|
Home Courses I teach Social Work Program Madonna University - Social Work Department Course Syllabus - Winter, 2000 SW 370 Generalist Practice II Instructor: Dr. Karen Neuman Thursdays: 4:00 -
7:00 Room 1305 Course description: Examines the values and knowledge base, theories, models and processes of mezzo level systems in order to develop intervention skills of generalist social work interventions with groups and families. Required text: Toseland, R. & Rivas, R. (1998). An introduction to group work practice. (3rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Reserved Readings: Kirst-Ashman, K. & Hull, G.(1999). Understanding families. In Generalist social work practice, (2nd. Ed.), pp. 341-376. Locke, B., Garrison,R., & Winship, J. (1998). Telling and explaining the story. In Generalist social work practice: Context, story and partnerships (pp. 120-155). Pacific Grove, PA: Brooks/Cole. Rhodes, S.L. (1986). Family treatment. In Turner, F. (Ed.), Social work treatment (pp.432-453). New York: The Free Press. Teachman, J. D. (2000). Reflections on family
diversity. In Demo, D.H., Allen, K.R., & Fine, M.A., (Eds.), Handbook of
family diversity (pp.15-31). New York: The Oxford University Press. Service Learning Component (Prefield Experience): As part of the course requirements, students have traditionally been expected a 50 hour volunteer, "prefield" experience in a human service agencies. Grading of this experience will be based on: 1) completion of all appropriate prefield placement forms; 2) signed confirmation of hours at the agency; 3) completion of the final assignment describing the agency and summarizing your experience; and 4) completion of the personal journal describing the experience. Students who have extensive experience working or volunteering in social service agencies or have an associates degree in mental health from OCC may be exempted from this experience. You must request exemption from the prefield from me in writing and explain your rationale and describe the experience that justifies the exemption. Students who participate in the prefield experience will be waived out of the midterm and final exam, and the prefield experience counted for 30% of the grade. Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, the student will: 1. Have knowledge and skills involved in both treatment and task groups with diverse populations. 2. Understand group dynamics, stages, theories, models and concepts of groups. 3. Understand leadership functions and team building. 4. Have knowledge and skills to develop and evaluate an intervention for a mezzo system (small group/family). 5. Have experience using research and theory as it applies to groups. 6. Be able to apply knowledge to mezzo systems and compare with micro and macro systems. Assignments: 1. Interview agency leader and group observation paper - 15 points. 2. Group project - 30 points. 3. Family Assessment and Genogram - 15 points. 4. Midterm exam - 15 points 5. Final exam - 15 points 5. Attendance and participation - 10 points. Grade Ranges: A = 96 - 100% A- = 91 - 95% B+ = 86 - 85% B = 81 - 85% B- = 76 - 80% C+ = 71 - 75% C = 66 - 70% C- = 61 - 65%D = 55 - 60 E + < 55. Written Assignments: All assignments are to be type written, double spaced in a 10 or 12 point font. You may write more than the expected length of the paper, but a half of a grade will be deducted for each page you are short. Unless otherwise noted, it is not necessary to use strict APA format, unless you are citing references. For every three grammatical errors, typos and misspellings, etc. a point will be deducted. Please make sure each page is numbered and that your name and course appears on the title page. Do not put your papers in a binder, just staple the pages together. Points will be deducted for late assignments unless prior arrangements are made with me. Classroom participation: In addition to the required assignments, a number of in class exercises and small group activities will be offered through the term. Although these exercises will not be graded in the same sense that the required assignments will be, they will be collected. Completion of these exercises will be considered as part of the classroom participation and attendance requirements for the course. It is assumed that your classroom behavior is a reflection of your personal and profession conduct and your interpersonal skills. As such, your classroom behavior is an important indicator of your suitability to the social work profession. Behaviors such as inappropriate nonverbal behavior, disruptive comments, taking while others are talking, and reading other materials during class time are examples of inappropriate behavior that I consider unacceptable and unprofessional and which affect your grade. Should these behaviors occur, you will be asked to leave the class and expected to make an appointment with me to discuss the conditions of your returning to class. You will be working in groups through out this course. Class time for the group assignment will be provided. In addition, participation in classroom discussions is an essential aspect of this course. In order to participate in discussion and your group, it is critical to come to class and to be prepared by reading the required material in advance of the class. Attendance:For each unexcused absence you will be deducted three points from the attendance portion of the grade. At my discretion, excused absences may also result in a one or two point deduction. Being tardy or leaving early will result in a one point deduction. In cases of emergency (accident, sickness, etc.); and/or difficulties and concerns about the class or your performance, please contact me.
