Course Syllabus

 

SOW 4341.0001 - Micro Level Roles and Interventions in Social Work
Russ Rossilini,LCSW, DCSW

Fall 2021 Syllabus

Syllabus Home| Policies | Schedule | Competency and Component Behavior Table

Instructor Information

Instructor:	Russ Rossilini, LCSW, DCSW
Office:
Phone:	386-453-4551
E-mail:	Russell.Rossilini@ucf.edu
Location:	HS# 1 Room 110
Class Day & Time:	Monday 6:30-9:20 p.m.
Office Hours:	5:30-6:30 p.m. or by appointment

Course Description

Study and simulated practice of roles and tasks in systemic problem solving with individuals, families and supportive and remedial groups (Credit: 3 semester hours).

This course will assist students gain a better understanding of micro practice as it pertains to individuals, groups, and families utilizing various models of interventions. The models to be discussed include Psychosocial, Behavioral, and Crisis Models of Intervention. Students will learn the model, the techniques used within each model and how to apply it with a case. Motivational Interviewing, a communication style specifically used to assist clients to make a change for the better is also discussed and applied using different case scenarios. Application using case studies, role plays, and quizzes will be used throughout the course. There are many more models and theories you will learn about as you become professional social workers. These models and style of communication were selected because they are commonly used when seeing clients.

Social work interventions are focused on creating change that will hopefully result in the clients increasing their quality of life. Areas presented by clients can be homelessness, poverty, sexual assault, violence in general, relationship concerns, discrimination, and bullying to name only a few. We as social workers are well aware of the injustices across the country and we are here to assist clients in being treated more fairly. Learning what makes you anxious when seeing clients, becoming aware of the problems presented, and as importantly learning how to help utilizing various models of interventions or communication styles are imperative to meeting the needs of the clients we serve.

Course Objectives

By the end of the term, students should be able to:

1. Describe micro practice and how private troubles become public issues.
   
2. Apply a generalist model using the planned change process of social work practice to micro and mezzo problem situations across the life course.
   
3. Articulate and apply ethical principles and considerations in relation to micro and mezzo practice interventions with individuals, families and small groups across the life course.
   
4. Demonstrate an ability to effectively engage diversity and difference in practice and apply knowledge about cultural diversity, in given case situations across the life course.
   
5. Plan interventions with micro and mezzo systems to combat social inequities, particularly racism, sexism, ageism and heterosexism, and to minimize their negative effects on clients.
   
6. Demonstrate professionalism in micro practice, such as personal reflection, professional roles and boundaries, and demonstration of professional demeanor within given course assignments.
   
7. Apply critical thinking skills to compare and contrast psychosocial, behavioral, and crisis models of interventions with individuals, families and small groups across the life course within course assignments.
   
8. Show competence in using critical thinking strategies, the strengths perspective, and selected procedures, strategies and techniques of the strengths perspective, psychosocial, behavioral, motivational interviewing, and crisis intervention models, within given course assignments.
   
9. Identify the importance of empirically based knowledge to evaluate and improve practice, policy, and service delivery.
   

Learning Methods

The following learning methods are used in this course:

1. Lecture - discussion
2. Guest Lecturer(s) - optional
3. DVD; You Tube Clips
4. Case examples and role plays of psychosocial intervention, behavioral and crisis intervention models of intervention and Motivational Interviewing

Required Texts

• James/Gilliland. (2019). Micro level roles and interventions. (2nd ed.). NY: Cengage Publishing
• American Psychological Association (2010). Publication Manual of APA (6^th Edition). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association     

Supplemental Readings

Throughout the syllabus there are articles either from books or journals that have been identified to assist in supplementing the textbook readings. It will be the student’s responsibility to access these articles independently or, if online, through Canvas. Please read the syllabus thoroughly - you will be directed to access these readings either through the library’s online journal holdings or online on Canvas through MyUCF and link onto online courses.

Online Resources

Assignment guidelines and other course handouts are available through www.webct.ucf.edu or MyUCF, Online Course Tools through Canvas which is a secure website. Power points and other materials will be available via the online course section. Quizzes may be online or in-class and assignments will be turned in to the instructor in class. Please also note that all email should be sent through the web course section.

LIBRARY RESOURCES

Electronic Course Reserve:

To access electronic course reserve materials, go to the library’s home page (http://library.ucf.edu) and under the category “FIND” you will see Course Reserves. Click on it. You can search either by instructor’s name, course number, author’s name or title. To access the item, click on it and you will be prompted to enter your 14-digit library barcode and 4-digit password (last 4-digits of your PID).

Students will be expected to utilize UCF library resources to search library databases for required readings. The following web sites which can help students find information, navigate through databases and learn how to use the library:

1. Library Instruction sessions - http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Instruction
   
2. Library Research Tutorials - http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Instruction/LIToursTutorials.asp
3. Streaming videos - http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Videos/Default.asp
4. Research Guides - http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Guides/
5. Ask a Librarian service - http://library.ucf.edu/Ask/
6. Consult with the librarian familiar with Social Work - Dr. Rachel Edford (Rachel.edford@ucf.edu)  

The UCF Libraries has a full array of paper and electronic resources available for students and their research needs.

