Grievance Procedure Concerning Conflict with a Staff Member 

Key to terms: The Administrative Supervisor for practicum students, Graduate Assistants, psychology interns and postdoctoral fellows is the Training Director.   

The SCS staff strives to create a warm and collegial working environment for all staff members.  

One component of this effort involves dealing with conflict in an open, direct, and timely fashion.  We strongly recommend that when a conflict occurs, staff members approach each other directly to resolve the conflict.  Thus, if a trainee has a conflict with a staff member, which includes psychology interns, or concerns regarding a staff member’s behavior, the best course of action is to discuss it directly with that staff member.  However, the training staff acknowledges that the power differential between trainees and supervising staff can make this process difficult and anxiety-provoking for the trainee.  In those situations where the trainee feels that they need consultation and support in order to deal with the conflict, the following steps are recommended: 

  • If the conflict is with the trainee’s primary supervisor, the trainee should seek out the Administrative Supervisor and/or SCS Director. 
  • If the conflict is with any staff member other than the trainee’s primary supervisor, the trainee should consult with their supervisor. 

In those rare instances where informal means are unsuccessful in rectifying the issue, the respective Administrative Supervisor is the final arbiter; if the Administrative Supervisor is involved in the conflict, the Director will be the final arbiter. In the case of legal or harassment concerns, the psychology intern is entitled to pursue Iowa State University’s reporting procedures available through the Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action Office and/or reporting procedures of the State of Iowa Board of Psychology. 

 

Evaluation Grievance Procedures for Trainees 

  • Following a formal evaluation session with the primary supervisor, if the trainee does not agree with the evaluation, they may submit a letter of addendum or disagreement to their Administrative Supervisor.  This must be done within thirty days of the completion of the evaluation. If the Administrative Supervisor is also the supervisor, the letter is submitted to the Director.  If the trainee requests an appeal, these procedures are followed: 
  • An Appeals Committee of three agency staff members is formed by the Director within five working days of receipt of the request for appeal.  The trainee chooses one member of the Committee from the professional staff, excluding the Associate Director, Director, Administrative Supervisor, primary supervisor in question, and other current trainees.  The Director will call this Committee together, give them their charge, and discuss the appeals procedure. 
  • An appeal may be requested on the following grounds: 
  • Denial of due process granted to the trainee in the evaluation procedure. 
  • Denial of opportunity to fairly present data to refute criticisms in evaluation. 
  • The procedures invoked for a special fact-finding review by this Committee follow: 
  • The trainee and his/her primary supervisor will be notified that a special review meeting will be held. 
  • The Appeals Committee may request the presence of or written statements from individuals as deemed appropriate. 
  • The trainee may submit to the Appeals Committee any written statements they believe to be appropriate, may request a personal interview, and/or may request that the Committee interview other individuals who might have relevant information.  The primary supervisor also will be afforded the same privilege. 
  • Following the fact-finding review, the Appeals Committee or a designated member will communicate the summary of their findings and any recommendations to the Administrative Supervisor, within two working days of the end of their deliberations. 
  • Following the review by the Appeals Committee, the Administrative Supervisor takes action deemed appropriate.  Such action is not limited to, but may take the form of any of the following: 
  • Accept the supervisor’s report of problems and recommend a program of remediation. 
  • Request that the supervisor write a new report to include specific changes in the statement of deficit(s) or recommendation(s). 
  • Ask the committee to re-write the evaluation, or the Administrative Supervisor can write the evaluation or add an addendum to the report of the primary supervisor. 
  • Place the trainee on probation for a specified period of time, during which changes in the trainee’s behavior according to an identified remediation program are to be expected. 
  • Recommend to the Director dismissal of the trainee from the Training Program. 
  • In the event that the Administrative Supervisor is the primary supervisor in the appeal, the review will go directly to the Director. 
  • If the trainee is dissatisfied with the decision of the Administrative Supervisor or Director, they may request a second and final review.  This request must be submitted in writing within five working days after the trainee has been notified of the decision. This review will be heard by the Director.  If the Director is the trainee’s supervisor or has heard the initial review, the second review will be heard by the Associate Vice President of Student Affairs. 

