SOWK-310 Social Work Practice/Micro Systems

Please note that this syllabus is intended as an example only. It may not exactly match each session of the class offered.

Instructor: Linda McIntire, LCSW, LMFT

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General Course Description

Social Work practice with emphasis on small-systems perspectives. Emphasis is on theories, methods, and techniques of practice within the contexts of individuals, families, and small social networks. Documentation, assessment, networking, and the development and use of resources are examined. Approaches for integrating practice with larger systems are included. Laboratory work includes role playing, simulations, and videotaping as an integral part of this course.

Prerequisites/Co-requisites

• Admission to the Social Work Program
  

Academic Course Standards

Criteria from the Council on Social Work Education Curriculum Policy Statement (CSWE C.P.S.) relevant to this course are as follows:

• Social Work Values and Ethics
  • B6.3 Programs of social work education must provide specific knowledge about social work values and their ethical implications and must provide opportunities for students to demonstrate their application in professional practice. Students must be assisted to develop an awareness of their personal values and to clarify conflicting values and ethical dilemmas. Among the values and principles that must be infused throughout every social work curriculum are the following:
    • B6.3.1 Social workers' professional relationships are built on regard for individual worth and dignity and are furthered by mutual participation, acceptance, confidentiality, honesty, and responsible handling of conflict.
    • B6.3.2 Social workers respect people's right to make independent decisions and to participate actively in the helping process.
    • B6.3.3 Social workers are committed to assisting client systems to obtain needed resources.
    • B6.3.4 Social workers strive to make social institutions more humane and responsive to human needs.
    • B6.3.5 Social workers demonstrate respect for and acceptance of the unique characteristics of diverse populations.
    • B6.3.6 Social workers are responsible for their own ethical conduct, the quality of their practice, and seeking continuous growth in the knowledge and skills of their profession.
• Promotion of Social and Economic Justice
  • B6.5 Programs of social work education must provide an understanding of the dynamics and consequences of social and economic injustice, including all forms of human oppression and discrimination. They must provide students with the skills to promote social change and to implement a wide range of interventions that further the achievement of individual and collective social and economic justice. Theoretical and practice content must be provided about strategies of intervention for achieving social and economic justice and for combating the causes and effects of institutionalized forms of oppression.
• Populations At Risk
  • B6.6 Programs of social work education must present theoretical and practice content about patterns, dynamics, and consequences of discrimination, economic deprivation, and oppression. The curriculum must provide content about people of color, women, and gay and lesbian persons. Such content must emphasize the impact of discrimination, economic deprivation, and oppression upon these groups.
    Each program must include content about populations-at-risk that are particularly relevant to its mission. In addition to those mandated above, such groups include, but are not limited to, those distinguished by age, ethnicity, culture, class, religion, and physical or mental ability.
  • B6.8 Social welfare policy and services content must include the history, mission, and philosophy of the social work profession.
• Social Work Practice
  • B6.9 At the baccalaureate level, professional social work education prepares students for generalist practice with systems of all sizes. Practice content emphasizes professional relationships that are characterized by mutuality, collaboration, and respect for the client system. Content on practice assessment focuses on the examination of client strengths and problems in the interactions among individuals and between people and their environments. Social work practice content must include knowledge, values, and skills to enhance the well-being of people and to help ameliorate the environmental conditions that affect people adversely. Practice content must include the following skills: defining issues; collecting and assessing data; planning and contracting; identifying alternative interventions; selecting and implementing appropriate courses of action; using appropriate research to monitor and evaluate outcomes; applying appropriate research-based knowledge and technological advances; and termination. Practice content also includes approaches and skills for practice with clients from differing social, cultural, racial, religious, spiritual, and class backgrounds and with systems of all sizes.
  • B6.10 Each program must explicate the ways in which students are prepared for generalist practice.

