UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Master of Social Work Program

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1 UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK Master of Social Work Program Fall, 2012 SWK 511: Field Instruction and Graduate Seminar II Mondays 11:00 am 1:00 pm Leutze Hall 108 Greg Scott, LCSW Phone: Meetings by appt. Course Catalog Description: SWK 511. Field Instruction and Graduate Seminar II (5) Prerequisites: SWK 509, SWK hour placement in clinical social work position with supervision. Seminar focus on application of professional knowledge and clinical technique. Course Description: This graduate field seminar is the second in a series of three seminars designed to assist the MSW student in the integration of theory and practice in the clinical practice setting. Building on SWK 510: Graduate Field Seminar I, this seminar and field experience allows the intern to enhance his/her skills in the proficient use of a solution-focused practice as well as gain experience with new models of practice, cognitive-behavioral, motivational interviewing, and behavioral approaches. Students will have experience working with a variety of client systems, including individuals, families, couples, groups, and organizations. Working from a strengths based perspective, students will have the opportunity to refine their assessment skills using a biopsychosocial/spiritual approach. Under the guidance of a clinical supervisor, each intern will also have opportunity to expand the use of self in therapeutic relationships to afford greater understanding of human behavior and individual competencies and strengths, within the client and self. Students will begin to evaluate their own practice, assume increasing levels of autonomy in practice, and evaluate policy within the agency and its application for diversity. The field seminar meets weekly, for a two hour reflection on practice techniques, agency concerns, professional growth and self-care. Each student will be encouraged to actively reflect on use of self and self evaluation of practice ability. Attendance is essential in order to utilize the techniques of mutual aid and collaboration, in the seminar setting, to enhance professional growth and awareness. Effective performance is dependent on successful participation in the seminar activities and discussion, completion of specific learning assignments reflecting on the

2 beginning of specializations in clinical practice. Students will be required to develop an individualized learning contract to guide the learning process that reflects the basic goals of social work clinical practice. Pre-requisites: SWK 500: Collaborative Strengths Based Relationships in Social Work Practice SWK 501: Clinical Practice I: Solution-Focused/Client-Centered Practice with Individuals and Families SWK 506: Research in Clinical Practice I: Evaluating Social Work Practice. SWK 509: Pre-field Graduate Seminar SWK 510: Field Instruction and Graduate Seminar I SWK 513: The Idea of Social Work: History, Philosophy and Theory SWK 514: Social Policy and Service Organizations SWK 516: Ethical Principles in Social Work Practice SWK 517: Applied Ethics in Social Work Practice SWK 520: Life Transitions and Human Development in the Social Environment SWK 521: Mental Health and Psychopathology: Assessment and Differential Diagnostics Co-requisites: SWK 502: Clinical Practice II SWK 507: Research in Clinical Practice II: Field Research SWK 522: Social Diversity and Social Work Practice The field experience builds upon the practice foundation of the first year of study and will address the program objectives to determine student proficiency in field practice. Course objectives are designed to enhance knowledge, practice skills, and professional values essential for ethical practice. Upon completion of this field education practicum and seminar, the MSW student will be able to: Knowledge: 1. Recognize the impact of social, cultural, economic, political, and spiritual perspectives on the nature of practice. 2. Identify the essential elements of a biopsychosocial/spiritual assessment and analyze these variables and their impact on human behavior. 3. Identify those populations considered to be at-risk, oppressed, disenfranchised as well as those groups distinguished by race, ethnicity, culture, class, gender, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, age, and national origin. 4. Utilize the history and evolution of the intellectual and theoretical development of the social work profession and apply a critical understanding to analyze new program and practice models. 5. Articulate the implications for practice arising from the prevailing model of psychopathology. 6. Understand the organization of social work agencies and service delivery systems and the essential policies, finances, and structures impacting the quality of service provided.