 

Other Areas of Formal Review   

A formal review may be activated at any time by a trainee, staff member, clients, or support staff.  The following situations may call for the filing of a grievance and activation of a formal review.  When a staff member or student is charged with engaging in any of the following behaviors, standard University procedures as stated in the Policy and Procedures Manual or Student Code are applied to the dispensation of the case.  When a trainee is charged, the review procedure described in this document is used.  This list is suggestive of, but not limited to the types of behaviors and events which may arise (separate from the official evaluation procedures previously discussed): 

  • Sexual Harassment 
  • Violation of the APA Code of Ethical Principles of Psychologists, Standards for Providers of Psychological Services, and Specialty Guidelines for the Delivery of Services,  
  • Insubordinate behavior 
  • Exploitive or abusive behavior 
  • Other behaviors not listed elsewhere in this document but which represent infringement on the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of trainees, professional and secretarial staff, and other volunteers/employees and clients of the agency.  

Information regarding the university non-discrimination and anti-harassment policy can be found here.  

 

Trainee Remediation Procedures  

Student Counseling Services offers counseling training opportunities presuming there will be a mutual benefit to the agency and the student. Primary is the agency's responsibility to client welfare. There are a variety of factors that influence the mutual decision-making process to determine if this training site is the best fit for a student counselor. Student Counseling Services is not obligated to provide practicum training beyond a currently active one semester commitment. The contract for a psychology internship is for twelve months. Student Counseling Services may terminate training within a semester if certain problems cannot be remediated as the following policy states.   

Trainee difficulties can be encountered at two levels. Level 1 difficulties, which require significant remediation, would include one or more of the following criteria: 

  • The trainee does not acknowledge, understand or address the problem when it is identified. 
  • The problem is assessed as being more than a skill deficit, which has not been rectified by academic, didactic, or experiential training. 
  • The deficit negatively impacts the trainee’s clinical work. 
  • The trainee’s behavior has not changed as a function of feedback, remediation efforts, and/or time. 
  • The trainee demonstrates an inability and/or unwillingness to acquire and integrate professional standards into one’s repertoire of professional behavior. 
  • The trainee demonstrates an inability to acquire professional skills through supervisor feedback in order to reach an acceptable level of competency for their level of professional development. 
  • The trainee demonstrates an inability to control personal stress, psychological distraction, and/or excessive emotional reactions that interfere with professional functioning. 

Level 2 difficulties would refer to a student who is functioning below expected level in one or more areas, but whose clinical functioning and response to feedback are more positive, such that the criteria for level 1 are not met.   

It is important to have meaningful ways to address a problem once it has been identified. 

The first stage of agency response could include the following courses of action: 

  • Increased supervision, including viewing additional videotape. 
  • Change in the format, emphasis, and/or focus of supervision. 
  • Recommending personal therapy. 
  • Contract in writing for specific behavioral changes within a designated timeframe. Initial contracts with psychology interns are not shared with the trainee’s academic department and are not part of the trainee’s permanent record.  This contract is required for remediation of Level 1 difficulties and is optional for Level 2.  

The second stage of response with more formal remediation procedures will be initiated if the supervisor feels that professional standards have not been integrated, professional competencies have not been demonstrated and/or emotional stability is not evident.  All steps of formal remediation need to be adequately and appropriately documented in a manner consistent with the due process procedures. 

Formal remediation procedures are as follows: 

  • The supervisor verbally informs the trainee that formal remediation procedures will be implemented. 
  • The supervisor documents the deficient areas in a written evaluation. 
  • The supervisor shares the document with the trainee. 
  • The supervisor gives a copy of the evaluation to the Administrative Supervisor.  This copy is placed in the trainee’s permanent file. 
  • The Administrative Supervisor may forward a copy of the document to the trainee’s academic department. 
  • The Administrative Supervisor will meet with all involved parties. 
  • The Administrative Supervisor, after appropriate investigation and consultation, will make a decision which may take the following four forms: 
  • To dismiss the concern and declare the trainee performing adequately. 
  • To present the trainee with specific behavioral conditions for the continuation of the internship/practicum. A specific timeline will be provided. 
  • To suspend the trainee from some or all of their activities until specified steps are taken. A specific timeline will be provided. 
  • To terminate the internship/practicum. 
  • The Administrative Supervisor will share a copy of the decision with the trainee and, as appropriate, the academic program.  The Administrative Supervisor will place a copy of the decision in the permanent file of the trainee.  If the decision involves continuation in the training program, the Administrative Supervisor may assign a new clinical supervisor and meet with them to plan the monitoring of the conditions in the decision. A specific timeline for monitoring the concern will be defined, including a timeline for written feedback regarding progress.  
  • Verbal feedback regarding addressing the concern will be provided ongoing. Substantive written feedback on the extent to which corrective actions are or are not successful in addressing the issues of concern will be provided at the timeline identified in the step above. 
  • Both the intern and supervisor will review and sign the evaluation. 
  • An appeal may be submitted according to the Grievance Policy.