Social Work Practice Fellows (SWPF)

Social Work Practice Fellows (SWPF) is a premier tuition-based professional development program for MSW supervisors from community-based agencies. The educational model, which has been proven effective, calls for face-to-face interactive  workshops taught by academic and practice-based experts utilizing brief didactic  presentations, group learning activities, discussions of cases and supervision  experiences, and the provision of extensive educational materials. SWPF is delivered  by the continuing education departments of participating schools of social work and its  workshops are led by expert social work practitioners and faculty scholars.

Cohorts of 20-25 MSW supervisors convene for scheduled learning sessions to receive 36 hours of training on supervisory best practices and are awarded 36 continuing education units to apply toward their state licensure for practice. SWPF also facilitates the creation of much-needed peer support for participating supervisors who are known to experience professional isolation and to benefit from peer networking. SWPF is offered in multiple communities and each new cohort of graduates will join a growing professional network of alumni with whom they can connect for mutual support.

The curriculum will be covered through 12 convenient learning sessions of three hours apiece. Completion of all 12 sessions is required for earning the SWPF certificate and CE credits. The program’s absenteeism policy explains what to do if a session is missed due to an emergency.

Virtual sessions will be hosted online through video Zoom conferencing with both the full group and smaller breakout groups. Learners can expect interactive presentations and conversational engagement with peers and instructors.

Lead Faculty: Dr. Carol Cohen

This workshop teaches new supervisors and updates those who are experienced about the range of skills involved in individual and group supervision in an array of service contexts. Supervisors are guided in structuring regularly scheduled supervisory sessions in accordance with the learning styles of supervisees and the appropriate use of individual versus group meetings. Emphasis is placed on supporting staff in self-assessment with careful attention to diversity, inclusion, and equity issues within the service context.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Structure regularly scheduled supervisory sessions in accordance with the learning styles of supervisees
2. Support supervisees in self-assessment and planning to advance their practice strengths, address challenges, and develop as professionals
3. Teach supervisees to use an “evidence-informed” approach to empirically evaluating practice
4. Model the behavior of striving for professional competence through ongoing education, supervision, and self-care
5. Structure group supervision sessions focused on common practice themes and situations (e.g., ethical dilemmas)
6. Utilize social work group facilitation skills to promote group process during group supervision

Lead Faculty: Dr. Laura Quiros

This workshop focuses on trauma-informed supervision through a social justice lens, an approach to supervision that begins with the personal and extends to the professional. Personal histories, identities, characteristics and psychological experiences of supervisors, as well as structural and environmental conditions of the organization, are considered in supervision. This perspective promotes the role of the supervisor as a leader in establishing a culture within their team that is responsive to and inclusive of the positionalities and unique experiences of clients and colleagues. Supervisors are encouraged to remain vigilant in their commitment to social justice by leading their teams and organizations in achieving truly inclusive diversity.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Draw upon social work values to enact my commitment to social justice in my role as a leader within my organization
2. Shape my interactions with supervisees by accounting for our positionalities and unique experiences
3. Partner with my supervisees to critically discuss the culture of our organization
4. In supervision, reflect on implicit bias and how it impacts the supervisory relationship and work with clients
5. Seek knowledge and consultation to better understand my positionality and the impact my identity has on the supervisory relationship
6. Discuss with supervisees the applications of trauma-informed perspectives in supervision and practice

Lead Faculty: Anika Daughtry

This workshop teaches supervisors how to support staff in planning to meet the needs of clients with mental illnesses and substance use across the life course. Included are supervisory considerations for supporting social service workers in the ongoing assessment of mental disorder symptoms and their potential impacts on clients and their families, building understanding of effective practice models as supported by research evidence, appreciating the complex nature of self-determination, and the intersections of these issues with cultural diversity.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Encourage and partner with supervisees in reviewing symptoms of relevant mental look disorders and their potential impacts on clients and their families
2. Support supervisees in the ongoing assessment of signs and symptoms of mental illness, substance use, and trauma among clients and their families
3. Guide and partner with supervisees to evaluate how our beliefs on mental illness and substance use influence our ethical practice
4. Assist supervisees in planning for how they can help to meet the needs of clients with mental illnesses or substance use (who often require more effort, time, advanced planning, and skill from their social service providers)
5. Work with colleagues and social service teams to identify effective models of service delivery for clients with mental illness or substance use that are supported by contemporary research literature and which fit with agency goals and structures
6. Support supervisees in addressing the complex nature of self-determination, accounting for legal status, age, and neurodiversity

