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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 3, “Learning from Supervision” (pp. 28-40)

Thyer, B. A. (2013). Evidence-based practice or evidence-guided practice: A rose by any other name would smell as sweet [Invited response to Gitterman & Knight’s “evidence-guided practice”]. Families in Society, 94(2), 79–84.

Wharton, T. C., & Bolland, K. A. (2012). Practitioner perspectives of evidence-based practice. Families in Society, 93(3), 157–164.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Evaluation [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Note: This audio introduction is located in the Introduction section. The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

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 7 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 how you have addressed evaluation or how you might address evaluation in your field education experience

By Day 4

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

• Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
• Make a suggestion to your colleague’s post.

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 7 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 7 Blogs. Select Comment button below their Week 7 Blogs. Type your response in the box. Submit your response by clicking on the Add button.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:
Week 7 Assignment 1 Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 4

To create your Blog post:
Week 7 Assignment 1

Assignment 2: Practice Problem

Evidence based practice is essential to effective social work practice. For this assignment, you are required to (a) identify a current practice problem relevant in your current agency (i.e., working with resistant clients, engaging clients when they don’t talk much, having negative perceptions about your client, counter transference, etc.), (b) after identifying your practice problem, conduct an extensive literature search as it relates to your practice problem that provides you with a complete understanding of the practice problem.

Based on your findings in the literature, what did you discover that will help you address your practice problem? How might your research guide your work in your field agency?  After reviewing the literature/research and comparing it to the practice problem, the student is expected to do the following:

By Day 7

Submit a 1-2 page reflection paper that:

1. Briefly discusses the literature
2. Briefly identifies the practice problem
3. Briefly explains how the literature will be used to address the practice problem while engaging in the agency.

NOTE: The goal is for you and the Field Instructor to have an open discussion regarding your identified problem while discussing evidenced based solutions to address them. Your field instructor will be evaluating your ability to demonstrate your competency in their field evaluation. In addition, you will submit this assignment for classroom credit. The Field Liaison will grade the assignment “PASS/FAIL,” see rubric for passing criteria.

Responses

 Noelia Antonio  at Tuesday, January 7, 2020 10:39:56 AM

Evaluation is a form of accountability (Laureate, 2013). I have addressed evaluation by taking the feedback given to me, writing it down, and then attempting to find ways to modify it to be more appropriate to my activities at the agency. It is important to address evaluation professionally, and to view it as a form of constructive criticism. Many times, it can be easy to take things personally. We must know that we are still in the process of being social workers, and even when we are official, we need to always strive for important. 

Evaluation helps up in both our personal and professional growth (Garthwait, 2017). By receiving information from someone who is more experienced than us, we can find new ways to develop our social work skills in order to ensure that we are competent for the clients we serve. Also, when we ourselves take on supervisory or leadership roles, we can provide effective evaluations for others.

References:

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

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Evaluation [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Posted Surnita Warner  at Monday, January 6, 2020 9:48:45 PM

An explanation of how you have addressed evaluation or how you might address evaluation in your field education experience

Evaluation in social work links theory and method to practical applications.(Garthwait, 2016) Within the field education experience, I’ve used Evidence-based practice to apply problem-solving theory and methods to improve effectiveness in the service I provide as an intern. For example, when speaking to callers that have expressed they are in college and feel suicidal, I become alert of the high rate of suicide in the college population. As Samuolis, Harrison, & Flanagan (2019) references suicide has been reported as the second leading cause of death among young adults. In being aware, I relate to the knowledge provided in the field placement to the caller. The methods I utilize begins by building knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy in the ability to question, persuade, and refer someone to seek help. In most cases, I ask the caller if they have a therapist or do they need help finding one. Usually, the caller responds by stating they have a therapist. I also recommend college students to speak with counselors on campus as needed.

References

Garthwait, C.  (2016). The Social Work Practicum,  7th Edition [VitalSource
Bookshelf version].  Retrieved from vbk://9780133948554

Samuolis, J., Harrison, A. J., & Flanagan, K. (2019). Evaluation of a peer-led

 implementation of a suicide prevention gatekeeper training program for college students. Crisis: The Journal of Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention.

 https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.1027/0227-5910/a000638

Comments: 1NewCOMMENT

Week 7 Blog Emily Worley

Posted by Emily Worley  at Monday, January 6, 2020 3:07:12 PM

Evaluation is key when assessing the effectiveness of treatment programs, and ones own engagement and learning.  Evaluation of programs, can take place in many different ways; needs assessments, inter-agency agreements, surveys, questionnaires and client feedback (Garthwait, 2017). Throughout my field experience I have been asked to review EBP that are in line with the material presented in group therapy sessions and review any new techniques that can be used to help the youth engaged. And other times I have been asked to find different ways of presenting the original material as well. When I first started working on this after setting in on groups several times, I had the adolescents complete a survey as to what they would like to experience more or less in group, and then began working on new ways to present the curriculum that did not alter the integrity of the program.

My own personal evaluation from my field instructor has been very beneficial to me, I understand that I am here to learn and grow and therefore I appreciate all feedback that is given. One thing that I expressed when I started my field is that I wanted to improve my clinical documentation, and by working with my field supervisor I have been able to learn a great deal about different clinical documentation, techniques and interventions. Garthwait, 2017, stated as an intern you will receive feedback, suggestions, and constructive criticism during all phases of your practicum so that you can continue to grow professionally.  Wharton & Bolland, 2012, listed these  good practice habits supervision, continuing education, clear formulation of treatments, and use of research findings. Evaluation of self and treatment programs interventions are key to being a successful social worker and having an effective treatment program. 

References:

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

Wharton, T. C., & Bolland, K. A. (2012). Practitioner perspectives of evidence-based practice. Families in Society, 93(3), 157–164.