Frequently Asked Questions by Interested Community Sponsors

Home Field Study Program Frequently Asked Questions by Interested Community Sponsors

1. What are students required to do?
2. What are my responsibilities as a supervisor?
3. How will my agency benefit?
4. How do I get involved?

What are students required to do?

Field Study students complete 10 hours a week of service at their sponsoring agency for at least six months. Many students may stay for a third quarter of field study if invited and are able to continue. Students are matched with faculty sponsors that guide them through an academic project associated with their work at the placement while they keep journals and engage in skill building workshops or trainings. All field study students are seniors or juniors with a significant amount of coursework in Psychology behind them who have shown themselves to be dedicated students.

What are my responsibilities as a supervisor?

Your responsibilities as a field placement supervisor are to:

• Screen and approve students according to the standards of employment at your organization (ie. fingerprinting, background checks, interview, etc.)
• Provide thorough orientation and training to students so that they have the tools to do their job with confidence.
• Provide at least thirty minutes of individual supervision or one hour of group supervision each week.
• Write an evaluation of the student’s performance every ten weeks (the end of each academic quarter). The evaluation will be a permanent part of the student’s academic record.

How will my agency benefit?

Agencies with long standing relationships with field study often say they couldn’t do what they do without Psychology Field Study students. Students are enthusiastic, often quite talented given their limited experience and have a lot of energy to share. Your agency will benefit from an enthusiastic new team member and more work accomplished in areas that you may have wanted to strengthen for sometime. You may also benefit from the opportunity to introduce a student to your field and train future colleagues in your work philosophy. Many agencies find the student perspective to be useful to analyze their work in a new way. The people you serve may naturally connect to students of traditional age (19-23).

How do I get involved?

Contact the Psychology Field Study Program Coordinator to talk about your ideas further.