3 Skills: 7. Develop collaborative working relationships with clients and co-workers, using a strength-based approach. 8. Demonstrate an ability to engage and practice with diverse populations. 9. Practice within a specific social work concentration demonstrating a knowledge of and commitment to the NASW Code of Ethics. 10. Formulate biopsychosocial/spiritual assessments that factor in differential diagnoses and psychopathology for effective clinical practice while recognizing the strengths and resiliencies of client behaviors. 11. Develop effective alliances and implement appropriate client-directed intervention plans consistent with advanced understanding and integration of selected clinical practice models. 12. Evaluate the effectiveness and efficacy of one s own clinical practice by applying evaluation and outcome measures to collect data for modification of practice. Attitudes and Values: 13. Understand and appreciate the multiple layers of diversity and privilege as they relate to social work practice and issues of social justice. 14. Appreciate international perspectives of social work practice and their rich contribution to diversity. 15. Develop an appreciation for the implications of practice in urban and rural settings 16. Understand the values of the profession and their contribution to ethical practice. 17. Value the learning process and demonstrate a commitment to continuing professional education. Student proficiency in these areas must be reflected in the student s learning contract in order to prepare the student for the successful evaluation of his/her performance at the end of each semester. Successful participation in the integrative seminar will require respectful engagement in the group process with demonstration of critical reflection to enhance the learning process. Each student is expected to assume personal responsibility to create a safe seminar environment that fosters honest, respectful expression of perspectives, concerns, questions, and differences to enhance self-awareness and self-confidence sharing case material, practice situations, and personal concerns is essential. Required Texts: Denny, J. (2005) MSW manual for social work field education. Wilmington, NC: unpublished manuscript. (Available on the UNCW social work web site: NASW Code of Ethics. (1996) Washington, DC: NASW Press. (Available on the NASW web site: NC Chapter of NASW. www. naswnc.com. For the ethical dilemma of the month.

4 Learning Experiences, Methods to Attain Objectives Learning experiences will include both examinations and experiential case development and treatment. The course will use formal lectures, readings, small group discussions, small group role-plays, and appropriate media to integrate the knowledge and skills relevant to the course objectives. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY All members of UNCW s community are expected to follow the academic Honor Code. Please read the UNCW Honor Code carefully (as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in the class. Please be especially familiar with UCNW s position on plagiarism as outlined in the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone else s ideas and represent them as your own. Here are some examples of plagiarism: a. You write about someone else s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it by referencing them. b. You give a presentation and use someone else s ideas and do not state that the ideas are the other person s. c. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material and do not reference that material. ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES I am more than happy to make appropriate accommodations for students with disabilities. Students with diagnosed disabilities should contact the Office of Disability Services ( ). Please give me a copy of the letter you receive from Office of Disability Services detailing class accommodations you may need. VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT UNCW practices a zero tolerance policy for any kind of violent or harassing behavior. If you are experiencing an emergency of this type contact the police at 911 or UNCW CARE at Resources for individuals concerned with violent or harassing situation can be located at CAMPUS RESPECT COMPACT UNCW is committed to a civil community, characterized by mutual respect. Individuals wanting more information about the Respect Compact can contact the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. USE OF PERSONAL ELECTRONICS I assume that you are all adult learners who are respectful concerning use of electronic equipment. If use of electronics becomes disrespectful, distracting or disruptive to me and/or your classmates, I will ask you to cease use of electronics.

5 ATTENDENCE Regular class attendance is required, and full participation is expected (this also means arriving on time and staying for the duration of the class). Ten percent (20%) of your final grade is determined by your attendance and full, active participation in class. More on class participation in the assignment section. CAMPUS ASSISTANCE FOR THIS COURSE Much assistance is available on campus to help you succeed in this course. The Randall librarian assigned to the School of Social Work is Ms. Anne Pemberton. You can her at The Writing Place is available to you for paper-writing assistance. INSTRUCTOR S TEACHING PHILOSOPHY I believe strongly in a collaborative learning process. My classroom style, while generally lecture-oriented, encourages honest dialogue and exchange of ideas. I believe we learn best when we are honored for our thoughts and feelings, and when we honor others thoughts and feelings. Open discourse regarding course materials and relevant information gleaned from various sources enhance the learning experience for us all. Assignments Proof of Liability Insurance: Each student is required to purchase professional liability insurance through the NASW Professional Trust. This is accessed when a student purchases student membership in NASW. Each student is responsible for completing the application process independently as an initial step in securing professional accountability in clinical practice. A copy of the certificate of insurance must be filed in the field office before a student may begin the practicum. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 6, 7, & 13. Learning Contract: The quality of the field placement will be enhanced by a clearly written learning contract to guide the learning process. Such a roadmap will enhance the student s effective use of time management skills, ability to take initiative in managing the work load, and ability to set priorities. Hence, within a basic framework of goals and objectives, the student is required to identify suitable learning tasks and evaluation criteria that will focus the learning process while engaging the student in practice opportunities that will prepare him/her for the foundation level of practice; the learning contract needs to reflect what one needs to know as well as what one wants to know. In order to successfully complete this assignment, the student will need to work closely with the field instructor to collaborate and identify the range of learning tasks appropriate for clinical practice. The evaluation criteria must include measurable terminology that reflects the student s ability to perform the tasks as well as describe the knowledge base needed for such aspects of practice. This assignment will also assist in developing measurable criteria and self-evaluation of practice. Be sure to incorporate the learning assignments from the concurrent coursework into the learning tasks and evaluation criteria. In addition, each student must articulate one personal learning goal

