Field instructors/supervisors of Simmons students are fully qualified according to school standards and Council on Social Work Education standards. It is essential that field instructors be fully identified with the social work profession and committed to its values and ethics. The instructors in Massachusetts should be certified as licensed independent social workers (L.I.C.S.W.) or should be eligible for this license. All primary supervisors must have a master's in social work (M.S.W.) degree, and two years of post-masters experience. They are expected to have had at least two years of full-time supervised clinical social work practice after the receipt of the M.S.W. The field instructor should have worked for a year in the placement agency although exceptions can be made for experienced supervisors.
It is expected that the agency will recommend highly qualified staff as field instructors. Interest and ability in supervising, in conceptualizing various theoretical perspectives, and stimulating students in critical thinking are all essential qualities for field instructors. The field instructor is expected to keep abreast of current content and trends in social work practice. The field instructor must be objective in evaluating the student's performance and able to collaborate with the assigned field faculty member particularly when difficulties arise.
Field instructors should be grounded in a broad social work perspective and sensitive to issues of diversity in regard to race, ethnicity, culture, and sexual orientation. The school requests supervisors who have knowledge and skill in several methods or modalities such as family treatment, group work, and advocacy. In addition, field instructors should be able to refer students to other supervisors, readings, or consultants regarding modalities with which they are not familiar. Field instructors should be familiar with and able to teach the various roles utilized by clinical social workers. They should also be aware of the range of fields of social work practice to enhance the student's broader training and to help them develop skill in accessing other services for their clients.
Agency staff are expected to teach direct (micro) service to individual clients, couples, families and groups, and to intervene on their behalf with larger institutions and organizations. Depending on setting and client needs, students are expected to learn several of the following: advocacy, outreach, negotiating and coordinating services, administration, consultation, small-program planning, and involvement in policy development. The agency and field instructor are expected to provide an adequate and varied caseload for the three days per week of field placement. The instructor ensures that the student be incorporated into the agency system and helped to learn its philosophy, mission, place in the community, practices, and procedures.
In making a commitment to participating in the training of M.S.W. students, administrators are expected to adjust the workload of field instructors to allow adequate time for student teaching. A minimum of two hours a week is required for formal supervisory conferences with each student or one and a half hours plus secondary or group supervision. In addition, time must be provided for reading process recordings and other reports, planning informal conferences, and consulting with school representatives. The agency must provide time for attendance at the Seminar on Supervision for new field instructors. In addition, the agency should assume responsibility for supervision of beginning field instructors and coverage of student cases at times when the student is in school or on vacation. The school relies upon field instructors to keep the faculty adviser informed about their own or student absences or any other possible disruption of the learning process. It is also expected that there be adequate office space and equipment to accommodate students, including privacy for interviewing clients.
Field instructors and agency training directors receive adjunct faculty appointments as Clinical Instructors and Clinical Associates respectively. Each year field instructors submit the Field Instructor Profile form along with a copy of their Curriculum Vitae for our review and our files. Occasionally, a Simmons faculty member provides MSW supervision for interns in order to enable the School to use an excellent placement opportunity or a specialized program that does not have a qualified social work supervisor.
For more information about the SSW Field Education Program, please email Director Associate Professor Suzanne Sankar, or call 617-521-3946.
Downloads
- Field Education Manual
- Year I Evaluation Form
- Year II Evaluation Form
- Year I Learning Plan
- Year II Learning Plan
- Clinical Practice Syllabus
- Advanced Clinical Practice Syllabus
