Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 580 Block Simulation – Integrating Seminar Practicum III – Fall B 2020

Credits - 4

Description

Integrating Seminar/Practicum III & IV is a two semester sequenced course designed to provide students with a supervised advanced practice experience in a social service agency/organization. The practicum includes experiential learning in advanced social work skills in a specialized setting. The United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, the World Health Organization Definition of Health and the International Federation of Social Works’ Policy Statement on Health will continue to be incorporated into discussions of how resource equity, social justice and universal health and healthcare across the life span impacts work with client systems. Students complete 560 hours in the agency/organization setting over the two semester academic year. Each Student receives a minimum of 1 hour of weekly, individual field instruction from a MSW level social worker.

Students are expected to abide by the Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers in their practice with clients and agencies/ organizations. The seminar provides students with an opportunity to discuss and reflect on professional social work issues from their practicum experience regarding assessment, specific interventions with client systems and the application of practice theories at all levels of practice. Students use the seminar to monitor their own learning experience and their progress in attaining their professional goals with respect to people’s membership in groups and communities (urban, regional, and rural) distinguished by class, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, and culture while honoring each person’s individuality.

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. Demonstrates ethical and professional behavior.
2. Advance human rights and social, racial, economic, and environmental justice.
3. Engage in anti-racism, diversity, equity, and inclusion (ADEI) in practice.
4. Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
5. Engage in policy practice.
6. Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
7. Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
8. Intervene with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
9. Evaluate practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Demonstrates professional demeanor in behavior, appearance, and oral, written, and electronic communication.
2. Student applies understanding of the importance of diversity and difference in shaping life experiences in all levels of social work practice and engages clients, organizations and/or communities as experts in their own experience.
3. Student applies their understanding of social inclusion (social, economic, and environmental justice) to advocate for and engage in practices that advance social inclusion (social, economic, and environmental justice) through the identification and assessment of social policies that impact well-being service delivery and access to services.
4. Applies self-awareness and self-regulation to manage the influence of personal biases and values in working with diverse clients and constituencies.
5. Uses empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to effectively engage diverse clients, organizations, and/or communities.
6. Collects, organizes, and applies critical thinking to interpret ongoing assessment information from clients, organizations, and/or communities.
7. Applies knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of ongoing assessment information, developing mutually agreed upon intervention goals with clients, organizations, and/or communities and can utilize client feedback or other evaluation methods to improve practice, policy and/or service delivery.
8. Uses inter-professional collaboration in the process of assessment, developing interventions and evaluating practice to achieve beneficial outcomes for clients, organizations and/or communities.
9. Makes ethical decisions by applying the standards of the Social Work Codes of Ethics, relevant laws and regulations, models for ethical decision-making, ethical conduct of research and use of technology, and additional codes of ethics as appropriate to context.

Accreditation Standards Addressed:

CSWE EPAS 2015 Competencies

• Competency 1 – Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
• Competency 2 – Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
• Competency 3 – Advance Human Rights and Social, Economic, and Environmental Justice
• Competency 5 – Engage in Policy Practice
• Competency 6 – Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 7 – Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 8 – Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
• Competency 9 – Evaluate Practice with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Assignments

In order to pass your field placement, you must complete all activities in this course and score at least 800 out of 1000 points.

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:

Simulation

Each week you will be asked to join your classmates for a client simulation experience. This experience will require you to participate in a live zoom session each week at a designated time. During these sessions you will engage with a ‘client’ to work through a simulated clinical experience. This experience will challenge you to utilize skills such as: completing biopsychosocial assessments, writing progress notes, writing treatment plans, engaging in collateral contacts with the clients’ supports/family/service providers, engage in treatment modalities and finally work through the termination process. While engaged in this experience, you will further be challenged to incorporate research to guide your treatment and explore policy implications, social justice as well as ethical practice.

Each week’s client session will provide you with a guided opportunity to engage with a client and work collaboratively with your classmates to develop clinical skills, explore modalities, compare/contrast strategies and reflect on the experience. After each week’s live session you will be tasked with written assignments (similar to if you were working with a client in the office), areas of research to explore, discussion topics to engage in and/or viewing of additional videos to provide additional information.

Ethics Presentation

This assignment will provide you with an opportunity to explore a particular aspect of the NASW Code of Ethics or IFSW Code of Ethics that you want to learn more about and how it relates to your field placement or population with whom you are or have worked. This project will be broken into 3 graded assignments: the Ethics Presentation Outline Form, an Annotated Bibliography, and an Ethics Presentation consisting of a 20-30 minute recorded slideshow presentation discussing your Standard and how it relates to your field placement or the population with whom you are or have worked.

Readings and Multimedia

There are required readings and recommended texts in this course. Your instructor may integrate and suggest additional readings throughout the modules. Additional readings in the modules will be introduced as forms and supporting documents are needed for assignment completion. There are a few videos presented as learning material, but the majority of videos in this course are created by students each week.

Discussions

Each week you will engage in weekly video Video Assignments and discuss some of your peers’ field experiences. You will also post one self-care tip that you are employing and discuss amongst your classmates. You will also post a weekly reflection on your live session experience and respond to at least 2 of your peers. There are several optional discussion boards in this course that you may utilize to ask questions about a specific assignment. As part of your Video Assignment video, you will have the opportunity to discuss the mandated reporting requirements in your state.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments

There are several assignments in this course, which are all tailored to strengthening your simulated field experience. These assignments will be collaborative with your field instructor for review, comment, and submission. These will be highlighted throughout the course along with several reminders and prompts to get started. All of your assignments (including all of your forms) must be submitted via the assignment link and not via email. Any assignments (including all of your forms) submitted through Mail or email will not be accepted. They must be submitted through the Blackboard assignment link.

Grading and Feedback Method

Feedback will be provided within the assignment submission tool and in grading comments.

Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule. If you post to the discussion board after the week has ended you will not earn any credit. All assignments must be submitted to pass the course. You must earn 800 of 1000 points to pass the seminar/placement course.

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