as helpful in preparing them for the task at hand, but also in improving their overall social work skills and their chances to get a social work job in the future. In this paper, we also discuss problems related to AIDS prevention that arose during the training, such as rape and risk-reduction precautions and whether or not AIDS counselors should recommend taking the AIDS test.     

‘How do I cope with that?’ The challenge of ‘schooling’ cultures in further education for trainee FE lecturers

The development of professional identity amongst lecturers training to teach in further education (FE) colleges in England involves processes of adaptation. These partly take place during teaching placement in FE, as trainees navigate between their own anticipated professional identity and the identities which they feel under pressure to assume as they engage in their work with students. This article explores these processes of development, focusing in particular on the identities that trainee lecturers develop in their work with disengaged 16–19 year‐old students. Using case studies of two trainee lecturers, the article explores the way in which they are pushed towards adopting what they see as a ‘pedagogic’, ‘teacherly’ identity, which they had previously associated with schoolteachers, in their work with such students. The article suggests that the notion of ‘schooling’ identities and cultures, whilst contrasting with the vocational habitus proposed by others, is a useful way to explore how cultures and identities in general FE are created through similar processes of identity construction and reconstruction.