Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Analyze potential challenges for intervention in field education experience
• Analyze personal action plans for intervention in field education experience
• Analyze intervention in relation to social work practice
• Apply social work practice skills

Learning Resources

Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Chapter 8, “The Social Problem Context of Practice” (pp. 87-96)

Optional Resources

Click this link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program:
MSW home page

Assignment 1: Week 6 Blog

Refer to the topics covered in this week’s resources, and incorporate them into your blog.

By Day 3

Post a blog post that includes:

• An explanation of potential challenges for intervention during your field education experience
• An explanation of personal action plans you might take to address intervention in your field education experience

By Day 4

Respond to the blog post of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

• Make a suggestion to your colleague’s post.
• Expand on your colleague’s posting.

You will be assigned to author regular blog entries as well as make comments on each other’s blog postings.

Submission and Grading Information

To post your blog, do the following:

• To post your blog, click on the Create Blog Entry button. Create your blog with the Title “Week 6 Blog First Name Last Name”. Type your post in the Entry Message using the Text Editor or by copying from your Word document. Submit your blog by clicking on the Post Entry button.

To submit your blog response, do the following:

• Select the blog entry from your colleagues by selecting their Week 6 Blogs. Select Comment button below their Week 6 Blogs. Type your response in the box. Submit your response by clicking on the Add button.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 6 Assignment 1 Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 4

To create your Blog post:
Week 6 Assignment 1

Assignment 2: Process Recordings

A process recording is a written tool used by field education experience students, field instructors, and faculty to examine the dynamics of social work interactions in time. Process recordings can help in developing and refining interviewing and intervention skills. By conceptualizing and organizing ongoing activities with social work clients, you are able to clarify the purpose of interviews and interventions, identify personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, and improve self-awareness. The process recording is also a useful tool in exploring the interpersonal dynamics and values operating between you and the client system through an analysis of filtering the process used in recording a session.

For this Assignment, you will submit a process recording of your field education experiences specific to this week.

The Assignment: (2–4 pages)

• Provide a transcript of what happened during your field education experience, including a dialogue of interaction with a client.
• Explain your interpretation of what occurred in the dialogue, including social work practice or theories, and explain how it might relate to intervention covered this week.
• Describe your reactions and/or any issues related to your interaction with a client during your field education experience.
• Explain how you applied social work practice skills when performing the activities during your process recording.

Response 1

Surnita Warner  at Tuesday, December 31, 2019 12:06:08 PM

An explanation of potential challenges for intervention during your field education experience

The potential challenges for intervention during the field education experience is not accessing intervention on an ecosystem perspective. Many of the callers are homeless, suicidal, and or experiencing relapse due to a history of substance abuse. However, as a social worker, we must view interventions on a micro and macro level. The profession of social work examines social problems from an ecosystems perspective, understanding the interplay between micro and macro factors in terms of the development of a social problem. (Garthwait, 2016, p. 88) For example, if a caller needs assitance for suicide, how can we help by providing a intervention on a large- scale for their stability.

An explanation of personal action plans you might take to address intervention in your field education experience

In references to callers that are suicidal we intervene by gathering location and physical appearance, so that active rescue is sent. On the other hand, personal action plans I might take to address intervention in the field experience is to understand the problem. Garthwait (2016) addresses that  clients who are experiencing problems firsthand may view them very differently from the way someone else views their problem.( p. 93) Therefore, I must gain the most understanding because it will allow the determination of what resources are needed to be provided and best interventions on a macro level to use.

References

Garthwait, C.  (20160222). The Social Work Practicum,  7th Edition [VitalSource
Bookshelf version].  Retrieved from vbk://9780133948554

Response 2

Brianna Bothof  at Monday, December 30, 2019 11:22:00 PM

In my field experience, I have had the opportunity to engage with clients during assessment and intervention. I have not, however, had much opportunity to engage with intervention at the community level. As social workers, we must learn to recognize and address social problems that affect our clients (Garthwait, 2017).

In my field practice agency, we have many clients who are affected by addiction. As addiction has become a priority issue in our recent society, I think it is important for social workers to be involved in policy and advocacy for this social problem. I plan to intervene locally by attending multidisciplinary meetings of professionals working on this issue, as well as peer-led meetings of a local addiction and mental health group. By engaging with the social problem personally, I will better know how to intervene appropriately and effectively. We serve many clients in recovery, and it is in their best interest for us to intervene on a macro level.

References:

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Response 3

Noelia Antonio  at Monday, December 30, 2019 3:43:47 PM

In my field education experience, there can be multiple potential challenges that could arise before or during the intervention process. One potential challenge that can arise is the diversity that comes with the clients we serve. With diversity comes different points of views and beliefs (Garthwait, 2017). This aspect can impact the process of the intervention. For example, in certain cultures, women are not perceived as equals. I’ve had female workers at the agency inform me that when they’ve met with men from a different culture, the man did not treat them with the same respect or take them seriously because they did not believe that women should be authority figures.

Another challenge to intervention are social problems such as poverty (Garthwait, 2017). With poverty, comes barriers. These barriers could include something as minor as being able to acquire transportation in order to obtain needed services (Sanchez, 2008).

In order to address intervention in my field education experience, I would ensure that I am up to date on interventions that are applicable to the populations my agency serves. As social workers, having current knowledge of interventions is a vital part of the code of ethics in regards to being competent (NASW, 2017).

References:

Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.