Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSW 552 Theories of SW Practice with Indviduals and Families – Summer 2016

Credits - 3

Description

Building on the foundation year practice content, this course further prepares students for direct practice with individuals, families and groups. Students critically examine social work theory and methods for direct practice with attention to how clinical social work values inform theory to promote social justice, human dignity, capacity building, and individual empowerment. Life course and development theories are critically examined within the contexts of socioeconomics, multiculturalism and human diversity. Methods of practice to be explored include therapeutic, supportive, educational, advocacy and community-based stratabletegies and also the dynamic relationship that occurs across and between these interventions. Teaching methods encourage students to develop intellectual curiosity, self-awareness and skillful use of personal values, theoretical orientations, and practice approaches in working with a range of client systems in varied social work settings. Prerequisites for this course are completion of all foundation year courses and SSW 520/522 Field Practicum I/II.

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

Graduates of the UNE SSWO will demonstrate knowledge, skills, and leadership in the following:

1. Practice social inclusion to enable people, populations, and communities to fully participate in society, enhance human bonds in the context of cultural diversity and ensure improved quality of life and equitable resource distribution. EPAS Competencies 2 & 3
2. Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
3. Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
4. Promote ethical reflection, critical consciousness and shared decision-making based in social work values and with consideration of the broader contexts of the world in which we live. EPAS Competency 1
5. Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
6. Engage as critical consumers and producers of research as it relates to assessment, intervention and evaluation of clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies 4, 7, 8 & 9
7. Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students will:

1. Introduce students to a range of theories for direct social work practice utilized with individuals, families and groups; 
2. Explore and critically examine the underpinnings and assumptions of clinical practice paradigms including methods of assessment, engagement, negotiating therapeutic relationships, integrating theory, cultural sensitivity, ethical decision-making, negotiating conflict, and dealing with personal biases, assumptions and responses to client systems; 
3. Identify inevitable ethical dilemmas within practice relationships and workplace settings and deepen integration-in-practice of social work ethics and values; 
4. Encourage and strengthen the concepts of cultural sensitivity and mutuality in practice with attention to how assumptions, values, life experience, and personal beliefs influence social work practice.

Educational Outcomes

Through the completion of their assignments, students will demonstrate their ability to:

1. Identify multiple clinical theories and practice approaches with the goal of being able to articulate a personal framework for professional social work practice.
2. Demonstrate through classroom discussion, written work and peer consultation integrated knowledge of theory, research, and self-reflection used to inform clinical assessment, therapeutic connection, cultural sensitivity, ethical decision-making, and use of self in professional practice.
3. Demonstrate a working knowledge and application of ethical decision-making strategies and their application to real life practice.
4. Demonstrate through classroom activities and written work an understanding of comparative clinical theories for social work practice that appreciates the mutual process between client and social worker and also recognizes the importance of active and ongoing critical self-reflection including the use of supervision, consultation, and self-care strategies.

Assignments

A variety of learning activities are designed to support the course objectives, facilitate different learning styles, and build a community of learners. Learning activities for each module include the following:

Readings and Multimedia:

Description: This course will use an array of readings, podcasts, and videos to present the important concepts in the various modules. The readings and media resources provide the foundation and background for student discussion threads, the portfolio assignment, and written assignments.

Discussions:

Description: An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each module. The discussion threads provide one method for students to integrate readings and multimedia into the course discussion and demonstrate their knowledge about the discussion thread topic. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please refer to Course Policies about participation for a full discussion of expectations.

Writing Assignments, Projects and Assessments:

Description: You will have two portfolio writing assignments with each module of this course. In Module 7, the portfolio writing assignments for the Personal Practice Philosophy Statement and the Practice Case will be summary papers. You will be introduced to this in Module 6 so that you can begin planning for this assignment. Students are expected to integrate the learning materials of the course modules into writing assignments as a method of demonstrating achievement of module objectives.

Grading and Feedback Method

Grading and feedback methods are listed with each assignment. Please refer to the Learning Modules for more information. The course facilitator will return assignments and other grading items (discussion boards, participation, etc.) to students within three days of the assignment due date. The course facilitator will provide weekly feedback about participation and performance no later than four days after the learning module closes. Feedback can be via email, within the assignment itself, or using the Feedback column in the grade book.

Due Dates

Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the “Course Schedule” and in the “Module Checklist” located in each learning module.

Grading Policy

The School of Social Work uses the following grading system for all courses with the exception of field education courses. Students are expected to maintain a “B” (3.0) average over the course of their study. Students with less than a GPA of 3.0 will be placed on academic probation. Students must have an overall GPA of 3.0 in order to receive their Master’s Degree.

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

Assignments	Points	Percent of Grade
Portfolio: Personal Practice Philosophy Statement	280 points (30 points * 6 Modules and 100 points in Module 7)	28%
Portfolio: Practice Case	360 points (45 points * 6 Modules and 90 points in Module 7)	36%
Weekly Participation in all Discussions	360 points (45 points * 8 weeks)	36%
Total	1,000 pointsn	100%

Grade Scale

Grade	Points Grade	Point Average (GPA)
A	94 – 100%	4.00
A-	90 – 93%	3.75
B+	87 – 89%	3.50
B	84 – 86%	3.00
B-	80 – 83%	2.75
C+	77 – 79%	2.50
C	74 – 76%	2.00
C-	70 – 73%	1.75
D	64 – 69%	1.00
F	00 – 63%	0.00