Social Work Practice with Individuals

Student Learning Outcomes, Goals, Objectives:

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:

• Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior | Students will engage in ethical decision making by utilizing a decision tree and the NASW Code of Ethics. (K, S, V, CP)
• Advance human rights and racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. | Students will reflect on their personal values/beliefs and how they will manage value conflicts in their practice (K, V, S, C/AP).
• Students will demonstrate professional behavior and professional oral and written communication in simulated client interview and critically examine their practice in that session. (K, S, C/AP).
• Engage anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion in practice. | Students will describe how they will use technology ethically and appropriately in their field internships and future practice situations (K).
• Engage diversity and difference in practice | Students will critically reflect on how they engage with clients as experts on their own experience (S, C/AP).
• Students will reflect on their ability to engage in self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal values biases and values. (V, S, C/AP).
• Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice. | Students will apply critical thinking to selection and use of standardized measures (quantitative information) and clinical interviews (qualitative information) with clients. (K, S, CP).
• Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. | Students will use research evidence to inform and improve practice. (K, C/AP).
• Students will use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage the client in a simulated client session and critically assess their use of skills and their emotional responses to the interview. (K, S, C/AP).
• Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. | Students will assess client through interview and use of standardized measure, organize assessment information, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients in their field placement (K, S, CP).
• Students will integrate and apply knowledge of social work theories, including person-in environment, CBT, motivational interviewing, strength-based/solution-focused, crisis intervention, and problem solving/task-focused, in assessment and intervention planning. (K, S, CP).
• Evaluate practice with individuals, families, and groups. | Students will describe how they developed mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on a critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges with a client in their field placement. (K, V, S, CP).

Course Grading Information:

Activity/Performance Measure	Percentage/Points
Ethics on Stage	25% (25 points)
Role Play Video	15% (15 points)
Role Play Processing Report	15% (15 points)
Case Assessment	30% (15 points)
Attendance & Participation	15% (15 points)
Total	100% (100 points)

Attendance/Participation:

It is expected that students will attend classes and contribute actively to the overall classroom learning experiences through significant class participation. Please communicate with the instructor prior to the class if you have any health concerns or emergencies that might affect your class attendance. As a foundational social work course this course has a strong focus on skill development and critical analysis of social work ethics, values, and theory. Class participation is vital to this and will primarily be assessed during Skills Lab and Socratic Discussions.

For each of the 15 classes, students will receive 1 point. Students are given 2 grace classes, for use when they are sick or unable to attend. After those two classes, students will lose 1 point for each class they miss. If a student does not participate in a class (e.g. falls asleep, disruptive, etc), they will receive .5 points for that class.

Course Materials Purchased by the Students:

Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Dewberry Rooney, G., Larsen, J. A., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2023). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (11th ed.). Cengage Learning