Syllabus

Master of Social Work

SSWO 607 – Social Work Practice with LGBTQ Individuals, Families, and Groups – Fall A 2023

Credits - 3

Description

This course explores the multiple relationships between human sexuality and social work practice. The focus is on critical examination of the dominant discourse about sex, gender and sexual orientation and its relation to social work practice. Students develop skills to sensitively and effectively address both client concerns about sexuality and social policies as they relate to sex, gender and sexual orientation.

Materials

Required

Dentato, Michael P. (Ed.). (2022). Social work practice with the LGBTQIA+ community: the intersection of history, health, mental health, and policy factors. Oxford University Press.

ISBN: 9780197573495

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

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

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
Engage in culturally-informed relationship building, being respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competencies 3 & 6
Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competency 8
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
Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 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
Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

School of Social Work Program Outcomes:

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

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 & 5
Engage in culturally-informed relationship building respectful of the complexity and diversity of contexts and circumstances. EPAS Competency 3
Utilize theories of human behavior, social systems and social inclusion when offering interventions with people and their environments. EPAS Competencies 7, 8, & 9
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
Balance the roles of helpers, activists, and advocates through collaboration with communities to build healthy and sustainable resources. EPAS Competencies 2, 5, & 6
Engage as critical consumers and producers of research and evaluation applied to clinical and community practices. EPAS Competencies EPAS Competencies 4, 8 & 9
Practice person-centered and collaborative community partnerships across diverse settings. EPAS Competency 6

Course Outcomes

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

Identify and summarize significant individuals, events, and issues in LGBTQIA+ history, policy, legislation, and social work practice (EPAS 3 & 5)
Analyze theoretical and practice perspectives relating to sexual orientation and gender identity (EPAS 4)
Demonstrate knowledge of the unique opportunities and challenges of LGBTQIA+ persons across the lifespan (EPAS 2 & 6)
Examine physical and mental health disparities experienced by the LGBTQIA+ community and identify barriers they face in securing medical, social, and mental health services (EPAS 2, 6 & 7)
Critically evaluate a variety of mental health assessment methods, treatment modalities, and intervention techniques for effectively working with LGBTQIA+ persons (EPAS 6, 7 & 8)
Develop your personal approach to LGBTQIA+-affirmative practice and illustrate your commitment to cultivating an LGBTQIA+ welcoming environment for clients (EPAS 6).
Analyze and process ethical dilemmas encountered in clinical work with LGBTQIA+ individuals and families (EPAS 1)

Assignments

Whole-Class Discussions:

(Due each week). Students will be asked to post one initial response to two Discussion Questions each week, and then make a minimum of 2+ additional peer response comments per week under each separate Discussion Question unless otherwise specified in that week’s DQ instructions. Postings must meet the criteria for substantiveness to earn the maximum points available.

Homophobia/Heterocentrism Self-Test & Scavenger Hunt Collage

For this assignment, you will be asked to complete two self-rating instruments to assess the degree of homophobia and/or heterosexism you may inescapably carry as a result of growing up in a heterocentric society, conduct a Scavenger Hunt searching for and collecting environmental evidence demonstrating oppressive practices against the LGBTQ community, document evidence of these examples, and create a small collage (either physical or digital). You will then be asked to write a 2-3 page reflection paper on your experience doing the assignment following assignment-specific questions.

Small-Group LGBTQ Case Presentation

The major assignment for this course will consist of a small-group case presentation project. Each student will be assigned to a small group and each group will be assigned a separate case vignette describing a unique LGBTQI client and their presenting issue with background information. Your group will then create a PowerPoint voice-over presentation of the case that will include the following components:

A slide describing the assigned case vignette (can be verbatim from the description of the case given)
Research findings uncovered from conducting a detailed literature review concerning the issues and client population presented within the case study to provide education and theoretical perspectives as a prelude to the case formulation. Be sure to cover and incorporate findings around sexual and/or gender minority oppression as it may apply to the case, as well as discussing the historical and current effects of heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, and/or transphobia on the issue or client population presented
Discuss assessment practices, methodologies, and instruments, as well as pertinent questions that could be utilized with and posed to the client during the intake and evaluation interviews as part of the treatment process
Provide a strengths-based clinical conceptualization of the case, being sure to relate issues of resilience and social justice from an intersectionality perspective. Identify relevant treatment goals and objectives as part of the development of a comprehensive treatment plan
Discuss specific social work practice skills (micro, mezzo, and/or macro) and treatment modalities and techniques that would be best utilized in addressing the client’s issue(s), including the rationale for the interventions
Provide useful resources and links that could be valuable for therapists working with LGBTQI clients with the issues presented in the case (handouts, readings, articles, podcasts, videos, forums, websites, etc.)

The required length of the PowerPoint presentation is a minimum of 20 slides and must include a title and references page (these are excluded from the slide total). A minimum of 5 clinical books and/or scholarly journal articles must be used as references for the research/literature review, excluding the textbooks, which may also be used as sources. Please follow APA-style standards for writing and utilize proper in-text citations where needed. Each group member is required to provide narration for the voice-over. Slides may contain graphics, videos, and other multimedia for added aesthetic and reinforcement value. You may utilize whichever webinar recording platform that you prefer (Zoom, etc.)

Your presentation must be finished and published to the class by Week 7 for peer review and feedback in the Whole Class Discussion Forum for Module 7. Your team will meet weekly in your small group forums throughout the first 6-weeks of the term to collaborate and work on this project. You have complete creative freedom in how you develop your PowerPoint presentation, as long as you cover everything outlined in the assignment requirements and rubric. While this is a team project, your individual contributions will be monitored and may increase or decrease your own individual grade for this assignment.

LGBTQ Affirmative Statement & Art Project

In this final assignment, you will write about your understanding of what constitutes LGBTQ-Affirmative Therapy/Practice. What does this mean to you, and what is your clinical philosophy in working with this population (or not) after having taken this course, and why? Finally, as a form of advocacy, allyship, and inclusiveness, create an art project of any medium that could be posted in your professional office that would alert clients to the fact that you provide a safe space for LGBTQs. Take a photo of your finished product and include it with your 1-2 page reflection paper. Please include a brief synopsis of what your art project means to you and the message you wish it to promote to LGBTQ individuals.

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	Point Value	Percentage of Grade
Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement	1 point	1%
Discussions	11 at 3 points each	33%
Journals	4 at 3.5 points each	14%
Week 7 Small Group Presentation	30 points	30%
Week 8 Affirmation and Art Project	22 points	22%
Total	100 points	Total

Schedule

Course Weeks

Course weeks run from 12:00 AM ET on Wednesday through 11:59 PM ET on Tuesday, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday at 11:59 PM ET. Unless otherwise specified, all discussion comments and assignments are due the last day of the week. Initial responses to discussion prompts are due by the end of Saturday unless otherwise noted.

All times are in the Eastern Standard Time Zone—no exceptions.

Week 1: Aug 30 – Sep 5
Week 2: Sep 6 – Sep 12
Week 3: Sep 13 – Sep 19
Week 4: Sep 20 – Sep 26
Week 5: Sep 27 – Oct 3
Week 6: Oct 4 – Oct 10
Week 7: Oct 11 – Oct 17
Week 8: Oct 18 – Oct 22