Student Tutor Learning Agreement

The Learning Contract

between the tutor/supervisor & you

Introduction

A student learning contract may seem an unusual or even odd idea to some of you who may be joining (or considering) the course.  The learning contract is between you and your tutor(s) and supervisor.  Like any contract, it is an outline of what we would expect of you and what you would expect of us.

Of course, we can only outline what we would expect from you as a student, and propose what we are willing to offer.  Part of developing a contract lies with you in deciding if you accept it, are willing to ‘sign up’ to what we are looking for, and if there is more you want from us, than we are proposing.

The student / tutor learning contract

1          Course time (meeting as a group)

Your willingness to be prepared for each weekend makes all the difference to a learning group.  This means that with any homework you have been given (practice work, written work or reading) we expect you to have notes of questions or points of non-understanding that you have discovered.  We then expect you to be willing and open to bringing these up for discussion during class time.

On our part, all tutors will be extremely open to discussing any and all questions and points of learning difficulty that you may have.  Open discussion accomplishes 2 things:

a.      individuals lose their anxiety about learning

and

b.      important clarification and explanation can be tailored – thru discussion - to meet the students’ learning need

Open discussion and questioning creates group learning, which we find, is the most potent.  However, you will also have the opportunity to meet with tutors on a 1:1 basis where you can ask specific questions on theory or issues of course process.

On the same theme, we deeply encourage students to question any aspect of theory or practice that is being presented.  We do not expect any student to agree with what is being presented.  We only expect a student to be open to a review of evidence, based on practical experience.  We find that it helps the student to not simply adopt the approach (being presented) in a blind fashion.  We expect students to test it and bring their experiences, doubts, confirmations and questions to the group for discussion and evaluation.

During class time we will often be teaching and reviewing client practice thru the use of ‘master-classing’ – which is either the tutor demonstrating the approach with someone or one student working with another student, where we have the opportunity to stop and discuss issues as they arise.  We expect you to be willing to have a go, either as the therapist or the client.   In the 2^nd and 3^rd year, you will often likely role play clients you are working with.  In the 1^st year, before you have placement clients, you will have to play yourself, as the client.  This is necessary for learning, but it is a crucial that you experience what it is to be in the client chair.

We will expect you to attend all weekends on the course schedule.  If for reasons of health, you cannot attend, we would expect you to call in sick on the College’s answer machine.  If you miss 2 or more weekends, in any given year, we reserve the right to assess your suitability to continue during that year.  This is due to the amount of time lost and your ability to make it up.

If you do miss a weekend, you are responsible for catching up on the learning.  If needs-be you can ask a colleague to record lectures and group discussions.

2          ‘Home’  work

‘Homework’ refers to reading, written assignments, client practice work and group study. Each year there will be approximately 10 written assignments.  We will expect you to have a given assignment done by the next weekend or at the date designated by the tutor.  On the tutor’s part, we commit ourselves to have written assignments assessed and returned to you by the next course weekend. Practice work – working with a client - will include a written assessment that goes with the practical sessions.  Some of your written assessments of cds will count as part of the 10 written assignments.

In the 1^st instance (mainly the 1^st year), practice sessions will be with colleagues, until you have been assessed ‘ready to work’ with clients in a placement setting. Each year will have a required number of client practice sessions. Usually it is in the 2^nd year that you would start seeing practice clients in some type of placement setting.  As stated in the 1^st year, you will need to work with each other as therapists / clients.  So you will be expected to be a client and willing to bring relevant issues to your practice session. We will therefore expect a commitment of confidentiality by both parties, except where course learning is involved.

Students are encouraged to meet throughout the 3 years to review theoretical work and practice with each other, where there is a need to learn strategic or technical aspects of the approach that is being taught.

We expect all aspects of ‘home’ work to be done in a timely manner, so you will be ready and up-to-date with course discussion on assigned reading, ready to work in master-class practical learning exercises and above all ready to ask any and all relevant questions that arise for you in the area of reading, written work and client practice.