Course Objectives and Measures

1. Apply and use critical thinking skills specific to social work practice with small systems. (CSWE C.P.S. B5.7.1)
   Measures include performance on examinations and social histories, as well as critical analysis demonstrated by the Annotated Bibliography assignment.
2. Engage in practice within the values and ethics of the social work profession with emphasis upon respect for and appreciation for individuals from diverse backgrounds. (CSWE C.P.S. B5.7.2)
   Measures include class discussions, demonstration of an ethical foundation on examinations, and utilization of this value regarding diversity when writing social history on client from a minority ethnic group.
3. Demonstrate further development of the professional use of self. (CSWE C.P.S. B5.7.3)
   Measures primarily include the role-plays and videotaped interviews, as well the accompanying reaction logs. Other measures are class discussions and activities, and field experiences and log.
4. Understand the history of the social work profession, especially of roles affiliated with case management, and value this foundation to our profession, as well as the ongoing evolution of services. (CSWE C.P.S. B5.7.5)
   This will measured primarily by performance on the examinations.
5. Develop and use communication skills differentially with a variety of clients, colleagues, and members of the community. (CSWE C.P.S. B5.7.12)
   Measures of this objective include social histories, home visits, role-plays, and videotaping.
   

Resources

There are two required books for this course, as well as materials from Foundations:

Perspectives on Case Management Practice
Carol D. Austin and Robert W. McClelland, editors.
Families International, Inc., 1996.

Social Work Records.
Jill Doner Kagle.
Waveland Press, Inc., 1991.

Student's own notes from SOWK-230.

Other required supplementary materials include, but are not limited to, the following, which may be purchased in a reader at Office Depot in Southern Plaza:

• "Practical Aspects of Family Social Work"
  Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, An Introduction to Family Social Work.
  Peacock: Itasca, Illinois, 1999
• "The Assessment Phase"
  Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, An Introduction to Family Social Work.
  Peacock: Itasca, Illinois, 1999
• "Family Social Work with Children"
  Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, An Introduction to Family Social Work.
  Peacock: Itasca, Illinois, 1999
• Indiana State Social Work Certification Statute, 1990
  IN Code 25-23.6-1-1
• “Lifetime and Five-Year Prevalence of Homelessness in the United States: New Evidence on an
  Old Debate”
  Link, Phelan, Bresnahan, Stueve, Viocre, and Susser, American Orthopsychiatric Association, 1995.
• “Day by Day” and “Thoughts on Homelessness”
  Elliot Liebow, Tell Them Who I Am: The Lives of Homeless Women
  Penguin Books, New York. 1993
• “Recent Legal Trends in Child Sexual Abuse Cases: Direction for Child Protection Workers”
  Rudolph Alexander. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal. vol. 12, no. 3, 1995
• “No Wonder Social Workers Feel Uncomfortable in Court”
  Katherine van Wormer, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 9, no. 4, 1992
• "Special Aspects of Treatment of Children"
  Cooper & Wanerman, Children In Treatment
  Brunner/Mazel, New York
• "Intensive Child Case Management: Work Roles and Activities"
  Werrbach, Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, Aug 1994.
• "Social Workers as "Enablers" in the Treatment of Alcoholics"
  Levinson and Straussner, Social Casework, Jan 1979.
• “Continuity of Care in Addictions Treatment: The Role of Advocacy and Coordination in Case Management”
  Graham, Timney, Bois, and Wedgerfield, American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, vol. 21, 1995.
• "Evaluation of Case Management Effectiveness"
  Jack Rothman, Guidelines for Case Management: Putting Research to Professional Use.
  Peacock Publishers, Inc., 1992.
• "Keisha: A Case of Failure to Thrive" software
  University of Texas, Arlington School of Social Work
  Schoech, Satterwhite, Williams, & Wilder, 1993.
  

