Seminars in Field Education

To register for these seminars, complete the Seminar Registration Form.

Note: space limits us to 25 participants per session.
All seminars will be held on the Rhode Island College campus: Spring semester locations to be determined.

Building a Strong Internship Foundation: Development of the Learning Contract

Facilitator: Karen Oliveira, MSW
Friday, September 14, 2012
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A01

The internship is an integral part of Social Work education, and should provide benefits to organizations as well. This workshop outlines a process for developing and implementing a mutually beneficial internship program. Planning for the internship experience begins before the intern arrives, and provides an outline for orientation, activities, and developing the learning contract. Field instructors will learn how to develop a plan that allows both students and agencies to get the most out of the internship experience. Included will be a discussion of the learning contract which serves to outline learning activities and measure outcomes. This will be an experiential workshop, therefore please be ready to share ideas and exemplars from your supervisory experience.

*The learning contract can be downloaded from the School of Social Work Website.

Supervising and Adult Learning Theory: The Essential Elements of Positive Field Supervision

Facilitator: Mary McLaughlin, MSW
Friday, October 19, 2012
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A01

Understanding the essential elements of a positive supervisory relationship and identifying field instructor/intern similarities and differences are keys to success for the field instructor. Participants will become familiar with adult learning theory and understand how to assess students' learning styles. Field Instructors will learn helpful supervisory styles to support the learning and development of interns.

Evaluating the Student: Using the Process as a Learning Experience

Facilitator: Mary McLaughlin, MSW
Friday, November 9, 2012
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A01

Evaluating student goals and objectives through the learning contract is one of the best opportunities we have to teach students in the field. Field instructors are required to submit evaluations on student interns by Friday, December 7th. This workshop will stress the need for a collaborative effort, and convey techniques to help students and field instructors learn from the evaluation experience. In addition, we will discuss how to use the evaluation process to set up further educational goals and problem solving skills.

Ethical Issues in Field Instruction

Facilitator: Frederic (Rick) Reamer, Ph.D.
Friday, January 25, 2013
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. (3 Ethics CEUs)
Location: Forman Center, Room C
Special Parking: You can only park in Lots E2 & E3 for this seminar. Open Parking is also available on the campus roads marked in Gray.

This workshop will provide a comprehensive overview of ethical and liability issues that should be addressed in field instruction. Participants will be provided with a typology that can be used to develop meaningful learning experiences for students. Topics such as confidentiality, clients' rights to self-determination, informed consent, boundary issues, violating the law or agency policy, whistle blowing, ethical decision making, documentation and malpractice risks will be covered. Participants are encouraged to bring their own disguised case material.

This seminar is offered in conjunction with the New England Consortium of Field Education Directors (NECON) and is open to field instructors from all member schools.

Working with BSW Interns: Junior Year Orientation

Facilitator: Wendy Becker, MSW, Ph.D.
Friday, February 8, 2013
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A02

Undergraduate social work students complete a 3-semester field placement that begins in the spring of the junior year. This seminar is designed to clarify expectations in the junior year orientation semester: suggestions on how to orient interns to the field setting; expectations for students in the 80-hour junior spring semester; coaching students with the field contract; structuring supervision; communicating with the faculty advisor; evaluating the BSW junior at the end of the semester; and preparing for senior year. Newly admitted BSW juniors will begin their field experience in February. BSW field instructors and those considering the opportunity are welcome.

Tools of Supervision

Facilitator: Mimi Mumm, LICSW, Ph.D.
Friday, March 8, 2013
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A02

Want to energize your current supervision practices? This 3 hour workshop will discuss the functions of supervision and focus primarily on clinical supervision; helping students see how they impact the helping process. We will discuss using lecture, discussion, reading material, process recordings, videotaping, audiotaping to help student increase and improve their social work skills and their awareness of themselves as a helper.

Participants in this training will:

1. increase the supervision tools they have at their disposal;
2. understand the use of these tools; and
3. improve their ability to help students explore difficult topics related to transference and countertransference. This will be an interactive workshop. Come prepared to model supervision techniques, reflect on process recordings, and discuss difficulties in supervision.

Mindfulness in Field Supervision

Facilitator: Mildred Bates, DSW
Friday, March 22, 2013
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A02

Students are a high demand component of the field instructors' day. They often bring to the field placement stressful lives, high anxiety about their role in the field, and an altruistic desire to be of help. Research supports mindfulness as stress-relieving and as a helpful component of training in social work and other helping professions. Mindfulness cultivates the capacities for nonjudgmental awareness, acceptance, non-reactivity and compassion, which are closely related to the core conditions for helping. This workshop defines mindfulness, examines its role in stress-reduction and in training, and offers ways for the supervisor to help students develop qualities of mindfulness in their field practice. Open to supervisors of all social work students.

Incorporating Diversity & Oppression Content in Field Education

Facilitator: Karen Oliveira, MSW
Friday, April 12, 2013
9:00am - 12:00pm (3 Diversity CEUs)
Location: School of Social Work room A02

Identifying, understanding and celebrating diversity is a cornerstone of social work practice. This seminar will help field instructors design tasks to help students develop culturally competent practice skills. The focus will be on how self-awareness informs practice as well as discovery of client differences as an opportunity to learn. Techniques will be discussed regarding how to challenge students to take on all aspects regarding issues of diversity.