Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 597 – Advanced Psychosocial Assessment (Spring 2019)

Credits - 3

Description

APA provides students advanced knowledge and skills in the assessment of client concerns. The course emphasizes the impact of the structural and personal effects of inequity and cultural oppression on assessment and on psychopathology. APA provides substantial content on understanding psychopathology while placing this understanding within the context of social work’s historical emphasis on the person-in-environment. Students taking this course will be prepared to understand the major concepts and presentations of psychopathology, and have skills in the diagnostic process. They will also be able to exhibit advanced skills in assessing the full psychosocial context and to bring a social work perspective to interventive planning.

Students will explore the DSM as one classification system used in social work settings. Case studies, discussions, and lecture will be used to develop knowledge and skills that integrate social work values, including reflexivity and cultural humility, into the psychosocial assessment process.

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 completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Develop and enhance their knowledge and skills in methods of advanced psychosocial assessment that utilize empowering and promoting theories for practice for understanding human concerns. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT PAPER
2. Develop critical skills to integrate social work knowledge and values into psychosocial assessments that prioritize human dignity, cultural diversity, client, collaboration and social justice to understanding client concerns in context. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by the BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT PAPER
3. Explore a range of skills, techniques and activities for psychosocial assessment inclusive of social determinants, environmental contexts and cultural factors that influence the use of diagnostic labels to classify mental illness or other health concerns. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT PAPER
4. Enhance their understanding of the origins and utilization of the DSM-5 and increase awareness of how as a classificatory system it influences people’s lives. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 6. As measured by CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS
5. Develop skills and knowledge for implementing and integrating psychosocial assessment that enables people from diverse backgrounds and across the life course to develop and enhance their potential, enrich their lives and prevent dysfunction. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 6. As measured by CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS
6. Develop interviewing skills that are client-centered, collaborative and culturally focused, and integrate social work values and reflexivity. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS
7. Examine major concepts, definitions and presentations of psychopathology, and critically analyze these concepts in the context of social work theories for practice and values. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by the BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT PAPER
8. Acquire skills in critically assessing and utilizing the diagnostic process including the DSM-5 as one classification system used in social work settings. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 3. As measured by the BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL ASSESSMENT PAPER
9. Explore personal and professional assumptions and biases related to mental illness and stigmatization. PROGRAM OBJECTIVE 2. As measured by CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENTS

Educational Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will able to:

1. Complete an advanced psychosocial assessment;
2. Describe and understand social work’s unique contribution to understanding client concerns in context;
3. Describe social determinants environmental contexts and cultural factors that influence diagnostic labels in mental disorders.
4. Demonstrate the understanding of the diagnostic process as one bound by context and convention, and increased awareness of the implications of classificatory systems on client lives; be able to identify particular issues of prejudice as they influence interventive planning.
5. Demonstrate skills and knowledge in implementing competency-­based assessment.
6. Demonstrate advanced abilities in interventive interviewing skills.
7. Demonstrate an understanding of the major concepts of psychopathology, an ability to evaluate referent behaviors and recognize diagnostic categories, DSM diagnostic skills, and relevant intervention options.
8. Use the DSM diagnostic criteria in order to develop a thorough understanding of how the manual was meant to be used as a classification system of mental disorders.
9. Demonstrate an enhanced awareness of and sensitivity to the lives of clients and families affected by major mental illnesses and the social and professional response to them.

Assignments

Learning Activities

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:

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 forums and wikis, and written assignments.

Discussions: An important learning method in this course is student participation and interaction in the discussion threads within each module. Students are expected to participate actively and in a respectful manner. Please read on for a full list of expectations.

Writing Assignments, Projects, and Assessments

Assignments: You will complete one major writing assignment in this course, the Biopsychosocial Assessment, Intervention Plan and Progress Notes. You will then share the draft of this paper with your group for peer feedback and submit the final version to the instructor accompanied by a 2-page summary of the feedback you received with your commentary.

Grading and Feedback Method: The course facilitator will return assignments and other grading items (discussion boards, participation, etc.) to students within three days of the assignment due date. Feedback can be via email, within the assignment itself, or using the feedback in My Grades. Grading and feedback methods are listed with each assignment. Individual rubrics will be provided in the learning modules. Please refer to each module for further detail on grading for participation, and course assignments.

Due Dates: Due dates for all learning activities are provided in the Course Schedule.

Discussions

Discussion Board: The entire collection of discussions in the main course room.

Discussion Forum: The individual forum (venue) for each prompt.

Discussion Question/Prompt: The actual question/prompt within the discussion forum.

Posts to the discussion board must add substantively to the discussion by building upon classmates’ ideas or posing critical questions to further the discussion. For example, a posting of “I agree with what people are saying” is not sufficient. Discussion contributions are monitored on a weekly basis. Keep in mind that weekly postings make up a significant percentage of the final grade. All postings must be respectful. If at any time you are concerned with a posting, please notify the instructor immediately. In small groups, you are encouraged to reflect and respond to the discussion questions. This is why many of the discussions in your learning modules indicate that they are small group discussions. Your instructor will assign you to a small group at the beginning of the course. This will be the group you work in throughout the course – where small group discussion occurs.

The majority of your discussions require a certain quantity of posts, but this is a minimum amount. Unless otherwise noted, you should post quality responses of no more than two or three paragraphs in length of the indicated quantity in any preferred combination related to the questions. The recommended method is that you carefully read the existing posts and then think about how to build on the presented ideas by offering additional insights, alternative perspectives, or raising critical questions. As part of this process, be sure to refer back to the original discussion question in order to keep the thread focused on the required topic and address the indicated question(s).

All posts to the discussion forums should be completed by 11:59 PM ET on the last day of the module as indicated in the “Course Schedule.” Any discussions that extend beyond that date and time will not be considered a part of the grade and/or assignment, but rather optional reading. Your initial post is due by Saturday to allow your classmates to respond to your posts on time. Posts that no longer relate to the identified topic should be moved to one of the on-going discussion boards such as “Ask You Instructor,” “Hallway Discussions,” or “Resources.”

In all discussions unless otherwise specified, your initial response is due by Saturday at 11:59 pm ET (by Friday in Week 8), responses are due by the end of the course-week.

Your instructor will review the discussion forums by taking note of each of the following criteria listed in the “Discussion Forum Rubric” available in the course.

Journals

The journal prompts ask you to provide a more personal reflection on several sensitive issues related to biopsychosocial assessment.

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

Assignment	Point Value	Percentage of Grade
Discussions and Case Studies	450 points (30 points each forum)	45%
Journals	150 points (50 points x 3 entries)	15%
Biopsychosocial Assessment, Intervention Plan and Progress Notes (Movie)	350 points	35%
Summary of Peer Feedback	50 points	5%
Total:	1,000	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