The Meaning of Online Social Work Education for Students and Faculty during COVID-19: Between Preservation and Change

Academic online social work (SW) education has developed over the decades, fully transitioning to it following the COVID-19 pandemic. Studies have examined the emotional responses, coping strategies and resilience of faculty and students to this transition. Our aim is to examine online education experiences and their meaning for faculty and SW students following the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed based on principles of thematic analysis. Interviewees included fifteen SW students and fifteen faculty members at schools of SW (n = 30) from universities and colleges throughout Israel, who also participated in a quantitative survey addressing online SW education. Findings include two themes: (i) Between the illusion of intimacy and the illusion of anonymity: Is it so? (ii) Experiences of difficulty, acceptance and choice relating to online education interactions. Both themes refer to interpersonal dimensions of communication and contact between faculty and students and among students. The desire to preserve a traditional education format versus openness to the online platform is discussed using critical reflexivity. Alternative education programmes combining the two should be developed. The unique and deceptive interplay between intimacy and anonymity in the online space should be considered in courses relying on interpersonal interaction and self-disclosure. The COVID-19 pandemic at the beginning of 2020 has dramatically changed lives in all domains, including the format of social work (SW) education, which shifted from face-to-face encounters to online. Although online education had been developed in SW education before the COVID-19 pandemic, it was restricted to SW courses on theory and policy and was never fully employed to include courses teaching SW practice skills. Accordingly, our aim is to examine online education experiences and their meaning for faculty and SW students following the COVID-19 pandemic. Semi-structured qualitative interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed. Participants included fifteen SW students and fifteen faculty members at schools of SW (n = 30) from universities and colleges throughout Israel. Students and faculty addressed the illusion of intimacy and anonymity in the online space, revealing its complexity, including difficulties, acceptance and choice relating to online education interactions. Findings refer to interpersonal dimensions of communication and contact between faculty and students and among students. We discuss preserving a traditional education format versus openness to online platforms and suggest developing alternative education programmes combining the two. Furthermore, the unique and deceptive interplay between intimacy and anonymity in the online space should be considered in courses requiring interpersonal interaction and self-disclosure.

A Contemporary Approach to Clinical Supervision: The Supervisee Perspective

The most critical and influential relationship affecting one's growth as a mental health professional is the relationship between the clinician and the supervisor. Good supervisors breed good therapists. This book goes beyond facts and figures to provide an innovative perspective on the supervision process. Through contributions by seven supervisees and the supervisor they all shared, readers are offered a rare glimpse into what takes place during the supervision hour. This book not only offers insight into the elements integral to effective supervision, but also teaches about the supervisory relationship. With contributors from various disciplines, theoretical orientations, and cultures, it shows how the supervisee and supervisor are able to navigate these differences while still gaining the most from supervision. Topics that are covered include cultural competence in multicultural supervision and remote supervision when it is conducted between clinicians in different countries, as well as an original study by the authors on the experiences of supervisees during the global Covid-19 pandemic and the transition to remote supervision. For mental health professionals who are training to be supervisors or experienced supervisors looking to improve their skills, this book will serve as an invaluable resource for professional development. © 2021 selection and editorial matter, Liat Shklarski and Allison Abrams;individual chapters, the contributors.