Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays

Walden SOCW6101 All Weeks Discussions Papers

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. Walden SOCW6101 All Weeks Discussions Papers

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.

Review this week’s Learning Resources.

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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.

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.

Support your post with citations to 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. To develop APA skills, utilize resources from the Writing Center https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/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.

DQ2 Introduction Video (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

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 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, use the Kaltura Media option from the mashup tool drop-down menu. Refer to the Kaltura Media Uploader area in the course navigation menu for more information about how to upload media to the course.

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.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 2 Discussion – Challenges in Micro Work

Working effectively with individuals means building relationships. As a social worker, there are certain qualities, such as empathy, warmth, and genuineness, that help you develop rapport with clients. However, even when you appropriately utilize your micro skills, rapport building can be difficult with some clients. Challenges may include client hostility, silence, a request for self-disclosure, or the necessity of using confrontation. Social workers need to develop skills to appropriately work through these challenges.

For this Discussion, you begin developing these skills through practice and analysis of practice.

To prepare: Watch the Parker video. In the video, the clients express hostility toward each other, as well as toward the social worker. In addition, Stephanie asks the social worker for self-disclosure when she asks, “Wouldn’t you?” and “You really think you can fix that?” The scene ends with the client and social worker falling into silence. Consider the challenges depicted in the video. How would you respond?

By Day 3

Post:

Explain when it would be appropriate to use self-disclosure.

Provide a specific example of the type of self-disclosure you might use in this scenario.

Identify an interviewing technique you learned from this week’s resources that you would use when working with this client.

Provide a specific example of the interviewing technique.

For example, if you would use an empathetic statement or an open-ended question to elicit information, provide a specific example of the statement or question that you would use.

Explain why you would use this technique.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues:

Provide an example of a 3rd technique not previously recommended by you or your colleague and explain why you believe that technique might also effective in this scenario.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 3 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Working With Diverse Families

Families are as unique as the individuals who form them. While you may utilize the same or similar techniques while working with family systems (through the steps in the GIM and related practice skills), it is also important to recognize that each family has its own unique needs and experiences in the world. The empowerment perspective states that an essential aspect of working with individuals and families is to address their feelings of powerlessness and oppression. Empowerment is a process; one part of that process is to gain an awareness of the oppressive structures evident in our society. Oppression, in the form of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia, can impact a family’s quality of life and ability to thrive. In this Discussion, you consider the many aspects of working with diverse families.

To prepare: Select a diverse family system, such as a family with differences in sexual orientation, a family with differences in race or ethnicity, or a family with members who are managing a disability. Then, consider potential barriers they might encounter in society. Think about how a social worker might address one of these barriers on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level. Next, visit the Walden Library to conduct research on barriers and intervention approaches for working with this type of family. Support this post using peer-reviewed article(s), in addition to the assigned resources.

By Day 3

Post:

Provide a brief description of the diverse family system you selected.

Explain potential barriers or challenges this family might encounter that is related to diversity.

Provide evidence from scholarly resources to support the existence of this barrier.

Explain how a social worker might address this barrier on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level.

Provide evidence from scholarly resources to support social work approach.

Support your post with APA citations to the course text and any other resources used to respond to this discussion. Demonstrate that you have completed the required readings, understand the material, and are able to apply the concepts. Include a full reference of resources at bottom of post.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues with an in-depth response that draws from the required readings or additional scholarly research. The response:

Provide feedback.

Ask a question.

Share an insight.

Make a suggestion.

Note a similarity or difference to your posting.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 4 Discussion – Social Work Practice With Groups

Group work offers many benefits that cannot be achieved through individual therapy alone. The most obvious benefit is group member validation. The knowledge that you are not alone and are not the only person who has experienced that particular issue can foster a strong sense of hope.

However, groups also present challenges from different personalities and behaviors that disrupt group dynamics and function. As a social worker, you will need to take different roles to manage the challenges in order to create a safer space for clients to engage in their work.

In this Discussion, you describe a group you may be interested in facilitating and potential challenges you may experience. With colleagues, you discuss how to apply specific intervention skills to address the challenges.

By Day 3

Post:

Compare task groups versus treatment groups.

Describe a type of treatment group you would like to facilitate as a social worker (educational group, support group, self-help group, and therapy group).

Explain what professional role you may take when facilitating this group.

Describe what is meant by group norms and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.

Explain what is meant by group roles. Identify at least one group role and explain why a group member may take that role.