6 and the subsequent objectives to capture specific practice/program evaluation interests. Finally, both the student and the field instructor must sign off on the contract before it is reviewed by the MSW faculty liaison. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,& 13. Practice Journal: Each student is required to maintain a reflective journal that includes significant aspects of the learning process, issues and concerns that arise in placement, and anecdotes and/or impressions that identify new self-awareness and professional growth. Journal entries will be reviewed by the faculty liaison with comments designed to guide the student s learning process. The contents of the journal will be held confidential. This assignment will afford the opportunity for the faculty liaison and the student to engage in a dialogue regarding the learning process. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17. Time Sheets: Each student is required to maintain a time sheet that reflects the hours worked in the field placement for an average of 20 hours per week. (This amount is necessary if the student hopes to complete the required 300 hours for the semester.) Hours for attendance at the weekly seminar do NOT count toward the completion of field hours. There will be additional opportunities to earn field hour credit by attending suitable campus lectures and alternative learning experiences that are cleared with your faculty liaison. The time sheet is due on the last day of seminar unless the student has made arrangements with the faculty liaison for an alternative due date; any exceptions to this due date must be cleared with the faculty liaison. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objective 13. Case Presentation: As a part of clinical training it is vitally important to have some experience and instruction in providing a case overview in a thorough and brief manner. To this end, each student will do a case presentations based on a current client of clients. The presentation will be 20 minutes long; the student may choose whether to discuss an individual, family, couple, or group. All cases should be cleared with the faculty liaison before proceeding with the assignment. The presentation must include: (1) an overview of the client(s) (biopsychosocial/spiritual). (2) An overview of the problem, including what assessments were conducted to arrive at this conclusion, whether the problem is viewed as being individual, family, or other context related and why. (3) An overview of the treatment plan, including goals and objectives as well as which modalities are being utilized and why. (4) Finally, an update on what has been done so far, treatment outlook for the client, and questions for the group. Select a case which you find to be interesting or challenging to work with that you think would be of interest to review. The students in the group will gain experience in providing clinical feedback and engaging in treatment discussions. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, & 11. Advocacy/Diversity Project: Each student must identify a project within her/his agency and/or community that s/he wants to address to advocate diversity and empowerment. In addition to planning the project, each student will write a short paper that analyzes

