Social Work Practice Fellows (SWPF) is a premier professional development program for M.S.W. supervisors from community-based agencies. The proven educational model features interactive workshops taught by academic and practice-based experts, including practitioners and scholars, utilizing brief didactic presentations; group learning activities; discussions of cases and supervision experiences; and the provision of extensive educational materials. Learn more and apply for Social Work Practice Fellows.
This workshop teaches new supervisors and updates those who are experienced about the 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 inclusion and other issues within the service context.
Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):
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 various communities and clients.
Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):
This workshop focuses on trauma-informed supervision and the 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 fostering social work contexts welcoming to all.
Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):
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 various communities and clients. Supervisors explore techniques for supporting teams in service planning, health education, and health advocacy.
Learning Objectives (Supervisory Best Practices):
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):
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):