Community Experiences

1. A field trip to Shelby County Juvenile Court (Judge J. Tandy, presiding) is required for this course.
   The time and date of this field trip will be discussed in class. Although every effort will be made to minimize scheduling conflicts, some class members may have to plan around the date, which is best for the whole class.
   The court experiences, which are relevant to this class, convene on Thursdays and Fridays, primarily in the morning, although there are times that afternoon sessions occur.
2. Participation in the Reach For Youth follow-up study. Reach for Youth is a local agency which provides a continuum of services for children, adolescents, and their families. Each student in this course will complete four interviews under the supervision of agency personnel as partial completion of the course requirements

Course Evaluation

Social History I - 10%
Social History II - 15%
Examinations (2) - 20% each
Annotated Bibliography - 10%
Class Performance - 25%

Social Histories

These assignments allow students to apply knowledge of documentation and practice these skills, as well as to demonstrate assessment skills. The first social history will be based upon one of the homeless interviews done in the field. For the second, the class will collectively interview a "client" in class. In conjunction with the history, students will submit assessments and case plans for this second assignment.

Examinations

Two non-comprehensive examinations will be given. Both will be short-answer and essay, and will test retention, application, and integration of course material. A study guide will be distributed for each, and students will participate in a guided study session prior to each examination.

Annotated Bibliography

This assignment allows each student to study, in depth, a specific topic of personal choice, rather than to approach content in general terms. This paper involves reading and critiquing 10 professional journal articles, and serves as the term paper for the course. Students will receive, on the first day of class, a detailed handout specifying the criteria for completion and evaluation of this assignment.

Class Performance

Points for the following comprise the class performance grade:

• completion of four interviews for the Reach for Youth study (8%)
• reaction log for each interview (4%)
• participating in class activities, including assuming the worker role in role-plays (2%)
• reaction paper to the court experience (6%)
• completing videotapes and the reaction logs (2%)
• overall class attendance and participation. (3%)

Portfolio Requirement

Students are reminded that the program requires the periodic maintenance and update of their portfolios, as escribed in the Social Work Program Student Handbook. The minimal portfolio requirement for this course is the Annotated Bibliography, but students are encouraged to also include one or more social histories as examples of their professional work. All submissions must be identified by the student's birth date rather than name.

Course Policies

1. Much of the learning in this course is acquired and/or further developed through the use of experiential exercises. Therefore, regular attendance at every class session is mandatory, and failure to do so will impact the student's overall performance as well as the class performance grade.
2. Papers and assignments are due on assigned dates. Late work will not be accepted without significant penalty, and o make-up exams will be given.
3. Pre-grading of the bibliography, with opportunities to revise in order to improve the grade, is available to all students. However, students may only take advantage of this prior to the pre-grade deadline. All pre-graded entries must be submitted with the final revision. Students are encouraged to utilize the University's Writing Lab if needed, as they are expected to be proficient writers.
4. All University policies regarding academic integrity and misconduct will be strictly followed.
5. Students are welcome to come by the instructor’s office with or without an appointment. However, when the need to meet is anticipated by the student, scheduling an appointment is suggested in order to minimize waiting and to prevent missing the instructor. Please be aware that the instructor will be off campus on Wednesdays and Fridays.
6. The instructor can also be reached on e-mail (lmcintyre@uindy.edu) and voicemail. Although every effort will be made to return your message promptly, those left on Wednesdays and Fridays will not be answered as promptly.
   

Class Schedule

WEEK 1
Introduction to the Course
Introduction to Case Management
receive handout for Annotated Bibliography

Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 1, "Introduction to Case Management-Everyone's Doing It"
Austin and McClelland ch. 8, “Case Management in the Public Welfare System”
Review: SOWK 230 notes, particularly unit on Interviewing

WEEK 2
Theoretical Perspectives in Human Services
Review of Interview Process
Application of Interviewing Skills
Discussion of Reach for Youth Project

Read: Austin & McClelland, ch. 9, “Managed Care”

WEEK 3
Goal Setting: A Mutual, Growth-Oriented Process
Case Planning

Read: Kagle ch. 1, "Introduction"
Kagle ch. 2, "Content of Social Work Records"
Kagle ch. 4, "Narrative and Other Clinical Records"

WEEK 4
Documentation
Social Histories, letters, summaries, charting, and mental status exams
Receive handout for Social History I