7 project effectiveness including barriers to implementation, strengths of the project, etc. Students will also have 10 minutes to present their projects in class for class feedback. Some examples of projects to consider include: arranging a diversity workshop or training for agency staff and students; reaching out to people in the community who may not have served by the agency; joining an already existing anti-discrimination group within your agency to engage in promotion of social justice; working with clients, agency staff and community on an issue of diversity that has been identified in the community by at least two clients or community persons. When choosing a project, consider opportunities to enhance quality of service delivery, access to services, assumptions or stereotypes that impact funding and services in the agency/community, decisions regarding one s relationships and service delivery to clients based on one s own racial and/or cultural paradigm. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13. Concept Exploration Assignments: In our field seminar conversations very often topics and ideas will be generated which inspire further exploration. When this occurs students will be invited to broaden these ideas by seeking scholarship which expands the concepts discussed. Students may find articles, books, videos, anything of interest that will add to the conversation and further deepen the topic for the group. Students will bring what they discover to the next class and provide copies or links so that other students can share in the expanse of the idea. Students bringing in outside scholarship will introduce what they have brought, provide a brief summary, and facilitate a brief group discussion. Questions about the topic and possible answers to these questions will be generated in the group context. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, & 13. Seminar Participation: Each student is expected to contribute to seminar discussion and participate in reflection activities. Participation provides a practice arena where the student can begin to demonstrate the skills necessary for professional interaction and increase confidence in articulating your position on specific issues and questions for practice. In order to effectively participate in seminar, attendance is essential and indicative of the student s commitment to the professional learning process. MSW Graduate Field Seminar II Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, & 13. Grades: The grade for field education combines the student's work in the agency with performance in the graduate integrative field seminar. All assignments are evaluated for quality and timeliness and must be completed to receive course credit. If you are experiencing difficulty meeting an expected assignment deadline, you must negotiate this in advance of the deadline to determine if an extension is warranted. The learning contract will provide the basis of the evaluation for the field practicum experience and

8 will be accompanied by a practice evaluation checklist for consistency in practice accomplishments. The student and the field instructor are expected to collaborate in their review of the student s performance. Their combined evaluation of student practice performance will in turn be reviewed with the faculty liaison at the time of the end-of-semester site visit. This style of performance evaluation is designed to enhance self-awareness and assertiveness necessary for effective self-evaluation. Field Performance = 50% Integrative Field Seminar = 50% (Learning Contract = 10%, Practice Journal = 10%, Case Presentation = 10%, Advocacy/Diversity Project = 20%) The University of North Carolina at Wilmington Academic Honor Code No form of dishonesty among faculty or students will be tolerated...academic dishonesty takes many forms, from blatant cheating, stealing, or similar misdeeds to the more subtle forms of plagiarism... UNCW University Catalog and Student Handbook and Code of Student Life. Academic Integrity Statement Each student is expected to complete all of her/his own work. Claiming someone else s work as your own (plagiarism) is a violation of academic integrity. It is acceptable to use someone else's exact words in your writing, but when you do so rules of quoting must be observed (see APA manual for specifics). Evidence of plagiarism will result in an academic review that could result in a failing grade for the assignment or the course, and/or affect one s tenure as a student. Disability Statement The University of North Carolina Wilmington is committed to providing access to programs and services for qualified students with disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and require accommodation to participate and complete requirements for this class, please let me know and I will work with you. Assessment of Course Students are encouraged to provide feedback to the instructor regarding the progress of the course and their learning. The instructor and course will be evaluated at the end of the term by students through use of an evaluation instrument administered by the Social Work department.

9 Schedule of Seminar Topics 8/27 Overview of Field Seminar and Assignments Getting to know new faculty liaisons August 29, Wednesday Last day for registration/last day to drop (without a grade) or add a class. 9/3 LABOR DAY, no class 9/10 Re-engagement with Agency and Classmates Re-entry issues Building collaborative/consultative relationships with clients and coworkers 9/17 Learning Contract Overview Your Goals 9/24 Learning Contract Designing the internship Identifying learning tasks and measurable evaluation criteria 10/1 Planning the Case Presentation How to organize a case presentation The purpose of a treatment team How to use the team to assist clients 10/8 Fall Break 10/15 Diversity Conditions of social oppression Agency culture LEARNING CONTRACT DUE JOURNAL #1 DUE 10/22 Diversity Policy concerns Projects for advocating change, specific population

10 10/29 Case Presentations, Feedback & Discussion 11/5 Case Presentations, Feedback & Discussion 11/1 Case Presentations, Feedback & Discussion JOURNAL # 2 DUE 11/19 Comparison of Practice Models/ Advocacy/Diversity Project Discussions Solution-focused model Cognitive-behavioral model Motivational interviewing Behavior management Case Presentations, Feedback & Discussion 11/26 Case Presentations, Feedback & Discussion 12/3 Advocacy/Diversity Project Discussions Wrap-up/reflection/seminar recommendations JOURNAL # 3 DUE TIME SHEET DUE ADOCACY/DIVERSITY PROJECT PAPER DUE