Lead Faculty: Nancy Scherlong

This workshop will assist supervisors in operationalizing the recent revisions to NASW’s Code of Ethics (2021) regarding professional self-care as it pertains to themselves, their supervisees, and their organizations. The global nature of vicarious trauma as well as the increase in exposure to trauma and its related impacts necessitate a fresh look at past, current and future self-care models to create actionable yet realistic plans. Learners will participate in a range of experiential activities focusing on stress mitigation, embodiment, reflection and nervous system regulation in addition to the exploration of evidence-based research on measures to reduce the impacts of stress, increase adoption of self-care practices, and reduce burnout symptoms.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices)

1. Assist supervisees in understanding NASW’s code of ethics (2021) as it pertains to the dynamic processes and impacts of burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary traumatic stress
2. Guide and partner with supervisees in identifying their own self-care strengths and challenges
3. Engage in action planning for increased resilience in the personal, professional, supervisory, and organizational domains of practice

Lead Faculty: Nancy Scherlong

This workshop helps supervisors to support social service staff in using evidence-informed approaches to common illness-related challenges that confront individuals and families across the life course. Included are supervisory considerations for supporting social service workers in helping clients with care transitions, acute health crises, management of chronic conditions, navigating health and long-term care systems, and the intersections of these issues with cultural diversity. Supervisors explore techniques for supporting teams in service planning, health education, and health advocacy.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Review with supervisees the common illness-related challenges that confront individuals and families across the life course (including care transitions, acute health crises, and navigating health and long-term care service systems)
2. Support supervisees in the ongoing assessment of client health and illness, especially for clients with heightened vulnerability due to late-life frailty, neurological disorders, and co-occurring chronic conditions
3. Encourage and partner with supervisees to seek contemporary literature to better understand the health challenges confronted by clients and their families (including chronic conditions, developmental disabilities, and acquired disabilities)
4. Assist supervisees in assessing and planning to meet the health needs of their clients through client interviews, reviews of available client data, and the introduction of acceptable new measures
5. Help supervisees to prepare for providing culturally-informed health education to clients and their families
6. Support supervisees in empowering and joining with clients in health advocacy

Lead Faculty: Dr. Bill Gilbert

This workshop offers the supervisor a multi-dimensional framework for teaching the practice skills required in work with individuals and families of all ages through the assessment and planning phases. Included are a review of the core content areas that need to be addressed in assessing the client/family situation including both strengths and challenges; the critical thinking required in collecting client data; and the ability to organize, interpret, and summarize these data. Supervisors will be encouraged to use interactive training techniques to teach the interviewing and communication skills that engage the client and family in assessment and planning. The special skills involved in working with the family as a social system will be discussed, as will the influence of the worker’s own cultural background on assessment and planning.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Use a social work assessment/planning framework as a teaching tool to guide supervisees in direct practice with individuals and families
2. Encourage critical thinking on the part of supervisees in the collection, organization, and summarization of client data
3. Emphasize with supervisees the importance of documenting and supporting client strengths and setting measurable and attainable goals
4. Help supervisees recognize the influence of their own background on the assessment process and be cognizant of the ethical dilemmas they may face
5. Facilitate interactive training among supervisees on interviewing and communication skills that promote effective collaboration with clients and other stakeholders
6. Emphasize with supervisees the importance of a family systems approach both in assessment and in planning

Lead Faculty: Dr. Carol Cohen

This workshop highlights challenges supervisors may face including supervisees’ performance problems, organizational challenges, and ethical dilemmas in practice. Supervisors will collaborate in exploring strategies for addressing these challenges and promoting worker self-care to strengthen worker wellness and retention. Participants will seek to integrate lessons learned throughout the program.

Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):

1. Communicate clearly and directly with supervisees about performance problems
2. Teach and partner with supervisees to recognize and respond to ethical dilemmas
3. Guide and partner with supervisees to identify practices which promote wellness among staff
4. Engage in my own supervision and ongoing professional development
5. Provide leadership within the organization to create a culture where supervision is sanctioned and necessary resources are allocated to assure staff learning
6. Assist supervisees in understanding their roles and the roles of other team members, administrators, and clients in achieving collective and individual goals