The Successful Internship: Transformation and Empowerment in Experiential Learning [Paperback]

H. Frederick Sweitzer (Author), Mary A. King (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 21, 2003 | ISBN-10: 0534558798 | ISBN-13: 978-0534558796 | Edition: 2

THE SUCCESSFUL INTERNSHIP offers readers more than just a resource on how to find a position or how to interview; it addresses the concerns, emotions, needs, and unique personal challenges that are the essence of an internship or field experience. The authors describe in detail the path of change readers will find themselves embarking on and the challenges they will face along the way, and they provide clear, concrete tools that build the foundation for successful field/practicum experience. The book's five-stage model of the internship process-anticipation, disillusionment, confrontation, competence, and culmination-places the material in a meaningful framework that lends structure to understanding of the work they will be doing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book leads the student through the internship experience in a thoughtful, academic and realistic manner."

"This book has a strong emphasis on meaning making, understanding one’s personal experiences in an internship setting and how those impact a new counselor personally and professionally"

and

"another strength of this book is its self-reflection emphasis, which allows students to process and articulate how the internship experience is impacting them and how they are impacting clients too. This book is practical and it is grounded on a theoretical framework."

About the Author

H. Frederick Sweitzer is Professor of Human Services at the University of Hartford in Connecticut, where he also serves as Associate Dean of the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. Fred has over thirty years' experience in human services as a social worker, administrator, teacher, and consultant. He has placed and supervised undergraduate interns for twenty years and developed the internship seminar at the University of Hartford. Fred brings to his work a strong background in self-understanding, human development, experiential education, service-learning, civic engagement, professional education, and group dynamics. He is on the editorial boards for the journals Human Service Education and Human Services Today and has published widely in the field.

Mary A. King is Professor Emerita at Fitchburg State College in Massachusetts, where she instructs seminar classes for interns and colloquia in service-learning. She has held administrative positions in academic programs and has placed and supervised interns in a variety of academic majors. Her teaching specialties include applied ethics across disciplines in the behavioral sciences. She has published in the fields of human services and experiential education and holds several professional licenses. Mary brings to her academic work a background in public education, juvenile justice, clinical counseling, and consultation. She has served on national and regional boards in human service education and local social service boards and presently serves on the board of the National Society of Experiential Education, overseeing its Experiential Education Academy.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 2 edition (July 21, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534558798
• ISBN-13: 978-0534558796
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #651,636 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Successful Internship, February 23, 2006

By 

Kami L. Mckinzey (Spokane, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Successful Internship: Transformation and Empowerment in Experiential Learning (Paperback)

I used this book to help guide me through my internship for Social Work. I found it to be a great help in how I was able to see myself working professionally throughout my internship. This text let me know that experiences I went through were normal and that I was not going crazing or doing things wrong. Things that happened were normal and expected. My supervisor was very supportive during my internship with his agency even though I was having difficulties at times and I now know this is because he already knew that I would experience them. I knew from reading the text that client interaction would at times be difficult and my feelings with them could cross over personally and I had to be aware of my professionalism. I have really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who is involved in an internship. I find it vital to help one understand how they are doing in their internship and how normal things are that are happening to them during there internship.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mandatory Reference Resource for all Internship Coordinators, April 5, 2006

By 

Daniel Greene (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Successful Internship: Transformation and Empowerment in Experiential Learning (Paperback)

Sweitzer and King have written one of the most comprehensive guides to help students make the most out of their internship experiences. They cram more than enough techniques, resources and advice to help a student problem solve through one of the strangest places on earth: an office. The book is intended to be a text for students but it will more likely be used by internship coordinators who need to develop training modules or programs to prepare students for internships. The authors effectively blend relevant components of student development, career development, experiential education and human resources within a model that predicts the typical internship experience.

From my experience, it's not uncommon for my interns to recall how the book predicted the experiences they are currently going through and returning to it when they encounter problems. Compared to students who aren't familiar with the internship stages, they are better capable of managing their anxiety and taking control of their internships.

The only downside to this book is that for some reason it's intended for students who are performing field study for clinicals, however much of the book is applicable for internships in any discipline. This book is highly recommended for interns or the career services practitioner.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars not worth the money, January 12, 2009

By 

N. Lee "acrystalee" (San Jose, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Successful Internship: Transformation and Empowerment in Experiential Learning (Paperback)

Some of it is good informatino, but a lot of it is common sense. If you are cluelees get this book, if not skip it.