My Social Work Theory

Between 2009 and 2011, 35 graduates went through the program, with over half of graduates succeeding in going three or more years without new charges (DeKalb County Court House, 2012). DeKalb County’s drug court recidivism rate is approximately 20%, which is 31.7% lower than Illinois’s prison recidivism (DeKalb County Court House, 2012). The work of the DeKalb County Drug Court, and the statistics it holds makes “[the] drug courts [a] proven commodity in the community…” (DeKalb County Court House, 2012). Illinois’s primary drug abuse treatment programs focus on heroin, marijuana, and cocaine (ONDCP, 2010). The DeKalb County Drug Court works to enhance the public safety by combining treatment and intensive judicial supervision in a therapeutic court setting, focusing on non-violent substance abuse offenders to assist the participant in choosing and developing a law abiding drug free way of life (DeKalb County Drug Court, 2012). DeKalb County’s C.L.E.A.N. Program is a diversion and treatment program. Non-violent voluntary substance abuse offenders participate in an intensive treatment program for 14 to 24 months which helps them succeed in becoming and remaining drug free (DeKalb County Drug Court, 2012). C.L.E.A.N. is not a soft-on-crime prevention program. It provides comprehensive supervision and monitoring with strict contact procedures with judicial

This piece of writing is going to demonstrate an understanding of diversity, difference and also discuss the implications for social work practice. It will include an understanding of theories and concepts in relation to diversity where it will address the needs of diverse communities, individuals and groups, exploring differences in relation to culture, ethnicity, gender, age, sexuality, social class and economic wellbeing. It will also demonstrate an understanding of principle of working in an anti-oppressive and anti-discriminatory way.

In the professional field of Social Work, there are many terminologies that individuals outside of this group may not understand. During the process of assessing a problem in a family, there are different theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand different aspects of family situations. There are eight theoretical perspectives that helps social workers understand family’s dynamic and situations. These theoretical perspectives are; system perspective, conflict perspective, exchange and choice perspective, social constructionist perspective, psychodynamic perspective, developmental perspective, social behavior perspective and humanistic perspective.

Not every addict should be treated the same. The regimen should address all of the aspects of an individual's life, including medical and mental health and follow up options. Behavioral Treatments help patients modify their attitudes and behaviors and increase healthy lifestyle skills and options. They can enhance the effectiveness of medication and help addicts stay committed to the treatment process. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a behavioral treatment with the goal of helping the user recognize, avoid, and cope with anything and everything involving their drug use and recovery (Davison, 2007). Therapeutic communities can also be extremely effective, especially for those who are severely addicted. They are highly structured programs that often involve residency for up to 12 months. It is important to recognize that no single treatment is appropriate for all individuals addicted to drugs (National, 2005).

The primary goal of the Proposition 36 program is to divert substance using offenders from likely incarceration into the community where they can access and benefit from substance abuse treatment (Evans et al, 2011). With this goal in mind thousands of offenders who were destined for a jail cell could receive the proper treatment needed and our states recidivism rate would go down. This was not only a goal of Proposition 36 but a great success. SACPA is considered a successful program with tens of thousands of offenders enrolling each year, resulting in outcomes comparable to those commonly observed in residential treatment facilities.

This section of the paper will discuss the definition of social work, values associated with social work and arguments for and against the use of systems theory in social work practice. Social work can be described as a field of study that encompasses individuals and their environment. Social work can be defined as work trained professionals do to elevate stressors of individuals so they may become more self-sufficient and empowered to live to their fullest potential.

Once the individual is infatuated with one or more drugs it is viewed as an addiction, but programs such as the F.I.S.T program consider it to be a disease. This specific program takes those diseased who are willing to get clean and want to be reintegrated into society as a law abiding citizen. Many have argued that drug court programs do not focus enough on the participant’s life outside of the program after his or her graduation. A recent study researched the success of the after effects this program had against offenders who were eligible and entered the program versus those who were eligible and did not enter. With the F.I.S.T program, participants received therapeutic tools and rigorous education compared to those who did not. With this study, out of the 186 individuals who participated, only 10 of them were rearrested after the first 6 months. The counter research of the 994 who did not participate, had 108 individuals be re-arrested after the first 6 months. Once the one year or more re arrest comparison between the two were calculated, it was found that completers of this program are 16% less likely to recidivate to drug offenses than those who did not complete F.I.S.T. The reason behind these finding were the teachings the participants were exposed to during the process. With educational programs, they discovered what they were

For this paper, I have decided to research two social work theories and how those theories apply to residents in long term care facilities. The primary focus will be those residents who are alert, oriented, and showing minimal symptoms of dementia.

