Journal Prompts

1. What type of supervision are you hoping for? How will you respond if you and your supervisor have clashing styles? Is there a student style in figure 6.3 that describes you? How might this impact your relationship with your supervisor? How can you prepare to hear constructive criticism and use it effectively?

Self-Care Activity

1. Learning How to Prioritize Your Needs: People who work in the helping fields often have trouble prioritizing their own needs. However, when our own needs are not being met, we are compromising our ability to be effective helpers. Remember, your supervisor cannot read your mind. Make a list of the most important experiences or knowledge you hope to get out of your internship. Share this list with your supervisor, and continue to refer to it throughout your internship. Feel free to modify it as you accomplish items or as your priorities change. However, keep it handy to refer to, especially when you are feeling unsatisfied or unchallenged.

Class Discussion Topics

1. Explore specific microaggressions at the Micropedia of Microaggressions. What are some comments or situations listed on this site that you’ve heard or experienced? What examples surprised you?
2. What makes a good supervisor?
3. Case Study

   You have been at your internship site for a few weeks now. You and your supervisor have a good working alliance, and she entrusts you with a small set of duties each week. As you are reporting to your supervisor, she seems almost annoyed, if not angry, that you are telling her about your day-to-day experiences at the agency. Your supervisor did not finish listening to you before she gathered a stack of papers from her desk and told you she had to go. These are the courses of action you can take:

   • Follow her out of the room and demand an explanation.
   • Talk to her about it when you come back next time.
   • Talk to coworkers about your supervisor.
   • Do not let it get to you; she is a busy lady, and she could just be running late.
   • What do you do? Why? Discuss the options with your classmates.

Practice Licenses and Attributions

“Journal Prompts and Self-Care Activities” by Yvonne M. Smith LCSW are licensed under CC BY 4.0.

“Discussion Questions” is adapted from “Using Supervision Effectively” 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.