April A&P Pre-Conference Meeting

The A&P conference held at the end of each academic year is a unique and essential part of our program. It brings together the advisor, the advisee, a faculty member and a peer of the student’s choice, as well as the current and next year’s field supervisors. This conference provides an opportunity to reflect on and discuss the advisee’s professional growth and development throughout the training experience. (A full description of the A&P can be found in the Policy and Procedures Manual.)

A pre-A&P meeting is useful to orient the advisee to the A&P process, to thoroughly review the year’s work, to plan the group composition of the meeting and to establish a particular focus, if any, for the conference. Planning and convening an A&P conference can be a demanding task for all involved in terms of time, thought and organization. Often, scheduling is the most challenging and frustrating element; since most of this responsibility falls to the student, support, tolerance, understanding and empathy need to be readily available in the face of what may be endless “false starts.” Even if all has gone smoothly throughout the year, this time should be used in a meaningful way to review a student’s professional development and goals. A student should be expected to present an overall reflection on the year’s experience. The Advisor should have read all evaluations, be familiar with the student’s experience throughout the year and be prepared to reflect on all elements of the student’s performance, generating an integrated and synthesized perspective on the student’s unique growing experience.

If there have been any problematic issues during the year, it is important that the advisor assures that the involved people are present and/or that these issues are fully addressed during the conference. The A&P should not be allowed to be structured to avoid difficulties (for example, a student may not want an academic or field problem brought up in front of the next year’s supervisor). The advisor needs to be supportive, but also clear that significant and/or challenging issues must be discussed as a part of responsible professional growth.

The evolving four year plan should be addressed as well. However tentative this plan may be, it presents the student with choices and awareness that not all courses or types of field experience are possible within the time limits of program completion. It represents another chance for you as an advisor to learn more about your advisee’s professional /personal interests, aspirations and goals.

Updated 5/21/08