Describe a group member role that might be most challenging to you as a group leader and explain why.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues who identified a different group role than you:

Identify a group intervention skill discussed in the text and provide a specific example of how your colleague could use this skill to address the challenging behavior.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 5 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Community Social Work

Have you ever wondered why some areas appear to be safe, clean, and filled with many varied businesses, while others appear run down and lined with only check-cashing centers, fast-food restaurants, and liquor stores? As a macro social worker, you often will see that communities thrive and falter due to the resources available. The ways in which society provides and allocates resources disproportionately benefits certain groups while harming others through lack of resources or displacement.

All communities have strengths despite their challenges. Use of the strengths-based perspective helps you to identify the potential strengths of a community and how to advocate for its members to obtain the resources and services they need to be successful.

To prepare: Identify characteristics that represent your community. Then, take a picture that represents these characteristics in your community. Note that your photo does not need to be literal—it can be symbolic.

By Day 3

Post:

A picture you took that represents the characteristics you identified in the community.

A description of the community.

Explain the strengths and challenges associated with that community based on its characteristics.

Explain how you could utilize community strengths to address their challenges.

Describe what group skills you might use and how you would use them when engaged in organizational and community change.

Identify at least 3 macro-practice skills and explain how you would use these skills to help the community address their challenges.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues:

Identify a role a social worker might take when working with the community identified by your colleague. Provide a specific example of what that role might look like.

Describe two social work skills your colleague could use when practicing with this community.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 6 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Cultural Awareness in Social Work Practice

In order to become a practitioner who addresses the diverse needs of your clients in a sensitive and respectful manner, you must be dedicated to continued education around the needs and experiences of different groups, religions, ethnicities, and other populations. The first step is to identify any personal biases and perceptions you might have about other cultures. From a broader perspective, how might an individual’s culture, race, ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation affect how society perceives and treats them? Which potential social structures may perpetuate the oppression and marginalization of certain groups? The most important attribute you can bring to this topic is an open mind and a willingness to learn about others unlike yourself and ask how they want to be treated by you as a social worker. In this Discussion, you consider these topics in relation to a case study depicting issues in cultural competence.

To prepare: Review this week’s Learning Resources, including the videos, and then reflect on the following:

What is your definition of cultural competency?

What skills do you think are necessary for attaining cultural competence as a social worker working with that population?

What is the difference between having knowledge about a cultural group and engaging with an individual from the stance of cultural humility?

Then, search the Walden Library for peer-reviewed article(s) that support the skills you selected.

By Day 3

Post:

Provide your definition of cultural competence.

Explain how this is similar or different to the Kirst-Ashman and Hull textbook describe cultural competence.

Explain the skills you think are necessary for developing cultural competence as a social worker when working with Eboni.

Reference at least one peer-reviewed article that supports the skills you selected and include an APA citation and reference for that article.

By Day 6

Respond to two colleagues:

Describe a potential barrier to culturally competent practice a social worker might face when working with Eboni.

Recommend a skill your colleague might use to address this barrier.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 7 Discussion – Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

If there is a right and wrong answer, there is no ethical dilemma. An ethical dilemma occurs when one or more competing ethical principles must be considered and weighed against each other.

Social workers serve individuals, families, and communities who experience complex problems for which there are rarely simple solutions, or right or wrong answers. As such, social workers use the NASW Code of Ethics to identify the various ethical principles and standards that will guide ethical decision making.

In this Discussion, you apply social work ethics as you analyze an ethical dilemma.

To prepare: Consider the ethical decision-making framework outlined in this week’s resources by Reamer (2002). Select one of the following options and engage in the first few steps of the ethical decision-making process, including consultation with colleagues through your response posts.

Option 1

As technology advances, so do the ways that social workers can connect with clients. Is it acceptable to look at a client’s activities on social media or seek information through an Internet search? Should a social worker allow clients to contact them by text or e-mail? How does a social worker’s personal social media presence influence the worker/client relationship?

Option 2

Consider the presence of dual relationships in social work practice. What are examples of nonharmful and harmful dual relationships between clients and workers? How do social workers determine if dual relationships are harmful to a client?

Option 3

Your Instructor will post a social work ethical dilemma related to a current event.

By Day 3

Post:

Describe a specific ethical dilemma based on one of the options above.

Describe the ethical issues in the option chosen.

Identify specific values or ethical standards that apply.

Identify who is likely to be affected by the ethical dilemma.

Describe potential courses of action.

Examine reasons in favor of or opposed to the course of action.

By Day 6

Respond by providing consultation to at least two colleagues on the ethical dilemma they described by doing one of the following:

Explain additional ethical standards and values that your colleague may need to consider in the case.

Explain any previously unconsidered course of action and reasons in favor of or opposed to that course of action.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 8 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Discussion: Assessment at the Micro and Macro Levels

Assessment is a structured approach to gathering and analyzing information about the client system and their story. How is the assessment process different when the client system is an individual or family versus a community made up of individuals and families?

