A group supervision model for broadening multiple-method skills of social work students

Abstract

This article describes a comparative model of group supervision of social work students in their second and third years in the Undergraduate Social Work Programme at the University ofHaifa School of Social Work. The model is designed with the purpose of offering group supervision to all students in the programme and takes into account the complexity of multicultural students. Under this model, second-year students receive group guidance in their individual casework in the field; third-year students are guided in group and community field-work. During these 2 years, students receive supervision appropriate to the methods demanded by the field situations they encounter. The model presents group supervision in terms of the content, process and function of supervision with regard to both individual treatment and group and community work.Social work schools today face the challenge of accommodating themselves to the rapid expansion of professional knowledge and the emergence of a multiplicity of theoretical approaches. Field-work has at the same time become increasingly complex as a result of social and cultural changes taking place in Israel. The arrival of new immigrants from the former USSR and Ethiopia, in addition to minorities living in Israel, contribute to the complexity of field-work. Social work is therefore likely to make increasing demands on the knowledge of professionals both academically and practically. Teaching about the application of knowledge and the conversion of scientific theory into practical theory must therefore become a principal function of professional education in social work. Moreover, in the light of cumulative experience in the field, we see a need to enhance the practical training of social work students--a process which in the past has relied solely on individual training--so the endeavour should accommodate increasingly complex approaches.Social work education in Israel is part of university education. Students graduate after 3 years of social work study, reaching the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree, which serves as a licence to practise social work. The curriculum traditionally includes 32 hours of class work and 19 hours of field-work during the second and third years. Field-work performance is evaluated according to a schedule developed for this purpose and the grade is pass/fail. A separate evaluation is conducted on the student's group supervision.Taking an ecological approach to social work education and intervention seminars in the undergraduate curriculum that was designed on the same principle, we have established at the School of Social Work in Haifa a teaching continuum that integrates individual, group Correspondence to:

Professional socialization and commitment to the profession in social work students: A longitudinal study exploring the effect of attitudes, perception of the profession, teaching, training, and supervision

“…The present research recognizes the vast influence of commitment to the profession on training processes and work outcomes (Arkin et al., 1999). Although the main objective of social work schools is to train students to deal with the profession properly and professionally (Freund, 2005; Lafleur, 2007), almost no studies were found dealing with students’ commitment to the profession.…”

“…In an era when social work schools assimilate new reforms and strategies aimed at adjusting themselves to new challenges and environmental changes, it is evident that students’ commitment to the profession is imperative, in addition to the acquisition of professional knowledge, skills and values (Loewenberg & Balalty, 1989). Supposedly, high commitment to the profession is a precondition for an eagerness to cope with the complex tasks currently demanded from social workers (Arkin, Freund, & Saltman, 1999). The article discusses social work students’ perceptions of training processes.…”

How do we assess the quality of group supervision? Developing a coding framework

“…Nevertheless, despite its promise as a model that lends itself well to reflection and enhanced critical thinking, it has received more limited attention when compared with one-to-one supervision. Where it has received attention, the overwhelming emphasis has been on the learning potential that group supervision models afford to social work students rather than qualified practitioners (Alschuler et al, 2015;Arkin et al 2007;Bogo et al, 2004;Geller, 1995;Walter and Young, 1999;Wilbur et al, 1991) with the exception of a study of qualified practitioners conducted by Lietz (2008).…”

“…While there is a small body of literature on group supervision that identifies its potential for practice learning for social work students (Alschuler et al, 2015;Arkin et al 2007;Bogo et al, 2004;Geller, 1995;Walter and Young, 1999;Wilbur et al, 1991), group supervision has received less attention within the literature on child protection social work (Leitz, 2008). Furthermore, it has continued to be a subcategory that is devoid of study that seeks to understand and evaluate what happens within supervisory sessions in terms of theoretical frameworks relevant to the mode of group supervision being investigated (Carpenter et al, 2013a;Wilkins et al 2016).…”

Intervention and Supervision in Strengths-Based Social Work Practice

“…The application of the strengths perspective to supervision need not be limited to individual supervision. Recent descriptions of innovations in group supervision, whether expressly designed to promote strengths-based social work processes (Rapp, 1998) or only touching indirectly on issues related to the strengths perspective (Arkin, Freund, & Saltman, 1999), underline the potential of group supervision and peer-group supervision for facilitating the identification and development of therapeutic strengths by students and professionals engaged in strengths-based helping.…”