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THE FIELD PLACEMENT SURVIVAL GUIDE

What You Need to Know to  Get the Most from Your Social Work Practicum

Second Edition

Edited by Linda May Grobman, ACSW, LSW

Field placement is one of the most exciting and exhilarating parts of a formal social work education. It is also one of the most challenging. It allows students to put into practice the concepts, theories, and skills they have learned in the classroom, and it gives them room to explore and grow as budding social work professionals. More than anything else, it requires students to look inside themselves and examine themselves as future social workers.

This collection of articles from THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine addresses the multitude of issues that social work students in field placement face, including choosing a placement, getting prepared, using supervision effectively, working with clients, coping with challenges, and moving on to a successful social work career.

 

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About the Series

This book is the second in the BEST OF THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER® book series, which consists of collections of articles that have appeared in THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER, the magazine for social work students and recent graduates. These articles are chosen for their timeless value and their important contribution to the social work literature. Through these collections, our goal is to bring together articles in a similar content area, to expand on them, and to make them more widely available to students and professionals who may have missed them “the first time around.”

 

 

About the Editor

LINDA MAY GROBMAN, ACSW, LSW, received her MSW from the University of Georgia School of Social Work. She is the founder, publisher, and editor of THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER magazine. She is editor of the book DAYS IN THE LIVES OF SOCIAL WORKERS and co-author of THE SOCIAL WORKER’S INTERNET HANDBOOK. Linda has been a social worker in mental health and medical settings, and she is a former staff member of two state chapters of the National Association of Social Workers.

 

"I just want to thank you for the Field Placement Survival Book. I could not keep the book down. What a wonderful tool I will be using for my lst year placement at Boston College!!! Again, THANK YOU!!!!"
Gayle Clark

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CONTENTS (2nd Edition)

Acknowledgments................................................................................... 7

About the Editor/About the Contributors............................................... 9

Introduction......................................................................................... 15

Preface: What Every Social Work Student Should Know About Field

Placement—Dean Schneck............................................................ 19

 

Part I—Choosing Your Placement

1: The Road to Practicum: I Want a Great One!—

Denice Goodrich Liley.................................................................... 29

2: Choosing a Field Placement—Wisely!—

Linda Hagerty................................................................................ 35

3: A Paid Practicum—Do I Want One? How Do I Find One?—

Julie Birkenmaier.......................................................................... 41

4: Can I Do My Practicum Where I Work?—Marla Berg-Weger

& Pamela J. Huggins..................................................................... 49

 

Part II—Getting Ready

5: Will I Be a Competent Social Worker? The CSWE EPAS,

Competency, and Signature Pedagogy—Liz Fisher.......................... 61

6: Are You Fit? How Is Your Practice Stamina?—

Denise Goodrich Liley.................................................................... 69

7: Listen Up!—Betsy C. Mistek........................................................... 73

8: 10 Tips for a Successful Field Placement—

Jan Ligon & Jim Ward................................................................... 77

9: The Learning Agreement: A Roadmap for Your Journey—

Jan Ligon & Jim Ward................................................................... 81

10: What Do Faculty Liaisons Have to Offer?—

Denise Goodrich Liley.................................................................... 87

11: 10 Tips for Maximizing Your Field Liaison Relationship—

Jan Ligon & Jim Ward................................................................... 93

12: Taking the Wheel: Put Yourself in the Driver’s Seat of Your

Field Placement Experience—Lyndal Greenslade & Amanda Vos.... 99

13: Write On! Practical Suggestions for Preparing

Social Work Records—Katherine M. Dunlap................................. 105

14: Social Work Intern Logs: An Effective Learning Exercise for

Reflecting on a First Hospice Experience—

Katie J. Mailloux & Ronald B. Whitten......................................... 113

 

Part III—Coping with Challenges

15: Concerns in the Field Placement—Joan Ferry DiGuilio................ 123

16: Be Careful, It’s a Jungle Out There: A Look at Risks in

Field Placement—Gregory R. Versen............................................ 129

17: Vicarious Traumatization in Field Placements—

Randee Huber............................................................................. 135

18: When the Change Agent Experiences Unplanned Change—

Denice Goodrich Liley.................................................................. 145

19: Should I or Shouldn’t I? When Is It Okay to Say No During

Field Practicum?—Denice Goodrich Liley..................................... 151

20: My Practicum: Why Do I Hate It So?—

Sondra J. Fogel........................................................................... 155

 

Part IV—Supervision and Evaluation

21: Preparing for Supervision—Charles E. Floyd................................ 165

22: Observing Students in the Field—Ruth T. Weinzettle

& Wendy K. Langley..................................................................... 171

23: Is Team Supervision for You?—Mitzi A. Lowe............................... 177

24: Evaluating Your Field Instructor—

Charles E. Floyd.......................................................................... 181

 

Part V—Off and Running

25: Good Habits for Practicum Students—Julie Birkenmaier

& Marla Berg-Weger.................................................................... 191

26: Eliminating Bad Habits in the Social Work Interview—

Don Collins & Heather Coleman.................................................. 197

27: Making the Most of Field Seminar—Liz Fisher, Nicole Reed

Loran Stough, & Matt Tracy......................................................... 209

28: An Introduction to Use of Self in Field Placement—

Heath B. Walters......................................................................... 215

29: Termination and Your Field Placement—Joseph Walsh................ 221

30: Facing Ethical Dilemmas in the Field—Denise Anderson.............. 229

31: Ethics: Issues for Interns—Katherine M. Dunlap

& Kimberly Strom-Gottfried......................................................... 233

32: Promoting Social Justice Within the Practicum—

Julie Birkenmaier........................................................................ 241

33: Counting Blessings—Angela Allen................................................ 249

 

Part VI—Moving On

34: The Portfolio Approach for Generalist Social

Work Students—Sarah Simon & Mona C.S. Schatz...................... 257

35: Field Placement as a Building Block to Your Career—

Susan T. Ross............................................................................. 263

36: 10 Tips for the Transition—From Field Placement to

Employment—Althea Webb.......................................................... 269

37: Welcome to the Brave New World of Social Work—

Erlene Grise-Owens..................................................................... 273

Afterword: Ode to a Practicum Student—Cheryl Waites....................... 279

Index.................................................................................................. 281