Course Introduction

This course is your opportunity to apply what you are learning about clinical theories, skills, and values to your work with multiple realistic client scenarios. These scenarios come from the textbook, videos, and clinical experience.

The primary focus of this course in on behavioral, crisis, and psychosocial theories applied to persons with emotional, social, and psychological problems. The overall objective of this course is to enable students to deepen and extend their assessment and social work intervention skills in community based clinical practice with individuals.

Throughout the course students will have opportunities to understand that community based clinical practice addresses the person-in-environment and includes recognizing a reciprocal relationship between the individual client, their community (family, community and society) and the community resources that are utilized to enhance the individual's psychosocial functioning.

Drawing from the relationship between macro and micro practice and the review of several theoretical perspectives students will examine the importance of helping clients improve the quality of their lives by reducing stress, enhancing individual social functioning and increasing empowerment and other coping skills. The course encourages students to utilize interventions from Crisis Theory, Cognitive Behavioral and Psychodynamic theories to understand, engage and assist individuals suffering from a variety of psychological, physical, familial and environmental stresses. The significance of the treatment phases, shared responsibility in the client-worker relationship, documentation skills and the application of social work ethics and values to clinical practice will be stressed.

This course will utilize assignments and in class exercises to emphasize ‘application’ of clinical practice skills with individuals. Students will further develop critical thinking skills and apply these to the analysis and selection of current evidenced based practice strategies and interventions. The course will reinforce the student’s ability to integrate and apply concepts related to use of self, commitment to economic and social justice, ethical practice and professionalism, the strengths perspective, planned change process and cultural/diversity differences presented by various groups of clients. Considerations for working with African-Americans, Hispanics, Gays and Lesbians, Women and physically and mentally challenged clients will be addressed.

Tips for Success

This course is heavily reliant upon your ability to access and read your textbook. Taking time to thoroughly read the assigned chapters will be necessary for your success in this course. While PowerPoints are provided, they are available to you as reference. Some students find it is helpful to print them out or download and save them and take notes on the slides. Again, they are for your reference and some may have notes in the note sections, but very few (if any) will have voice recording. Therefore, it is very important that you take time to read the assigned chapters. For planning/organizing your time, it is suggested to set aside an average of 4 hours of uninterrupted time per chapter assigned.