SOCW 6200 Discussion 1 and 2

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Walden University
SOCW 6101: Essential Skills for Social Work Practice

Photo Credit: Prostock-studio / Adobe Stock

Week 1: Generalist Intervention Model
Given the wide variety of populations with whom social workers practice, how do you develop
culturally competent practice skills that can be applied to diverse individuals, families, groups,
organizations, and communities? Your ability to analyze presenting concerns and identify the best
course of action can begin with the application of one model—the Generalist Intervention Model
(GIM).

Social work is a strengths-based profession, committed to empowering clients and helping them thrive
through difficult and challenging experiences. The GIM identifies specific steps that guide social
worker–client interaction. In order to effectively engage in these steps, social workers need to be
prepared with foundational knowledge based on social work professional competencies, values, and
theory. In addition, social workers engage in ongoing development of skills through the use of
research and evidence-based practice.

This week, you apply foundational social work concepts to specific populations and introduce yourself
to colleagues in a video introduction.

Learning Objectives
Students will:

Analyze the use of social work theories and values with diverse populations
Apply concepts of generalist practice when working with specific populations

Learning Resources
Required Readings

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Required Media

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment series: Understanding generalist
practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.

Chapter 1, “Introducing Generalist Practice: The Generalist Intervention Model” (pp. 1–58)

Note: In Week 1, you may download this PDF excerpt from your course text so that you have
extra time to purchase the text. For the remaining weeks, please be sure to acquire the full
textbook.

From Kirst-Ashman/Hull. Empowerment Series: Understanding Generalist Practice, 8E. © 2018 South-Western, a part of Cengage, Inc. Reproduced by

permission. www.cengage.com/permissions

Walden University Academic Skills Center. (2020, February 20). Critical reading for analysis and
comparison. The Savvy Student.
http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ASCsuccess/ASCcriticalreading

Walden University Academic Skills Center. (2020). Critical thinking skills [Multimedia].
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/ASCsuccess/critical

Kaltura Personal Capture—Quickstart Guide (PDF)

Kaltura Automatic Captioning (PDF)

TEDx Talks. (2015, April 10). Anna Scheyett: Social workers as super-heroes:
TEDxColumbiaSC [Video]. https://youtu.be/A27QjpQ_Ieo

Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

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Discussion 1: Generalist Intervention Model
You may have been drawn to social work because of a desire to help a specific population or to
address certain social problems. You may already possess a large amount of knowledge related to
these populations or problems based on past work experience, personal history, or academic studies.
But as you also may know, a social worker cannot assume a client’s experience based on an identity
category. Individuals hold multiple, intersecting identities, which influence their unique experience.
This is why research and evidence-based practice are essential to social work.

You and your colleagues may have interests in different fields of social work practice or may be
interested in assuming different social work roles. However, all will need foundational knowledge and
skills related to understanding how the environment affects individual experience, assessing the
influence of diversity and difference, and applying advocacy on behalf of client welfare and social
justice. For this Discussion, you consider these issues with your colleagues.

To Prepare

Review this week’s Learning Resources.
Then, select a population with whom you would be interested in working as a future social worker
and address each point in the following directions related to working with this population.
Remember, your response should demonstrate that you have read and are able to apply the
material from the required resources.

By Day 3

Post a response to the following:

Describe your population of interest.
Identify one professional role that a social worker may assume when working with this population.
Explain how you might apply ecological or systems theory when working with the population.
Describe specific steps you will take to develop your knowledge of this population through critical
thought and research.

Walden University Library. (2018, August). Evaluating resources webinar series: What about
stuff I find on the internet? Knowing when to use and trust what you find on the internet [Video].
https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/c.php?g=80773&p=6110321

Note: Scroll through the selections on the page linked above to find this video.

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Support your post with examples from the course text to demonstrate that you have completed
the required readings, understand the material, and are able to apply the concepts. As the
course progresses, you will be expected to cite using APA.

By Day 6

Respond to two colleagues who selected a different population from the one you selected:

Analyze how dimensions of diversity and intersecting identities may influence the experience of the
population that your colleague identified.
Describe an area where a social worker may advocate on behalf of this population.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6

Discussion 2: Introduction Video
In order to practice presenting yourself to others and fostering collaboration within an academic
community, you will upload a video introducing yourself to your colleagues. This Assignment has a
lower point value to reduce first-week anxiety around technology requirements. However, you are
required to learn this technology as you will be using Kaltura Media in your Final Project for this
course, as well as in other courses within the program. Learning the technology now allows you to
develop the skills needed to complete later course requirements.

When recording videos, remember that you are creating a professional presentation. If you stumble a
bit, don’t feel you have to record yourself again because this is not a formal presentation, such as a
speech. However, your video does need to be professional. In other words, dress professionally and

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Discussion 1 Rubric

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 1 Discussion 1

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conduct yourself as if you are in an agency setting with colleagues and supervisors. Be sure to record
yourself in a room that is quiet and where no one interrupts you.

