Skip to main content

School honors field instructors during annual appreciation conference

Nearly 100 people participated in the School of Social Work’s annual Appreciation Conference for Field Instructors and Task Supervisors on May 21. The day-long event honors agencies across the state for supporting the School’s Field Education Office and for providing valuable internships for MSW students.
This year’s conference was coordinated by clinical instructors Amy Levine and Karon Johnson, and field education office manager Linda Pridgen-Braswell. Senior associate dean Lisa Zerden and assistant dean for field education Rebecca Brigham welcomed participants and expressed their gratitude to field instructors for the essential role they play in teaching and mentoring MSW students to be effective and ethical practitioners.
UNC School of Social Work assistant professor Rachel Goode presented this year’s keynote address, which focused on “Teaching Our Students from the Obama and Trump Era: Are We Prepared?”

During the afternoon, field instructors were given the opportunity to participate in one of four workshops. Presenters included:

  • Mary Wise, a bilingual clinician and clinical faculty for the NC Child Treatment Program, and Jan Williams, clinical supervisor for the Center for Child & Family Health, who discussed supporting clinicians through reflective supervision
  • Nora Chambers Carter, independent contractor with the Center for Healthy Families, who discussed self-care,
  • Chris Egan, senior director for employment services with the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, Division of Services for the Blind, Division of Services for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, and Disability Determination Services; Erika Hagensen, disability policy and advocacy consultant with The Arc of North Carolina and North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities; and Matt Herr, acting assistant director for system performance at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services, who discussed health policy and public services, and
  • Rebecca Brigham; Jodi Hall, a 1991 graduate of the UNC School of Social Work and an assistant professor of social work at N.C. State University; Ticola Ross, clinical assistant professor and field education director at UNC-Charlotte; and Laurie Selz-Campbell, a clinical associate professor, who discussed navigating racism in social work field education.

Each year, the School gives recognition awards to agencies that exemplify “the best of the best” in field instruction. Award winners this year were: Wake Forest Baptist Health, Memory Counseling Program; Community Empowerment Fund; Lincoln Community Health Center; Duke University Counseling and Psychological Services; and Lee County Department of Social Services.  A special award was also given to field instructor Susan Worley, who has served as a field instructor for the UNC School of Social Work for 25 years.

The Field Education Program recruits and develops new field instructors on a continuous basis. If you are interested in becoming a field instructor, please contact Rebecca Brigham at brigham@email.unc.edu.