Self-Disclosure of Sexual Orientation in Social Work Field Education: Field Instructor and Lesbian and Gay Student Perspectives

ABSTRACT

In-depth interviews were conducted with lesbian and gay recent MSW graduates (n = 6) and experienced field instructors (n = 8) to explore sexual orientation–related challenges in social work field education. Data were analyzed using techniques from grounded theory and NVivo qualitative software. Self-disclosure emerged as a central theme in the establishment of a positive learning environment for lesbian and gay students in field education, including the benefits of student self-disclosure to learning, the responsibility of the field instructor, and the role of the agency context. Schools of social work may benefit from training and sensitizing field instructors to develop competence in providing educational experiences for LGBT students.

KEYWORDS:

• Field education
• gay
• lesbian
• professional identity
• qualitative research
• self-disclosure
• sexual orientation
• sexual prejudice
• social work
• supervision

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project was funded by an institutional grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This research was undertaken, in part, thanks to funding from the Canada Research Chairs Program. We thank all student and field instructor informants for sharing their experiences and perspectives and Roxanne Power, MSW, for lending her expertise.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Peter A. Newman

Peter A. Newman, PhD, is Associate Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto and Canada Research Chair in Health and Social Justice.

Marion Bogo

Marian Bogo, MSW, Adv. Dip. SW, is Professor, Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto.

Andrea Daley

Andrea Daley, PhD, is Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, York University.