Field Note—Talk It Out Counseling Clinic: A Field Education Innovation

ABSTRACTThe COVID-19 pandemic introduced an unforeseen challenge to social work field education and drastically changed the landscape of social work direct practice. In March 2021, University of Toronto’s Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work launched the Talk It Out Counseling Clinic (the Clinic), training MSW students to provide short-term counseling and wellness workshops to residents in the Greater Toronto Area. Based on a community partnership model with an antiracism and trauma-informed service orientation, the Clinic provides services targeting those who face multiple barriers to health and equity and those who belong to Black and other racialized communities. In this paper, we introduce the Clinic, including its staffing and structure, partnership model, and training curriculum, present operation updates, and discuss future directions. Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationFundingThe authors thank the donors and sponsors for their generosity to the Clinic’s mission and services.Notes on contributorsLin FangLin Fang is Associate Professor, Factor-Inwentash Chair in Children’s Mental Health and Founder and Director of the Talk It Out Counseling Clinic at University of Toronto.Catherine SchmidtCatherine Schmidt is a PhD Candidate at University of Toronto and served as an MSW Student Supervisor for the Clinic.Yu LungYu Lung is a PhD Candidate at University of Toronto and the Clinic’s MSW Student Supervisor.Lynn NguyenLynn Nguyen is an MSW student and a Research Assistant at University of Toronto.Gilda HuiGilda Hui is a Research Assistant at University of Toronto.Sylvia DelgadoSylvia Delgado was Clinic Manager for the Clinic at University of Toronto.