Perhaps most importantly, the papers assist students in gaining perspective on themselves and the human service field. Given the reality of time demands, however, the expectation is that each student does at least one set of three quality papers with update papers thereafter. How did I contribute to the learning and mutual support of other students with whom I shared this experience. The answers to these, and other, self-generated questions, should consolidate the personal growth gains experienced in the practicum, internship or externship setting. Doing this personal growth paper should leave the student with a feeling of completeness and resolution.
Every program operates from a base of one or more models.
In many cases the service models are embedded within a mountain of policies, regulations, memos, agency folklore, values of staff persons, heritage of former key people, directives and formal, service statements. Few agencies, or even discrete programs, follow a single therapy or clinical intervention model, such as behavior modification, reality therapy or person-centered therapy. Most staff draw upon techniques acquired from many different models. This reality presents a significant challenge for the practicum student. Disentangling the various intervention techniques, and identifying the therapy models from which the techniques originated, can be quite difficult.