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WKU PSYCHOLOGY DEPARTMENT

Community Placement Experience in Psychology Handbook

Psy 390

Introduction

The purpose of this handbook is to provide guidelines for community placement supervisors and undergraduate psychology students participating in the Psy 390-Community Placement Experience in Psychology course. Students in Psy 390 complete 120 hours of experience in the community placement across a semester (16 weeks) where they see the work of professionals first-hand, integrate the experience with coursework and explore career options.

The purpose of the course is dual in nature. The first purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in a setting outside of the university where concepts, practices and knowledge from the field of psychology are utilized. The second purpose is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about professional behavior and ethics and the linkage between theory and practice.

Purpose

As stated in the course syllabus there are four objects for the Community Placement Experience in Psychology. They are:

1. Student will obtain supervised work experience within a community agency, program or business.
2. Students will integrate conceptual knowledge obtained in courses in the psychology major with applied experiences obtained in the community placement.
3. Students will learn to use reflective writings for professional growth and development.
4. Students will learn the professional ethics and work behavior.

Enrollment Requirements and Procedures

The Community Placement Experience in Psychology course is designed for students majoring or minoring in psychology. Students must be of Junior or Senior standing, obtain faculty recommendations, and hold a GPA of at least 2.5. Most placements also require particular psychology classes as prerequisites or co requisites (see). In addition to these requirements, the student’s schedule of classes should permit at a minimum half-day if not whole day placements at the site.

Enrollment in the Community Placement Experience in Psychology requires advance planning and approval by the Community Placement instructor in order to be cleared to register for the course. After enrollment in the course, the student works with the community placement instructor to obtain a community placement. This step must take place the semester before the placement is to occur. The specific steps are as follows:

Activities the student must complete the semester before the placement

1. Student completes Community Placement Experience in Psychology application form and turns it in to the Psychology Department. This form is available from the Psychology Department, or, it can be downloaded from the Psychology Department website at: (insert link). Student completes the form and obtains signatures from two faculty references, at least one of which needs to be a faculty member in the Psychology Department. It is strongly recommended that students complete this step prior to the pre registration time period.

2. Student picks up approval form and instructions for enrolling in Community Placement Experience in Psychology. Applications are reviewed and approved within a 5-day period of time. The student is responsible for picking up the approval notice from the Psychology Department Office. If approved, the student will be given written instructions as to how to enroll in the class and a copy of the Memorandum of Agreement to be signed by the placement site. Students will also receive a copy of the procedures for obtaining a placement.

3. Student contacts and meets with potential community placement site. If the student has indicated a preferred placement site on the application, they will receive instructions as to whether the site is still available and procedures for contacting the site to set up an interview. The student will be provided with instructions and the site will know about the Community Placement Experience. In the event that the student wishes to pursue a placement in a site that has not previously participated in the Community Placement Experience, the student will need to meet with the WKU instructor to work out approval of the placement and to introduce the site to Wake’s course.

4. Student obtains site approval and submits signed Memorandum of Agreement to WKU instructor. Student contacts placement site by phone and arranges an interview with the designated staff to discuss the community placement. The student should be prepared to discuss why they would like a placement with the site and respond to interview types of questions that the staff may have. If the site agrees to accept the student, the Memorandum of Agreement form is signed (Appendix..). The student then submits the Memorandum of Agreement form to the instructor responsible for the community placement course.

5. Student immediately returns Memorandum of Agreement to WKU instructor. Students have now completed all the procedures to be enrolled in the Community Placement Experience in Psychology course. The next step is to show up for the first class meeting on campus. Students should not start at their placements before the first meeting of the class for the semester. These forms should be submitted to the instructor immediately after obtaining a site placement.

Community Placement Sites

In general, any placement that provides activities consistent with the field placement goals is appropriate. Most placements within the Bowling Green community know about the course and the procedures. A listing of placements and typical activities within each placement is provided in Appendix ****. Placements in Nashville, Louisville and other communities are also possible, however students will need to work with the Community Placement instructor to make the arrangements. If a student is interested in a placement in a community outside of Bowling Green, it is important that these arrangements be worked out well in advance of the semester in which they wish to enroll.

Prerequisite courses are required for many of the placements. Please see individual placement listings in Appendix *** to determine if there are specific course prerequisites or corequisites. In general placements in a mental health setting might require Psy 440 – Abnormal Psychology, Psy 455 – Introduction to Clinical Practice of Psychology, and/or Psy 450 – Introduction to Personality Theories; placements in a business setting may require Psy 370 – Industrial Psychology, Psy 371 – The Psychology of Sales Behavior, and/or Psy 473 – Training in Business and Industry.

Course Requirements

The Community Placement Experience in Psychology requires 120 hours of service in a placement for three hours of credit. During the first week of classes students will meet with the university instructor to receive the course syllabus, schedule of meetings for the semester and general guidelines for successful completion of the course. In addition, students will meet with the site supervisor during the first week of classes to develop a written summary of duties and goals for the semester. These duties and goals will be more individualized and serve as guides during the student’s placement period. This summary of activities and goals for the student in the placement will be submitted to the WKU instructor by the second week of classes.

Community Placement Supervisor

The Community Placement Supervisor is the professional employed by the placement in which the student is obtaining experience. This professional is responsible for familiarizing and orienting the student with the activities of the site and the site’s procedures, policies and expectations for professional conduct (e g confidentiality, dress code). In addition this professional serves as a mentor during the experience, supervising the student while they are present at the site, and planning appropriate activities.

