Purpose Of Social Work Intervention

One cannot simply state a theory or intervention method works without providing supporting evidence. Competency 4: Engage in Practice-Informed Research and Research Informed Practice affirms that social workers utilize interventions and apply theories based on what has been reinforced through research. Yet, social workers also recognize that practice can lead to the discovery of topics that have not been or contain little research surrounding an issue, resource, idea, or case. Moreover, we will never know everything about any topic, because practice derives from multi-disciplinary sources and multiple ways of knowing. To demonstrate my proficiency in the area of research and research informed practice, I have provided three artifacts: a literature review, research proposal, and a social and behavioral sciences training - responsible conduct of research certificate obtained upon the

As social workers, it is our responsibility to use the most effective method of practice to engage our clients, assess their situation, and help them create goals that will produce positive outcomes. Every client will present a unique set of challenges; therefore, the social worker must be careful in choosing an approach that will meet the client’s needs, compliment the skills of the therapist and are in line with the agency’s mission. According to Robert and Watkins (2009), psychotherapy is a therapeutic interaction between a trained therapist and a client that is

This essay will identify key issues facing the client system and will demonstrate an intervention plan. Followed by defining the purpose of social work and the identification of the AASW Code of Ethics, in regards to the case study. Lastly, key bodies of knowledge will be identified and applied to the case study.

Social workers use engagement to develop therapeutic relationships to support positive treatment outcomes for clients. The engagement process permits the social worker to assess the client’s commitment to be involved, in order for a collaboration between the practitioner and client to develop an agreement on the goals and tasks of treatment. Engagement helps social workers to identify the client’s true desire to receive treatment by how the client demonstrates he or she’s level of motivation, commitment to treatment, their readiness, and potential treatment outcomes. Treatment strategies such as the Stages for Change can be implemented to assist and encourage clients in the engagement process.

In the book Social Work Skills for Beginning Direct Practice talks about the Life Model of Social Work Practice. The principal of the model is to, “Empowerment and as such is particularly sensitive to culture, physical, and social context” (Cummings, et. al, pg. 49, 2012). This model is a way to guide social workers to assess clients in stress levels, coping skills and to be able to seek intervention that will help their client.

I can foresee challenges to using this technique if an individual is in an extreme state of denial re: a presenting problem or if an individual is impaired psychologically, for example experiencing psychosis and unable to rationalize change stages. In these cases, I would view the social workers role as one that assists the individual in allocating restorative services/supports to promote a state where they can consider change

Children and families are the foundation of our society and our future. I understand family social work as both tertiary intervention and primary prevention. Issues such as unemployment, abuse, neglect, and lack of housing can put undue stress on family systems. By addressing and helping to alleviate these issues as a tertiary intervention a family can have increased stability in its home life. This strengthened environment can be a primary preventative measure for the children in the home. It can lead to lower levels of incarceration, higher education rates, higher employment

According to the National Association of Social Work, “The primary mission of the social work profession is to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty. A historic and defining feature of social work is the profession’s focus on individual well-being in a social context and the well-being of society. Fundamental to social work is attention to the environmental forces that create, contribute to, and address problems in living.”

Interventions are widely used in all areas of Human Services to assist those in need meet their goals of self sufficiency. Some common interventions include reframing, the process of helping someone see a situation in another perspective, and Task-Centered Approach, the process of breaking down the problem into smaller and more manageable goals, that eventually lead to solving the original problem. Determining which intervention to use widely depends upon multiple variables such as; the problem the client is currently facing, their current emotional status, whether they have a support network or not, and their current use of coping skills. If some of the above variables are missing, it has been common practice to address these issues prior to using interventions to address the problem.

Instead of working on problems, the work is goal oriented. The strengths based perspective builds on the strengths of an individual to enhance resources and work through the difficulties in the lives of the client. This helps to raise the level of functioning in these individuals and increase their sense of empowerment. Hewitt (2005) stated that this is an “optimistic way of looking at situations,” and that the social worker must not focus on what the client cannot do and instead on what they can do (p. 23). This is important in the case of Trenise and her family, because there is so much going on in terms of problematic situations that it is easy to lose sight of why it is necessary to try and solve issues. If things always look bad then many people might not attempt to handle the stresses in their

I aspire to become a licensed clinical social worker so that I can have an in-depth method for assisting clients. I believe that social workers are afforded an awesome yet overwhelming task of helping individuals through the course of their lives. I hope to inspire my clients in knowing that challenges are the stepping stones to becoming resilient and that challenges are not meant to break a person. All in all, it is important for social workers to constantly reaffirm their dedication to helping their clients by taking time to care for themselves, seeking continuing education so they are kept abreast of current information, realizing that the steps to change and change itself is often uneasy, messy, difficult but necessary for the advancement of all

In the generalist social work practice, a social worker is a change agent due to the expansive and complex umbrella of social and human services and roles. A change agent works to promote positive changes for the well-being of an individual, family, group, organization or community. In order to fulfill the tasks of a social worker, one should be trained and equipped with a wide variety of skills: such as setting appropriate boundaries, possessing and utilizing self-awareness and the ability to counsel or advocate for clients. In addition to many skills, the generalist social work practice includes a surplus of methods to either prevent or intervene when necessary. A method often utilized by social workers is the person-in-environment conceptualization. The person-in-environment perspective considers factors, such as familial or economic, beyond the individual to better understand the client’s behaviors or situation. Another method is the strengths perspective. The strength-based perspective focuses on the client’s or client system’s positive qualities to build upon those capabilities. And the recognition of strengths helps to achieve goals in a more client-led approach. Generalist practitioners are professionals with a wide range of knowledge and a repertoire of diverse skills in order to enhance the social functioning of all within society.

The two key elements in successful practice are the social workers ability to guide clients through the phases of the change process and assist clients in making decisions that will result in enhancement of their social functioning or the improvement of a social condition (Bradford W. Sheafor, 2008, p. 52). Social workers select and use specific techniques that have been individualized to the needs and situation of the client or client group being served, and the resources that are applied to help resolve the client’s problem or concern (Bradford W. Sheafor, 2008, p. 51).

What is the most essential knowledge that social workers students must have to work effectively with families? The social work profession has always emphasized the importance of strong family functioning. When families are successful in meeting their goals, individuals and society as a whole thrive. Throughout the history of the profession, social workers in child welfare, child guidance and mental health have worked with families to ensure that children are safe from abuse and neglect, that parents know ways to manage emotional challenges of childhood and that families know effective communication processes to resolve the symptoms of mental illness. Over time, however, the approaches to building effective family interventions have changed and schools of social work need to be attuned to the demands on agencies to offer services that are effective. Students who want to work with families must graduate from their academic programs knowing how to deliver effective interventions. In order to best educate students for this, faculty at Springfield College School of Social Work have participated in curriculum development workshops at the Wheeler Clinic in Plainville Connecticut.

What is an intervention? An intervention is interposition or interference in the affairs of another to accomplish a goal or end (“Intervention,” 2012). There are numerous theories being used to help guide social work practice. There are also a number of different practice interventions associated with each of these theories. The purpose of this study is to be able to understand the social, emotional and behavioral needs of siblings of children with autism. The human behavior theories that have been selected to help guide this study are the systems theory and the social learning theory. There are different practice interventions related to each of these theories.