Field Project Work

You can either complete this assignment by phone or electronically (e.g., using their website ). Does that make sense?

This week, you will need to identify service delivery agencies and resources to visit within your local community. The intent of this project is to supplement the learning process through experience in the field. Experiential learning can be very exciting and rewarding. It affords independent learning and involves motivation and initiative. Independent research and learning strengthens your communication and interview skills. Through this assignment, you will have an opportunity to get to know the community resources that are available to you and your clients. It is important for you to have direct experience with these resources so that you can assist clients that need access to them. This will give you first-hand experience of “real-world” challenges that family members in crisis face when they need to reach out for help. Remember, people experiencing a crisis have limited coping skills and greater stress, which affects their ability to use resources. Such individuals and families may not have the focus needed to deal with the details of finding resources. As such, it can be very beneficial if therapists can say, essentially, “It is actually a great system; all you need to do is go to such and such a place and ask to speak with so and so, and they will be able to help you out.”

You can use the yellow pages, the Internet, friends, family members, or neighbors to help identify resources you can examine. Identify three different community-based intervention service agencies to visit in your area. The agencies can be located near where you live or work or anywhere that is convenient for you. Please submit the names of these agencies to your instructor for approval, prior to scheduling community field visits. Since your instructor likely does not reside in the same community, please also submit a description of the agency and/or a link to the agency’s website when submitting the names of the agencies for approval. You may not write about agencies by Internet searches alone; you must visit the agencies in the community. Plan to schedule your visits in advance.
The three intervention service agencies need to provide services related to the topics outlined in the course syllabus. Often, such community agencies are multi-service agencies that provide assistance, treatment, information, and/or referrals and other services to families who are in crisis. Use the following guidelines as you carry out your visits and write your report:
Be sure to include (at a minimum) the following information for each intervention service agency you visit during your fieldwork research project:
• Provide the name of the agency and the name of contact person(s) you met with to gather information. Include the date of your meeting. Provide identifying information, including the name of your service agency, telephone, address, website, email address, and days and times of operation.?
• Be sure to ask for and take informational brochures, pamphlets, business cards, and other materials during your visit. Describe the quality and usefulness of these handouts within your paper.?
• Explain the range of services provided (e.g., medical assistance, shelter, psychotherapy, financial, and so forth).?
• Explain the eligibility requirements to receive service delivery (i.e., target population served).
• State how long treatment is provided and if any fees apply.?
• State (in your opinion) how accessible services are and how available or user-friendly staff are to the public (i.e., Did you have to make many calls to reach someone and get an appointment?).
• State (in your opinion) if the agency demonstrated being trauma-informed and culturally- competent.?
• Provide other interesting or useful information or observations about your on-site fieldwork visit to each agency.?
• List, for your future reference, how you would (or would not) use each of the agencies visited when you are working in the community as a MFT.
• Conclude your paper with a discussion of your experience of seeking access to community resources for clients in crisis. Share what you learned from this experience. Determine if there are sufficient services in your area to meet the needs of your community. Determine if you feel comfortable referring clients to these agencies.
Your project will be graded for thoroughness of content/description regarding each of the three agencies and for the conclusion.