Site Supervisor Responsibilities

1. Interview and select community placement students. Once students have met the criteria for participation, they will be given site contact information or work with the WKU instructor to determine possible placement sites. The students are responsible for setting up an interview with the site. The site supervisor should interview potential community placement students and determine whether or not they want to take on the student. Sites have the right to select or reject students that they interview. In some cases, there may not be a good fit between the student and the site, or the site have situational constraints for a period of time that limit or prohibit having community placement student(s).
2. Provide opportunities for a variety of activities and experiences. These activities should include an orientation to the site, development of individual student goals for the semester, and opportunities to see the application of psychological principles in a real life situation. Selection of appropriate student activities should occur within the context of the legal and ethical practices pertinent to each site. In addition, it is hopeful that the student’s activities contribute to the site’s operations and functions. While there are many activities that may be inappropriate for a student it is important that the student not be limited to activities that are not substantive and educational in nature.
3. Provide a role model. For many students the community placement is their first professional work contact. As such, the site provides a model of responsible work behaviors, professional ethics, and professional ,,,,,,,,,,. It would be important to explicitly communicate expectations to each student as to specific site requirements regarding appropriate attire, communication skills, …………………………… Feedback to the student regarding professional behaviors and activities may be necessary to facilitate adjustment to the professional setting. If appropriate, the WKU instructor can assist in this process.
4. Monitor participation and communicate with WKU instructor. Site supervisors will be responsible for signing the monthly log of activities that the student submits to the WKU instructor. This is to verify that the students have been in the placement. In addition, it is the site supervisor’s responsibility to communicate any significant concerns about the student’s performance in a timely manner. The WKU instructor will work with the site supervisor to resolve any concerns.
5. Participate in student evaluation. Each site supervisor will be contacted in the middle of the semester to determine the student’s adjustment to the site. In addition, each site supervisor will complete an evaluation form (Appendix ***) and assist in grade determination.

WKU Instructor Responsibilities

1. Supervise the student application, registration, and placement process. Approve students for the course and assist students in securing site for the community placement. See section ………….
2. Provide Community Placement Experience in Psychology Guidelines to site supervisors, psychology majors and advisors in the Psychology Department. Also to ensure that the guidelines are mutually agreeable and appropriately implemented.
3. Assist the site supervisor in planning and implementing appropriate activities. Upon request, the WKU instructor will assist the site supervisor develop goals for the student and activities to ensure that the experience meets the course goals and student needs. The WKU instructor will review, approve and/or suggest modifications to the goals and activities developed by the student and the site supervisor.
4. Communicate with site supervisors. The WKU instructor will initiate phone, in-person, or email contacts with the site supervisor at the middle and end of the semester. If necessary or requested, these contacts can be increased. The mid semester contact will be to obtain a progress report on the student and their adjustment to the site. The end of the semester communication will include a written evaluation of the student completed by the site supervisor and a discussion of the grade for the student.
5. Lead seminars and monitor student progress. The WKU instructor is responsible for reviewing student logs and reflection papers, leading seminar meetings with students and reflection papers and .
6. Student Evaluation. The WKU instructor is responsible for determining course grades, however input is obtained from the site supervisor in the form of an evaluation of student performance (see Appendix ***).

Student Responsibilities

The Community Placement Experience in Psychology is different from traditional courses in the Psychology major. It is a field-based course that provides opportunities for students to observe and work with professionals in the community. Partnerships have been developed with the community sites in order to allow for student participation. It is important to recognize that the community sites participate voluntarily in this program and that continued participation may be dependent on successful student performance in the community placement.

Depending on the placement site students may need to provide special requirements Students are responsible for obtaining their own transportation to the field site. In addition site requirements for certain types of professional attire or dress codes may result in some extra expenses for the student. The needs for specific or special attire should be disclosed at the interview so that students would be aware of this before the start or selection of the site.

In that this is a field-based course, performance in this class is evaluated on the student’s ability to accept and display professional work behaviors and to integrate observations with prior course learning. While specific grading and course requirements are addressed in the course syllabus some aspects of course requirements will be provided below along with other student responsibilities.

1. Complete application process the semester before the placement It is the student’s responsibility to complete the application, registration and interview process the semester prior to the placement.
2. Interview and obtain site placement. Once approved, the student will work with the WKU instructor to obtain a site placement. Students should approach the site interview as if it were an interview for a job, dressing professionally and being prepared with questions to ask about the site such as who their supervisor would be and activities in which they might be participate.
3. Fulfill requirements of syllabus including:

Monthly logs – complete at turn it at the monthly seminar meeting

Reflections paper – turn in monthly at the seminar meeting

Summary paper of experiences – submitted at the end of the semester

Attend seminar meetings –

4. Complete activities as assigned by the site supervisor. Students are to follow the direction of the site supervisor and other professionals at their site. The process of supervision requires that the student and supervisor assume mutual responsibility for assuring that student and course needs are being met. Students must take responsibility for informing the site supervisor of their perceived needs (e g knowledge, skills) and their perceived competency or comfort level with activities and experiences. In all cases the student should be guided by “If you don’t know or are unsure – ASK!” Site supervisors will not be able to meet the student’s individual needs unless they are known. In addition, the student will need to inform the site supervisor of the comfort level in performing certain activities, or their needs for support and guidance when engaging in a new activity. The student must also accept responsibility for bringing up concerns, problems or issues encountered as well as monitoring the proportion of time engaged in different activities to ensure the goals of the community placement are being achieved. It is the student’s responsibility to make sure the on-site hours are being obtained and notifying the WKU instructor if there are any problems with the activities or .

5. Display professional behavior. It is the student’s responsibility to comply with the policies and procedures of the placement site, and exhibit ethical conduct and professional/work related behaviors (punctuality, cordial working relationships, timely work completion) under the site supervisor’s supervision and feedback. Students should approach his/her placement site as if he/she is an employee of that site. Site supervisors often provide references for students pursuing employment or further graduate study. How well you do in your field placement can influence future employment or other future professional pursuits!

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