Assignments: Assignment One: Group leader interview and group observation assignment You are to interview a group leader/facilitator in a community service agency and attend the group that the leader facilitates. It may be a task group or a treatment group. You may attend a community support group, but you still must interview someone as leader. Begin your paper with an introduction that tells the reader about the agency and the person you are interviewing. Explain why you selected this person or group and how this relates to your beginning social work practice. When describing the group observation, be sure to provide a brief overview and description of the group. Be sure to state whether the group is task or a treatment group and why you have characterized it this way. Conclude your paper with your assessment of the group, the group's leader, what might be done to enhance the group and how you think this assignment will help you in the future when you are called upon to lead a group. You do not need to follow APA or include a reference list for this assignment. See me as soon as possible if you think this assignment will be a problem for you. The expected length of the paper is five pages. Interview the group leader/facilitator and ask them to answer the following questions: 1. What is the purpose of the group? What is the history of the group? 2. How was the leader selected to facilitate the group? How long have they been doing it? Has the group changed much over time? 3. How are members selected for the group? Do people remain on the group or rotate on and off? 4. Is it a task group or a treatment group? 5. How often does it meet and what are the expectations for group members in terms of participation, work, tasks, etc? 6. How would the leader/group facilitator describe the group process? 7. How would the leader/group facilitator describe their role and/or leadership process? 8. In the leader's assessment, how is the group functioning? What would the leader like to see that would enhance the group's functioning? After you sit in and observe the group or meeting, look at the classification of leadership behaviors on page 104 in the book. Comment on and provide and example of how the leader practiced some of the facilitation skills identified in the table. How did the group respond to the intervention/facilitation skill? Try to identify at least four or five skills demonstrated. Assignment Two: Proposal for a New Treatment group You will be assigned to groups and given group time to work on the final group project. From your experience, choose one of the agencies a group member works, volunteers at, did prefield at, etc. and use this as a setting for developing a new group.. Assign each group member one of the following sections in developing a proposal for a group. Your group will turn in one paper, with separate sections for each portion of the assignment and identifying the author of that respective section. Half of the grade will be on the project as a whole, half will be an individual grade. You will also present your proposal to the class at the end of the course. Begin with a brief overview of the agency the group is proposed for including the type of services provided and types of clients served. The major sections for the paper are: Part I - Rationale for the group What is the purpose of the group? How often, how long and where would it meet? What type of group will this be? How will the group be paid for? Who will lead the group? What is the client need that will be served? Why is a group an appropriate intervention for this client system? Who are potential members for the group? What is the minimum and maximum size of the group? How will they be recruited? How will fees be handled? Part II - Assessment How will individual candidates for the group be assessed? What criteria will be used for their selection? Why? What will be the expectations of group members for participation? Develop an initial assessment form for potential group members. Part III - Getting started What will be the underlying theorie(s) of this group? How does this theory fit with the client population? What are the specific goals of the group? How does the theory support these goals? What is the role and behavior of the leader according to this theory? How will the group meetings be conducted? What will be the general format? How will the group get started? Will there be an orientation? Provide a sample ice breaker or get acquainted exercise to use the first night. Part IV - Maintenance What will be the group norms or rules regarding conduct? How will new members and leaving members of the group be handled? What strategies will be used for resistant and difficult group members? What types of tasks and activities will the group participate in? Develop a contract for group members and describe an activity that could be done to enhance group cohesion. Part V - Evaluation of group effectiveness How will the group's effectiveness be measured for individuals and for the group as a whole? Design an evaluation strategy for individuals and for the group as whole. Assignment Three: Family Narrative and Genogram You are to interview someone and record their life story and the history of their family. You will write this up as narrative or story and complete a genogram on this person that goes back at least four generations (client, their children, parents and grandparents, for example). You do not need to follow APA for this assignment. Organize the paper with sections like chapters in a book. Conclude your paper by interpreting how significant events have shaped the family's life and beliefs and describe the strengths and problem patterns in the family. Integrate the material found Locke, Garrison & Winship, "Generalist Social Work Practice" , Chapter 5 which is on reserve in the library. Prefield experience As part of the requirements from this course, you are expected to complete a fifty hour prefield, volunteer experience in a community agency. You may or may not be directly working with clients. You should however, have an opportunity to talk with and interact with the professional staff, and informally interact or observe the clients. Your grade is dependent on completing all the necessary paperwork for the prefield experience, and turning in a journal that provides a brief overview of your daily experiences in your agency. You are expected to do one page for each time you provide services to the agency. Attach a one page agency overview that describes the agency, why you selected it, its location and surrounding community, services provided, clients served, sources of funding sources for services and anything else that is relevant to a reader unfamiliar with the agency. Use the format provided for your journal log. You do not need to type your journal entries, you must have your supervisor initial your log form (not necessarily after it is completed) to verify your hours, or at the conclusions of the experience, your supervisor must sign something that denotes the dates and hours you provided services. Format for Journal of Prefield Experience Name_______________________Date_______________________ Agency_______________________ Hours worked_______________________ Supervisor's initials_____________________ 1. Description of activities performed
2. Observations 3. What I learned today about social work, the community or policies 4. What I learned today about the agency and/or the professional staff 5. What I learned today about the clients 6. What I learned today about myself
7. Next steps for me are
|