All programs have limitations to them and they are not all perfect. Downs, Robertson and Harrison did a study on the diversion program and the effectiveness it had in helping drug abusers. They observed 127 clients total, ages 13-17. They found that the diversion program they used with these adolescents was not effective and led to negative self-labels and more deviant behavior. They found that some adolescents that were sent to this program were not heavy drug users and had family issues, but due to the program being drug based it led to the negative self-label of drug abuser. This program didn’t have many restorative aspects to it. Diversion programs for juveniles should be separate from juveniles who need support to fix a drug addiction

Out of the all programs that I researched from the Crime Solutions website, the one that stood out to me the most was the “LifeSkills Training” program. The reason behind why I choose this program is because I actually have a family member (cousin) that went through this program, who was heavily involved in drug and alcohol abuse, as well as being party of a criminal gang and participating in numerous illegal activates. Until he faced the biggest obstacle in his life, he was arrested and had to spend a portion of his life behind bars when he was only fifth teen years old. Luckily this situation made him realize he was just throwing his life away and decided to switch his whole life around. When he made this decision, he took it very serious and while being locked up he demonstrated good behavior at the facility he was housed and was released early on parole (age 17 years old). When he was released, that’s when he discovered the LifeSkills program.

Scientific research shows that treatment can help many drug using offenders change their attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors; avoid relapse; and successfully remove themselves from a life of substance use and crime. Treatment can cut drug use in half, decrease criminal activity, and reduce arrests. It is true that legal pressure might be needed to get a person into treatment and help them stay there. Once in a treatment program, however, even those who are not initially motivated to change can become engaged in a continuing treatment process. In fact, research suggests that mandated treatment can be just as effective as voluntary admission to rehab centers.

For most participants who graduate from the programs (ranging from 50% to 65%), drug use is eliminated altogether? (?Summary?).

Developmental theories are integral to a social workers approach when working with children, and families as they help to guide and explain situations and behaviours. As social workers have an ethical and professional responsibility to their clients, they need to have an established set of guiding theories which underpin their practice. If they work without these theories, they could place their clients at risk of harm by practising from personal assumptions. They also help the social worker understand and manage these situations and to reach the desired outcomes. As suggested by Teater (2014), “Theory is an essential ingredient in practice that guides the way in which social workers view and approach individuals, groups, communities and society”(Chap 1, p.1). This report will identify and focus on three important developmental theories that assist social workers in their practice. These consist of work by Erikson, Bowlby and Piaget. Erikson’s theory focuses on the model of life stage development; Piaget’s theory focuses on the cognitive processes while Bowlby’s theory focuses on attachment. Despite these theories representing different aspects of social science, they all have the same guiding principle of development. Once the social worker has identified the relevant theory required, they then use a model to implement the theory. This report will examine and discuss the Collaborative Family Work Model. The Collaborative Family Work Model works in a step by step approach

Every worthwhile journey begins with one step. My social work journey began when I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 2003. I thought my next step would be to immediately pursue a graduate degree. In my undergraduate career I had taken numerous classes from the College of Social and Behavioral Science and had done well in those classes. In my Social Work as a Profession course I had an assignment to shadow a social worker and write a paper about my experience. I chose to shadow my father-in-law, a social worker with over 30 years of experience, and in my paper I expressed my desire to go into the social work field. I knew I liked helping people. I knew I liked problem solving and critical thinking. I thought my 22 year-old self was ready to embark on that journey, but I wasn’t. I realize now that what I lacked at graduation was one crucial step… perspective. Over the past twelve years I have gained that much needed perspective and have taken many steps forward in my journey, and with those steps and that increased perspective, I now feel more fully prepared to begin my social work career.

Social Work’s core philosophy and values are centered around social justice and social well-being. Oppression, injustice, discrimination, and violence are antithetical to the social work profession. Social Work believes in strength-based approaches and the person-in-environment perspective to cater the needs and welfare of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society at large. Generally, the target populations for social work are vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed people; however, social workers provide services to people with a wide range of problems, such as poverty, addiction, mental illness, etc. to empower them to meet their own needs. Historically, the social work profession started its operation by providing neighborhood