A report of a counselling internship at the West Essex Secondary Tutorial Unit, Harlow, England with a report on an investigation into the relationship between assertive behavior and job satisfaction for student teacher interns

Abstract

The internship was carried out at the West Essex Secondary Tutorial Unit, Harlow, England, from April 1985 to July 1985. Memorial University of Newfoundland operates a campus in Harlow for students who wish to complete an internship program as partial fulfillment of a degree program. The Harlow campus consists of a library, lecture facilities, dormitory, kitchen, and dinning hall. -- The main purpose of the internship program was to enhance the skills of the intern and to apply theory to real life situations. -- During the course of the internship program the intern experienced and improved his skills in the areas of: individual counselling; group counselling; case conferencing; parent meetings; and, report writing. The intern also further developed his skills in communication with community agencies; worked with students at all levels of the educational continuum; and attended information sessions on multiculturalism, Gypsy education, the Spastic Society, and the British education system. -- The intern studied a special topics course entitled Counselling Parents of Exceptional Children, 6852 and completed several presentations to undergraduate student teacher interns on this topic. -- The research component of the internship was conducted to determine if a relationship exists between assertiveness and job satisfaction for student teacher interns. The results show a significant negative correlation for the subjects (r = -.41, p,>.05, N = 19) and suggest the need for further research in this area. -- The report concludes with a summary of the internship program.