Introducing BSW Students to Social Work Supervision Prior to Field

Abstract

Little empirical information exists about how social work students are prepared to utilize supervision in practice. This study describes an experiential exercise designed to introduce BSW students to social work supervision prior to their field experience. MSW students enrolled in a supervision practice course provided mentored supervision to 42 BSW students in an introductory skills course. The skills course involved a progressive role-play that spanned the whole semester. Mixed methods were used to investigate BSW student perceptions of the exercise. According to survey data, BSW students reported a strong working alliance with MSW students and high satisfaction with the supervision they received. Qualitative data revealed two overarching categories of students: 1) students who reported benefiting from the exercise, and 2) students who reported mixed benefits or no benefits. Students who understood the role of the supervisor were also more likely to reported that they benefited from the exercise. Students who were unclear about the role of the supervisor reported mixed or no benefits of the exercise. Recommendations for social work educators relate to the need for educators to provide information on the use of supervision for BSW students, the necessity for guiding student reflections as part of the supervision exercises, and considering the developmental levels of students when crafting educational interventions.

The Effectiveness of Electronic Supervision for Supervisee Groups in the School Field

“…Moreover, Fisher, Simmons, & Allen (2019) propose some recommendations for social work educators related to the need for educators to provide information on the use of supervision for BSW students, the necessity for guiding student reflections as part of the supervision exercises and considering the developmental levels of students when crafting educational interventions (pp. 1085-1102).…”

An exploratory study on the impact of the opioid epidemic on providers.

“…Addiction providers may see the benefit in fostering relationships with educational institutions, where they can influence and shape the curriculum development process for education through positions on advisory boards and as field instructors in field education programs (Vakharia, 2014). Thus, community partners can advocate for inclusion and discussion of the value of integrative supports in class content and across the field experience (Fisher et al, 2019). This could generate an opportunity for the next generation of professionals working in the field of addiction to develop proactive insight, along with self-care (Lewis & King, 2019) and harm-reduction techniques (Fillmore & Hohman, 2015) that might mitigate the impact of unanticipated consumer deaths.…”