Supervision of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Social Work Students by Heterosexual Field Instructors

Abstract

This paper describes findings from a qualitative study of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) student-heterosexual field instructor dyads. Each dyad was assessed for its level of agreement in characterizing the student's experience in field placement. Disagreements were common, with more than half of the dyads having 2-5 areas of disagreement. The following factors seemed to impact the level of student-field instructor agreement: the field instructor supervisory style, the quality of the studentfield instructor relationship, field instructor comfort with addressing LGB development and practice issues, the student's perception of the agency climate as gay-friendly, and the student's level of disclosure and stage in coming out.

Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Supervisees’ Experiences of LGB-Affirmative and Non-Affirmative Supervision in COAMFTE-Accredited Training Programs

“…In a follow-up study by Newman et al (2009), field instructors supported this finding and noted that trainees comfort level in disclosing their sexual orientation affected trainees "ability to engage effectively and in a professional manner with clients" (p.11). These findings confirm previous studies in the social work literature that identified feelings of lack of safety and affirmation as a major obstacle in the training experiences of LGB trainees (Messinger, 2004(Messinger, , 2007.…”

“…In a follow-up study by Newman et al (2009), field instructors supported this finding and noted that trainees comfort level in disclosing their sexual orientation affected trainees "ability to engage effectively and in a professional manner with clients" (p.11). These findings confirm previous studies in the social work literature that identified feelings of lack of safety and affirmation as a major obstacle in the training experiences of LGB trainees (Messinger, 2004(Messinger, , 2007.Long (1997, 2002) suggests that LGB supervisees are often concerned about the ramifications their sexual orientation on their training. She also contends that LGB supervisees may face additional challenges within supervision, including lack of acceptance by supervisors and other supervisees, becoming silenced by their marginalized status, and the responsibility of educating supervisors and supervisees about heterosexist bias and homophobia in order to create a more affirmative supervision environment.…”

“…Several studies within the field of social work address the experience of LGB trainees as well (Messinger, 2004(Messinger, , 2007Newman et al, 2008Newman et al, , 2009 as was their work with clients. The authors' follow-up study of field-instructor perspectives validated these findings and also offered that "a student-field instructor relationship that provides ongoing opportunities for lesbian and gay students to process their assessments and experiences with a competent field instructor may be invaluable to students" (Newman et al, 2009, p. 21).…”

“…to engender an atmosphere of openness and acceptance so heterosexism and homophobia can safely be explored and challenged (Charlés et al, 2005;Long, 2002;Long & Serovich, 2003;Messinger, 2007;Newman et al, 2008;Pfohl, 2004). Pfohl (2004) suggests that supervisors who are willing to actively dialogue about heterosexism and homophobia provide reassurance to their LGB supervisees that "diversity is important, LGB SUPERVISEES' EXPERIENCES OF LGB-AFFIRMATIVE AND NON-AFFIRMATIVE SUPERVISION and Biklen (1992) and Henwood and Pidgeon (1992) note that qualitative research (1) relies on data from natural settings whose meaning must be understood within its context, (2) seeks to describe phenomena rather than manipulate or explain it, (3) stresses the importance of understanding the phenomena through the eyes of the participant, and (4) emphasizes the emergence of ideas/concepts from the data, rather that fitting the data into a specific theory.…”

“…Several studies within the field of social work address the experience of LGB trainees as well (Messinger, 2004(Messinger, , 2007Newman et al, 2008Newman et al, , 2009). Messinger's (2004) qualitative study of 30 lesbian and gay social work trainees revealed several barriers to their feeling affirmed and comfortable within their field placements.…”