Assessment involves gathering the needed information in order to determine appropriate intervention. Thorough assessment allows social workers to identify the problems that need to be addressed. Complex social problems often mean that both the micro and macro level factors contribute to social work cases.

In this Discussion, you compare differences in the assessment stage at different practice levels.

By Day 3

Post:

Describe the assessment process as related to individuals and families.

Briefly identify the types of information it is important to gather.

Compare how assessment at the macro level is similar and dissimilar than at the micro level.

Explain how you would gather the needed information at the macro level.

Identify a situation where a client system (micro or macro) may be reluctant to engage in the assessment process.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues:

Recommend specific skills your colleague may use to engage individuals or communities who may be reluctant to accept social work services or participate in the assessment process.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 9 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Role-Play Feedback

Note: You have been directed to the Week 9 Discussion thread as the place to upload your Week 8 Assignment: “PART A: Client System Role-Play Video.” This is so that you can share your video with your colleagues as part of the Week 9 Discussion. Your grade will still appear in the gradebook as Week 8 Assignment 1.

Last week, you submitted your recording to demonstrate skills related to the engagement stage of the GIM. Next week, you submit a paper analyzing your skills, as well as the skills demonstrated by your colleagues. While it can feel uncomfortable watching yourself or critiquing peers, it also provides an invaluable learning experience to observe practice in action, notice non-verbal behaviors you may not have realized you were portraying, and develop skills through personal reflection and feedback. To prepare for this paper, you are provided the opportunity to watch each other’s videos this week.

The Discussion this week is an open, ungraded discussion space for you to provide positive or constructive feedback about the videos shared for the Week 8 Assignment as you prepare for the Week 10 Assignment.

Consider responding in any the following ways:

Offer one positive comment about your colleague’s video.

Describe something learned that you could apply in your practice in the future.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 10 Discussion – Management of Planned and Unplanned Termination

Depending on the client and the length of treatment, saying goodbye can be hard for both of you.

While you generally anticipate that successful treatment will lead to the eventual termination of the client relationship, there are a variety of other reasons for why this relationship might come to an end. There might be a set number of sessions the client’s insurance will allow, or maybe the end of your internship is quickly approaching. Maybe termination results from the unexpected, like a new job or an illness, or the client leaves without notice. Regardless of the cause, you and your client must be prepared for the end of your working relationship.

In this Discussion, you reflect on the termination process, the potential feelings associated with ending a client relationship, and skills to address challenges related to termination.

By Day 3

Explain how you might evaluate client progress and determine when a client is ready to terminate services.

Describe a situation when a professional relationship may end before the client achieves their goals.

Describe one potential positive and one potential negative feeling that you, as the social worker, might feel regarding a planned termination and an unplanned termination.

Describe one potential positive and one potential negative feeling a client might feel regarding both a planned and an unplanned termination of a therapeutic relationship.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues:

Provide a suggestion for dealing with the negative feelings that can occur with terminating client relationships.

Identify a social work skill and provide a specific example of how your colleague might use this skill to address challenges in termination.

SOCW6101 Essential Skills

Week 11 Discussion (Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays)

Advocacy

For some, advocacy might conjure images of speaking at a congressional hearing or soliciting petition signatures at library entrances. Yet, social workers engage in advocacy as an agent of social change in numerous ways:

Case advocacy—When a social worker addresses the lack of services or resources at the micro level, educates the client about available resources and programs, or fights for clients’ rights

Legislative advocacy—When a social worker addresses a policy gap at the macro level and provides information and suggestions to legislators in order to close that gap

Community advocacy—When a social worker represents the needs of a community at the mezzo level by engaging in group-oriented activities, such as holding a town meeting to educate the neighborhood about a particular issue they are facing

Reflecting as a social worker, what are the benefits to engaging in an act of advocacy? Are there risks associated with being an advocate? Do the risks ever outweigh the need to advocate for what is just?

Throughout this term, you have been asked to engage in an act of advocacy. For this Discussion, you will reflect on the advocacy in which you engaged and discuss both risks and values related to advocacy.

By Day 3

Post:

Describe the advocacy in which you engaged this term.

Explain how the concepts from this week’s resources apply to the act of advocacy in which you engaged.

Describe potential risks that you considered or that may exist for a social worker who serves as an advocate.

By Day 6

Respond to two of your colleagues:

Explain how social work ethical values relate to advocacy.

Describe how you might make decisions about when and where to engage in advocacy based on the risks your colleague identified.Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays

Walden SOCW6101 Essential Skills Discussion Essays