1.3 The Council for Standards in Human Services Education for Fieldwork
Internship experiences in human services programs are guided by the Council for Standards in Human Services Education (CSHSE). The CSHSE was formed to provide guidance and consistency in human services programs across the United States. CSHSE is the accrediting body for human services degree programs, and even programs that are not accredited try to follow their guidelines for education. You have probably heard the CSHSE referred to in previous courses or texts.
Fieldwork is considered so important for human services education that it comprises its own standard for each of the accredited program levels (associate, bachelor’s, and master’s). The CSHSE standards set the expectations for academic programs and their students as to what qualifies as an acceptable field placement. While these standards are aimed at the program directors and faculty, they can help you craft goals for your experience that help you gain the knowledge and experience expected in the field. All of the CSHSE Standards can be found on the CSHSE website. The standard for associate programs is listed in the following section.
In Focus: Field Experience
Context: Field experience such as a practicum or internship occurs in a human services setting. Fieldwork provides an environment and context to integrate the knowledge, theory, skills, and professional behaviors that are concurrently being taught in the classroom. It must be an integral part of the education process.
Standard 20: The program shall provide field experience that is integrated with the curriculum.
- Provide a brief description of the overall process and structure of the fieldwork learning experience.
- Provide evidence that one academic credit is awarded for no less than three hours of field experience per week.
- Demonstrate that students are exposed to human services agencies and clients (assigned visitation, observation, assisting staff, etc.) early in the program.
- Provide a copy of the current manual and guidelines that are given to students advising them of field placement requirements and policies.
- Provide documentation of written learning agreements with field agencies that specify the student’s role, activities, anticipated learning outcomes, supervision, and field instruction. The agreement must be signed by the appropriate agency director, fieldwork supervisor, program instructor, and student.
- Provide syllabi for required seminars. Seminars must meet no less than every two weeks. Seminar hours must not be included in field experience hours.
- Provide evidence that required field experience is no less than 250 clock hours.
- Demonstrate how the field experience provides the student an opportunity to progress from:
- Observation to
- Directly supervised client contact to
- Indirectly supervised client contact.
- Demonstrate that field supervisors have no less than the same degree the program awards. It is strongly recommended that field supervisors have no less than one level of degree above the level of degree awarded by the program.
- Demonstrate that the program continually monitors the progress of each student and performs no less than one site visit to each field placement site per quarter or semester. The visit can be held as a direct site visit or with appropriate technology. The technology that is used should ensure that the field placement supervisor and student can be identified (CSHSE, 2020).
For example, these standards clearly address the need for client contact (see section H). You should expect that, over the course of your internship, you will get the chance to work directly with clients. If your agency seems reluctant to allow that, you can use the standards to advocate for the learning you need.
Similar to social work, human services by definition includes teaching students how to support and encourage behavior change. The fieldwork gives you an opportunity to demonstrate this knowledge.
The Field Experience Seminar
As indicated earlier, most internships include some sort of classroom experience. The idea here is to combine theory with practice under the guidance of an experienced instructor and to learn how to operate as a member of a team or group. This standard clinical or professional training format is also a good way for the instructor to monitor progress, head off problems, and facilitate your professional development. You can also use the seminar and the CSHSE Standards to ensure you are getting the experience you need at your field site.
Typically, undergraduate or first-time internships provide this level of instruction in a group format. It involves several students going out to their sites during the week and then attending a regular class meeting to review and discuss their experiences with their instructor and fellow interns.
This group format has additional benefits. One of them is to give you the opportunity to learn about or even vicariously experience other internship sites and career possibilities in the field by listening to colleagues describe their experiences. Having interns share experiences in this way reduces the sense of isolation. It’s also a chance to offer support since all of you are going through the same learning process but in different settings. These meetings provide support to you during this process and provide an opportunity for you to share experiences and other events encountered during the week.
During group sessions, questions and concerns are addressed by the instructor, which often benefits other members as well. Remember, instructors do not like to be surprised by problems, especially after they occur, so if one seems to be brewing, it is best to discuss it as early as possible. After all, even basic problem-solving skills include knowing that it is easier to deal with minor problems early than after they have become major problems later.
Case Study: Diego and Lisa’s Stories
Diego was getting close to graduating with his associate degree. However, he had yet to begin his fieldwork. Diego spoke both English and Spanish but was shy about his English skills. He was so nervous about interviewing that he kept delaying his internship. His instructor, who knew that Diego was very involved in raising his younger siblings, suggested an agency that worked specifically with youth. His comfort in working with adolescents helped his confidence in interviewing for an internship. His field supervisor was delighted with Diego’s interest. They needed a bilingual mentor, specifically one who was comfortable around younger adolescents. Diego’s internship was so successful he was offered a case manager position upon graduation.
Lisa had successfully completed all of her coursework for her associate degree in human services. She had interned in a large child services agency and had managed to assist many caseworkers with information, referrals, and paperwork. She had avoided working directly with clients herself because she did not feel confident in her abilities. She was also completing a gerontology certificate, which required fieldwork as well. Since she had not worked with older adults in her previous agency, she needed another placement for her gerontology certificate. Her instructor chose the site for her and placed her as an activities assistant in an assisted living facility. She knew that Lisa would be forced to have daily contact with residents. Lisa was very fearful at first, but by the end of her placement, she had gained not only excellent experience but confidence in her ability to work successfully with residents. She went on to become the assistant manager of a very busy senior center as well as earn her bachelor of social work at a nearby university.
Both of these examples illustrate the importance of being able to put your skills into action. As you think ahead to your field placement, what skills are you most excited to use? What skills or areas are you most concerned about? Being aware of this can help you prepare for the time ahead and can also help you craft learning objectives that will ensure you get to try out these skills.
The Council for Standards in Human Services Education for Fieldwork Licenses and Attributions
“The Field Experience Seminar” is adapted from “Getting Started at the Site” in Succeeding at Your Internship: A Handbook Written for and with Students by Christopher J. Mruk and John C. Moor, Bowling Green State University Libraries. This work is licensed under CC BY NC SA 4.0. Edited for consistency, style, and format by Yvonne M. Smith LCSW.
“Case Study: Diego and Lisa’s Stories” by Yvonne M. Smith LCSW is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
A credit class in which students apply theory to practice by using what you have learned in coursework in a real-world setting with a supervisor/mentor who is invested in your growth and development (often also referred to as fieldwork or practicum).
(or internship/practicum) experiential learning contained within human services programs. For the purposes of this text, fieldwork, internship, and practicum will be used interchangeably.
The Council on Standards in Human Services Education is the accrediting body for post-secondary human services programs that provides guidelines for programs across the United States.
the written record of the interactions between the client and the agency, as well as work done by the agency for the client’s behalf. Documentation often exists as part of an agency’s official records, and may also be used for billing purposes.
A practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people
the belief that you can be successful when presented with a challenge.