If you do not stay up to date with your home work we expect you to approach the tutor to discuss what problems you are having so you can be supported and a solution can be sought.

3          Personal development

Perhaps the single greatest issue that allows therapy to work is the quality of the relationship between client and therapist.  And the single greatest problem that arises in that relationship is when either one begins to project their own agenda.  This is called transference.  For example, perhaps the client may manipulate for sympathy and being saved. Or perhaps, the therapist may become overly focused on saving the client or avoiding uncomfortable feelings that the client may have.

This subtle process of projecting one’s agenda on the other, is the greatest obstacle to good therapy.  In order to constructively work with these projections, the therapist must 1^st become aware and sensitive to them – particularly in themselves.  For the therapist to become aware of these projections (from him/her self or the client) requires the development of certain qualities:

a.      to be aware of, on a moment-to-moment basis, what is taking place in and around you – in a non-analytical way

b.      to be aware of patterns of behaviour and emotion in your life that are not healthy

c.       to become aware of, and resolve, those aspects of self that drives unhealthy emotion and behaviour

d.      to be able to remain personally connected and supportive of self

So in order to facilitate the interaction with the client in a healthy manor will require that the learning therapist will need to go on both a personal and professional journey of awareness and personal development.

In practical terms this will include working on a 1:1 basis with tutors to develop the ability to become more sensitive and aware – in the moment – of what is happening with you.  This self reflective capacity is also called upon when working in master-class situations during course time as well as in supervision sessions in order for you to grow in your awareness of where you are working from, and what clients may be projecting to you.

Any ‘here-&-now’ work is always done in a supportive manner in order for you to be able to develop this capacity to a higher level than you may already have.  There will also be essays where you will be asked to reflect on & delve into your own personal experiences.

During any given year, if it becomes evident that your own personal ‘issues’ are getting in the way of your learning process, the tutor will take the responsibility of showing you this evidence.  The tutor may suggest that you seek therapy for yourself.  This is always presented as an option, because it is the courses belief that therapy should be self instigated and not coerced.  If the tutor perceives that your issues are standing in the way of your passing onto the next year (or achieving the Diploma in the 3^rd year) s/he will share this with you.

Whether you pursue the therapy is still your option and if you decide not to, it will not be taken into the evaluation of your passing to the next level.  The only thing that would prevent you from passing to the next level would be if your performance in written, practical and personal development work didn’t meet the requirements of that year.

4          Tutorials

Tutorials are 1:1 sessions with tutors. These sessions are designed to address theory questions and course process issues that you may have.  The tutorials are also used to develop the therapeutic skill of ‘here-&-now’ awareness thru the use of a specially designed exercise.  As described in other places, the tutor is looking for your preparation and willingness to have a sincere ‘go’.  The tutor commits to work with honesty and sensitivity.

5          Placements & Supervision

In the 1^st year you will be given the ‘framework of readiness to work’.  In this ‘framework’ you will find the criteria for your readiness to work in a placement setting with practice clients.  The course requires that you do a minimum of 160 client sessions in order to graduate.  When the tutor assesses that you meet the framework requirements, you can begin your placement.  The course doesn’t take responsibility to find you a placement, but works wherever possible to assist you in finding a placement.

The course provides a 3 way ‘contract’ between the college, the placement agency and you that is designed to give you the opportunity to practice the model you are learning in an appropriate environment.

Supervision is where you will meet with a supervisor (on a 1:1, 2:1, or small group basis).  The purpose of supervision is to review practical skill, ethical and personal development aspects of your work with practice clients.  The course provides the required amount of supervision per month as outlined by BACP.

6          Confidentiality

The course (and your classmates) will expect that you will treat any disclosure or personal sharing that takes place on the course with sensitivity and confidentiality. The tutors will afford the same consideration to you.

When groups have trust and respect with each other, experience shows that individual learning dramatically increases.  People feel freer to make mistakes, to have a go, to be themselves.

The tutors are well trained and have years of experience facilitating group learning. They are able and committed to promoting and ensuring a ‘safe’ environment for sharing and learning.