To upload your media to this Discussion thread, refer to the Kaltura QuickStart Guide. You will use the
Kaltura Media option from the mashup tool drop-down menu in the Discussion text box area. Refer to
the Kaltura Media Uploader area in the course navigation menu for more information about how to
upload media to the course.

Remember: This Assignment has a lower point value to reduce first-week anxiety around
technology requirements. The goal is to become comfortable with a common technological tool
in the online classroom.

To Prepare

Watch the video Anna Scheyett: Social Workers as Super-Heroes.

By Day 7

Post a 3- to 5-minute video introducing yourself to the class. Please include:

Your name
Your geographic location
A brief description of your educational accomplishments (e.g., degrees and schools attended)
A brief description of your employment history and/or experience in the social work field
A description of your vision of a social work hero
An explanation of how you might use principles related to strengths, empowerment, and resiliency
in your practice

To ensure accessibility for your peers, please use the closed captioning function available in the
Kaltura Media player. Your video will be captioned automatically about an hour after it is been
uploaded.

Marmarosh, C. L., Thompson, B., Hill, C., Hollman, S., & Megivern, M. (2017). Therapists-in-
training experiences of working with transfer clients: One relationship terminates and another
begins. Psychotherapy, 54(1), 102–113. https://doi.org/10.1037/pst0000095

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Remember: This Assignment has a lower point value to reduce first-week anxiety around
technology requirements. The goal is to become comfortable with a common technological tool
in the online classroom.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

Post by Day 7

Looking Ahead
In Week 6, you will conduct an interview with a member of a diverse population. Review the Week 6
Assignment directions to prepare.

In Week 8, you will create a Client System Role-Play Scenario. This includes recording yourself and
also finding a friend, family member, or colleague to play the role of the client. You will play the social
worker. Review the Week 8 Assignment directions to prepare.

In Week 11, you will be asked to report on an act of advocacy in which you engaged this term. Start
looking for opportunities to advocate, whether on a micro, mezzo, or macro level. The advocacy can
be one small act (such as writing to your legislature or interrupting a discriminatory comment) or a
larger commitment of your time and effort (attending a legislative hearing, volunteering time with a
local organization, or attending a protest). Your Instructor may provide potential opportunities
throughout the term.

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Discussion 2 Rubric

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 1 Discussion 2

To go to the next week:

Week 2

Desktop/Walden University/2021/1 SOCW 6101/Week 1 – Copy/Week 1 Discussion.docx

Week 1 Discussion

To Prepare

· Review this week’s Learning Resources.

· Then, select a population with whom you would be interested in working as a future social worker and address each point in the following directions related to working with this population. Remember, your response should demonstrate that you have read and are able to apply the material from the required resources.

Post

a response to the following:

· Describe your population of interest.

· Identify one professional role that a social worker may assume when working with this population.

· Explain how you might apply ecological or systems theory when working with the population.

· Describe specific steps you will take to develop your knowledge of this population through critical thought and research.

The

ecological systems theory

—also known as human

ecology theory

or development in context—examines how individuals’ environments shape them into who they are. … Looking at the five

systems

of the

ecological systems theory

, we see a heavy focus on how events influence a child through their development.

Hello all,

The population of interest I selected is the elderly population. I love this population because they are very fragile and need all the advocacy and services they can obtain. Looking at my parents growing older has only motivated me more to work with this population. Next, one professional role that a social worker may assume when working with the elderly population is patient advocate.

I would apply the ecological or systems theory when working with the elderly population by examining how my clients’ environments have shaped them into who they are and develop a plan to help them thereafter. I must understand their environment to understand them and be able to help them. For example, in my current job, I deal with some elderly population that is illiterate. Their environment has shaped them and brought them to where they are today. The problem has been occurring that some of my clients do not have the help they need to interpret the HIPPA form. Since they have this problem, we are limited to helping them, and sadly, many of their family members do not want to help them. This breaks my heart because I cannot violate the HIPPA rules and regulations to help them. This has motivated me to work with this population to help them with services such as assistance to interpret legal documents.

Finally, the specific steps I will take to develop my knowledge of this population through critical thought and research, is firstly to receive the necessary education from my university. Second is to learn through my field work and continue doing research from evidence-based studies. I will conduct assessments to identify the problem, identify contributing factors such as the environment, and recognize the possible solution to solve the problem (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018, p. 180).

Mercedes

Works Cited

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., and Hull, G. H. (2018). “

Empowerment Series: Understanding Generalist Practice.

” (8th Ed.). Cengage Learning.

In-text citation

For example: Elderly people are vulnerable and need advocacy (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018, p. 90).