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

Abstract

ABSTRACT The 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.