Process Recording in Supervision of Students Learning to Practice with Children

This article addresses the use of process recordings in supervising social work students learning to practice with children. Although process recordings are a traditional method of teaching and learning social work practice, they have received little attention in the literature of social work practice and social work education. Process recordings of sessions with children have not been examined. The authors review literature on interviewing children, on process recording and on supervision in social work practice. Case examples illuminate how written process recordings can enhance learning and promote a supervisory alliance. The authors propose four key elements of process recordings for practice with children, including full description of play, child's exact words, child's mastery and student's thoughts/feelings. They conclude that adequately prepared process recordings examined in sequence, over time, reveal progress in student learning.