Read: Kagle ch. 6, "Practice Issues"
Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 2, "Case Management with People with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness"
Read: Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, "The Assessment Phase"

WEEK 5
Social Work Assessment: Individual and Families
Use of Psychological Testing in Social Work
Familiarity with DSM-IV terminology
Receive Study Guide for Examination 1

WEEK 6
Social Work Assessment - Systems Application with Individuals and Families
Intervention Strategies
Review for exam
Due: Social History I

WEEK 7
Examination 1
Networking: Utilizing Referrals and Community Resources

Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 10, "Comprehensive Case Management with HIV Clients”
Read: Austin & McClelland ch. 7, “Case Management in Health Care”

WEEK 8
Client Interview for Social History II (in class)
Video work - taping

Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 11, "Cultural Competency of Case Managers"

WEEK 9
Video work - review and analysis of tapes
Dealing with Difference in Interviewing
Cultural Issues in Case Management
Reaction logs due

Read: Kagle ch. 7, "Privacy"
van Wormer, “No Wonder Social Workers Feel Uncomfortable in Court”
Alexander, “Recent Legal Trends in Child Sexual Abuse: Direction for Child Protection
Workers”

WEEK 10
Social Work and the Law: Medical Records Law, Guardianship, Testifying, Privileged Information
Social History II due
Available: "Keisha" software assignment

Read: Austin and McClelland, ch. 6, "Beyond the Twenty-Eighth Day: Case Management in
Alcohol and Drug Treatment”
Read: Levinson & Straussner article, “Social Workers as Enablers in the Treatment of Alcoholics”
Read: Graham, Timney, Bois, and Wedgerfield article, “Continuity of Care in Addictions Treatment:
The Role of Advocacy and Coordination in Case Management”

WEEK 11
Chemical Use and Abuse in Client Systems - Dilemmas for case managers
Chemical Dependency and Case Management
Family Issues, Assessment, and Intervention

Read: Cooper & Wanerman, “Special Aspects in the Treatment of Children”
Read: Werrbach article, “Intensive Child Case Management: Social Roles and Activities”
Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 3, "Case Management in Child Welfare"
Read: Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, Practical Aspects of Family Social Work"

WEEK 12
Casework with Children
Interviewing Parents: Obtaining Information, Aligning, and Identifying Problems
Use of Art and Play with Children
pre-grade deadline for Annotated Bibliography

Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 5, "Case Management with Severely Emotionally Disturbed Children
and Adolescents”
Read: Collins, Jordan, and Coleman, "Family Social Work with Children"

WEEK 13
Thanksgiving Break

WEEK 14
Working with Adolescents
Family Assessment, Resources, and Intervention
Receive Study Guide for Final Examination
Due: Annotated Bibliography

Read: Rothman ch. 6, "Evaluation of Case Management Effectiveness"
Read: Austin and McClelland ch. 12, "Practice Dilemmas and Policy Implications in Case Management"

WEEK 15
Completion and Discussion
Review for Final Examination

WEEK 16
Final Exam

Bibliography

Additional readings which are relevant to content of this course are listed below:

• De Anda, D., ed. (1997). Controversial Issues in Multiculturalism. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
• Kopp, J. (1993). "Self-Observation: An Empowerment Strategy in Assessment." In Rauch, J. (ed.), Assessment: A
  Sourcebook for Social Work Practice. Families International Inc.: Milwaukee, WI
• Kottler, J. (1986). On Being a Therapist. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco.
• Kovel, J. (1986). A Complete Guide to Therapy: From Psychoanalysis to Behavior Modfication. Pantheon Books:
  New York.
• Leigh, J. (1998). Communicating for Cultural Competence. Allyn and Bacon: Boston.
• Loewenberb, F. and Dolgoff, R. (1996). Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, 5th edit. Peacock: Illinois.
• Thyer, B. ed. (1997). Controversial Issues in Social Work Practice. Allyn and Bacon: Boston
• Wells, C. and K. Masch. (1991). Social Work Ethics: Day to Day. Waveland Press: Illinois.