Beyond Discomfort: Creating Inclusive Field Placement Experiences for All Students

Overview: Field Education is considered the signature pedagogy of Social Work education. What happens when field placements cause harm? What if professional development comes at the price of psychological safety? This workshop will discuss ways to authentically address white supremacy culture, homophobia, transphobia, and ableist behaviors and microaggressions in Field Education.Proposal text: While many Social Workers are keenly aware of the history of systemic inequalities in our society, what are we doing to prepare our students to work within those inequitable systems? Additionally, what is our role as educators to make sure that we are holding our partner institutions accountable for when they uphold discriminatory practices or behaviors?

The CSWE Education Policy and Accreditation Standards (2015) require that social work programs prepare students to “understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination and recognize the extent to which a culture’s structures and values … oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create privilege and power.” It is also our role as educational institutions to create learning opportunities for Field Education professionals to interrupt these systems and not re-traumatize our students. While discussing and experiencing the impacts of power, privilege, and oppression are not new the current generation of social work students have more access to this framework and are supported to use this analysis more now than in the past. Field Education professionals must meet this need in order to support the dialogue that is taking place in the classroom.

As educators, we need to lift up the challenges that can take place in the field and provide adequate support when they impact our students. Most students are also navigating white supremacy culture in their field placements, which can add to the already difficult tasks that come with human service work (Jones & Okun, 2001). In an effort to make intersectionality the norm, we continue to challenge a variety of microaggressions and cultural expectations that do not take into account gender identity, gender expression, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, ability, and respecting all types of bodies (Lusenhop, 2013). Addressing privilege through reflective practice is a responsibility of professional social workers (Kaul, 2016), and Universities are situated well to help engage in and facilitate these discussions with our educational partners. By addressing these concepts with our partners, we are staying accountable to our values and also leveraging our privilege as an educational institution.

This workshop will discuss ways Field Education professionals can integrate these tools for all types of students. Participants will discuss a selection of case studies that reflect the challenges that come from navigating power, privilege, and oppression in field placements. Participants will be able to share strategies and roadblocks to addressing each challenge and learn from each other as we navigate the complexities of our relationships with our community partners.

Participants will also explore the following questions in a roundtable format where interactive engagement is supported by the presenters.

1) How have your schools developed ways to elicit student feedback, and create a culture where students are encouraged to share experiences in Field Education, especially problematic ones?

2) What are some proactive strategies you use in order to normalize a culture of learning and growth among field partners?

3) What tips or challenges have you encountered when addressing challenges with community partners?