Evaluation and Feedback
Evaluations of intern performance by supervisors, evaluations of supervisors by interns, and evaluations of training components by interns are scheduled throughout the internship year. While the formal evaluations occur at mid-year and the year’s end, this mutual feedback process between staff and interns is continual and part of our philosophy regarding the value of the relationship for growth.
Input from all staff, and the Training Committee, is solicited and reflected in all evaluations, but even the formal evaluation process is designed to be a dialogue as intern and supervisors share their evaluations with each other, and are encouraged to review goals for supervision, progress being made toward those goals and areas of supervision needing attention. All written evaluations are then signed by both intern and supervisor, with room for comment by the intern, and kept in the intern’s file.
Also, during the summer orientation period, interns complete a self-assessment form that is shared with their primary supervisor and the Training Director. This self-assessment is used to identify areas of strength, areas for growth, and goals for the internship year.
Another valuable part of the feedback an intern receives is data from the biannual Client Satisfaction Survey. Our Counseling Center hands out satisfaction surveys to every client that makes contact with us for an entire week in the fall and another full week in the spring. Initial assessments, crises, and ongoing counseling appointments are all a part of this. Like the rest of our staff, an intern will receive the anonymous aggregate data regarding all of his or her clinical contacts and client perceptions of their work, including multicultural competency. This feedback is shared and discussed within individual supervision.
Additionally,interns are also asked to complete evaluations of each Orientation, Didactic, Diversity, and Professional Development training seminars. Essentially, we ask for immediate feedback on each presentation and didactic training experience we offer as we strive to be constantly evolving and improving.
As an additional evaluative oversight function, the Training Committee meets biweekly with the interns’ supervisory staff during the internship year to discuss each intern’s overall performance at the Counseling Center. Cumulative feedback from these discussions may be channeled through the interns’ individual supervisors. The Training Director also meets jointly and individually with the interns to discuss feedback. At the end of the summer orientation, mid-year, and upon completion of the internship, interns are asked to evaluate the training program itself.
Information gathered from evaluations is used to assess the intern’s progress and to make needed changes in the supervisory process and/or the internship program. A copy of each of the intern’s formal progress evaluations is forwarded to his/her academic program. The Training Director retains a copy of each evaluation in a cumulative folder for each intern.
Evaluation Schedule
August
- Intern Self-Evaluation
September
- Evaluation of Orientation by Intern
- Progress Letter to Intern’s Academic Department
October/November
- Client Satisfaction Survey
December/January/February
- Mid-Year Formal Evaluation by Primary Supervisor
- Evaluation of Supervision by Interns
- Evaluation of Training by Intern / Feedback session with Training Director
- Evaluation of Intern as a Supervisor by Practicum Trainees
- Progress Letter to Intern’s Academic Department
February/March
- Client Satisfaction Survey
- Send out Former Interns’ Survey
May/June/July
- Year-End Formal Evaluation by Primary Supervisor (July)
- Evaluations of Supervision by Interns (July)
- Feedback on Outreach, Diversity, and other projects
- Evaluation of Internship by Intern / Feedback session with Training Director (July)
- Evaluation of Intern as a Supervisor by Practicum Trainees
- Letter of Internship Completion to Intern’s Academic Department