Tools for Effective Supervision

Social work interns often have their first client interactions in the field. Integrating their coursework into these clinical interactions can be challenging. Supervision not only provides professional development, but it also provides an opportunity to help students develop reflective practice skills and healthy boundaries. By helping students develop a reflective practice we can foster self-awareness, build critical thinking skills, facilitate personal growth, and empower students to proactively address life/work challenges during supervision sessions. Having the emotional and technical support of their field supervisors can turn those challenges into accomplishments. In this seminar we will discuss the benefits of integrating role-play simulations in supervision to build clinical skills, student awareness, and increase student self-efficacy. We will also review techniques on how to provide constructive feedback on these role-plays and client interactions. We will discuss the use of self in practice along with the challenges new social workers face trying to balance their personal and professional selves. Finally, we will review debriefing strategies to assist in building this reflective practice.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After taking this class, social workers will be able to:

1. Identify two benefits of incorporating role-plays into supervision sessions
2. Identify two scenarios within their own organization they can use to create a role-play session for social work interns
3. Identify three methods for providing feedback to social work interns
4. Identify two potential boundary issues social work interns may face.
5. Identify two benefits of teaching ethical and personal boundaries
6. Identify three methods for engaging in reflective practice with social work interns.

Carmella Miller, MSW, LCSW

Carmella Miller is currently a doctoral candidate at Florida State University in the College of Social Work where her research interests focus on the child welfare system including workforce retention, job support, policy analysis. Prior to entering the doctoral program, Carmella worked as a licensed clinical social worker providing home and community based mental health services. She has taught social work field instruction and has supervised students in clinical placement. She currently teaches as an adjunct instructor at Fordham University Graduate School of Social Service in the Individuals and Families Domain.

Class fees are listed below:

• Full Tuition - $60
• GSS Alumni - $50
• Current Field Instructor - $50
• Current Adjunct Faculty - $50
• SWHPN Member - $50
• 3+ members registering from one agency - $40 per registration
• Non-Fordham Current MSW or Social Work PhD Student - $40
• Veterans - $40
• Fordham Faculty and Staff - $40
• Current Fordham MSW or PhD Student - $30
• Fordham Alumni Palliative Care Fellow - $30
• Current Fordham Palliative Care Fellowship Field Instructor/Career Mentor - $30
• Current Fordham Palliative Care Fellow or Montefiore Fellow - $0

Continuing Education Hours

Completion of this class will result in the receipt of two (2) continuing education hours. CEHs are not awarded for partial completion of the class.

You will receive the Zoom link for joining the class by the day before the class. IF YOU HAVE NOT RECEIVED THE LINK BY THIS TIME, PLEASE CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER. 

You will need a computer and a reliable WiFi connection. The computer may be a desktop or a laptop. It may be an Apple or Windows computer.

If you have never used Zoom before, you will likely be prompted to download an applet, which is a small program that allows Zoom to communicate with your computer. This is safe and you will need to do this to join the class.

It is NOT advised that you participate using a table (e.g., an iPad) or a cellular phone. The software is not optimized for these devices.

Please plan to join the online class 15 minutes before the start time to be sure that you don’t have any problems connecting. We cannot provide technical support to you and refunds won’t be offered if you have technical problems. If you have any questions or concerns about this, please contact us at [email protected] at least a few days before the class.