In addition to books and journals, UCF students have the ability to access a vast selection of journals and books in electronic format while on or off campus. The web address to the library's catalog is http://library.ucf.edu/. The Ask A Librarian service provides students the ability to contact a library professional either by phone, on-line chat or email, and ask for assistance on "how to" locate, research, and obtain library materials.  The web address for Ask A Librarian is http://library.ucf.edu/Ask/. A series of streaming videos, showing students how to search for a book or journal article, has been developed and are available at http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Videos/Default.asp. Research Guides for different majors, that list books, journals, databases, and web sites have been developed and are available in electronic format at http://library.ucf.edu/Reference/Guides. Another service to help students conduct library research is called Research Consultation. After a student has conducted his/her research and is in need of additional information, s/he can work with a librarian to locate material with the help of his/her expert searching capabilities. To set-up a Research Consultation, students can either come into the library and sign-up at the Reference Desk or call the library Reference Office at 407-823-5880. Finally, students are always encouraged to visit the library and ask a Reference Librarian how best to conduct one's research. If a student has a simple question on how to locate either a book or journal title, the UCF Reference Libraries are happy to provide this type of service too.

Evaluation of Learning and Grading

Quizzes/Examinations (60%):

Four (4) unit quizzes will be given throughout the semester. The quizzes may contain multiple choice, true/false, fill in the blank, matching, short answer and/or essay questions. Each quiz is worth 15% of your final grade.

1. All quizzes will be given in an online format via the web course and will take place as per the course schedule.
2. Note:  A make-up exam/quiz will only be provided to a student who has an appropriate reason for missing the quiz/exam (e.g. verified illness, death in family). All make-up exams/quizzes will be in essay format and must be taken by the end of week 14.

Case Study (20%)

Students will work in pairs or individually to complete written responses for one (1) micro practice case.  Students will complete the case using the psychosocial model of intervention . Specifically, the student(s) will be responsible for:

1. Assess case material, identifying the problem(s) for work, and formulating goals for the change effort.
2. Discuss intervention procedures, strategies and techniques that would be used and why, giving examples of how change might be produced.
   
3. Describe worker activities that should occur during each phase of the problem solving process.
4. Evaluate anticipated outcomes of the change effort.
5. Describe ethical issues associated with the change effort.
6. Identify appropriate referrals that could be made during phases of the helping process.
   
7. Support responses with citations from course readings.

The case study is due October 19(worth 20%); tentative due date for completed case is identified in the course schedule below. All responses to the case exercise must be typed, double-spaced and referenced using the APA (6^th Ed) documentation style.  Students are expected to present their ideas clearly and to adhere to professional standards of writing. Grammar, punctuation and spelling are to be correct in all work submitted. Work not conforming to these standards or demonstrating serious deficiencies in common English usage will be returned not graded. Evaluation material, information about APA citations and references, and additional guidelines for completing each case exercise will be furnished by the instructor and uploaded under the assignment link.

Skills Role Play (20%)

In pairs, students will complete and demonstrate an acted role play example of a specific skill/intervention. Students will be assigned a role play scenario by the instructor  from the following approaches: Psychosocial Approach, Motivational Interviewing, Behavioral Approach, or Crisis Intervention. The selection of approaches (and due dates) will be on a blind draw basis; sign-up sheets for approaches and due dates will open in the second week of class. The dates chosen need to correspond to the selected approach/intervention. Role plays will begin in Week 4 and continue through Week 15.

Roll Call Discussion Post

In order to show engagement in this course, students will post a discussion responding to the following: Identify what you hope to gain from taking this course; and describe how you learn best in a classroom setting.  This impacts the disbursement of your financial aid, if applicable, so please post your response prior to August 28 at 5:00 p.m. (1 point)

Assignments and Points

Grading

Students' grades will be determined by their achievement on the following assignments:

Assignment	Point Value
Unit # 1 Quiz (Online)	15%
Unit # 2 Quiz (Online)	15%
Unit # 3 Quiz (online)	15%
Unit # 4 Quiz (online)	15%
Case Study (submitted in class)	20%
Role Play (in-class)	20%
Total	100%

Tentative Due Dates

Assignment	Due Date
Quiz # 1 Unit 1 Introduction to Micro Quiz #2 Unit 3 Motivational Interviewing	Available September 15-17 @ 5:00 pm. Available October 20-23 @ 5:00
Quiz # 3 Unit 4 Behavioral Intervention	Available November 3-6 @ 5:00
Quiz # 4 Unit 5 Crisis Intervention	Available December 2-5 @ 5:00
Case Study	Due October 19, 2020
Role Play	Weekly beginning Week 4 in class

 

Grading Scale

Grade	Points	Numeric Value
A	95-100	4.00
A-	90- 94	3.75
B+	87-89	3.25
B	84-86	3.00
B-	80-83	2.75
C+	77-79	2.25
C	74-76	2.00
C-	70-73	1.75
D+	67-69	1.25
D	64-66	1.00
D-	60-63	0.75
F	59 or less	0.00

Fall 2019 Holidays

The UCF campus will be closed for the following holidays this semester:

• Labor Day - Monday, September 7
• Veteran's Day - Wednesday, November 11
• Thanksgiving - Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, November 25, 26, & 27 (this year students have off on Wed.)

 

Bibliography

Dolgoff, R., Loewenberg, F., Harrington, D. (2009). Ethical decisions for social work practice. (8^th Ed.). Belmont, CA., Brooks/Cole – Thomson Learning.

Dziegielewski, S., (2013). The changing face of health care social work: professional practice in managed behavioral health care. (3^rd Ed.) New York, New York: Springer Publishing Company

Encyclopedia of social work (20^th Edition - 2008). Washington, DC: National Association of Social Workers. 

Hepworth, D., Rooney, R., Dewberry Rooney, G., Strom-Gottfried, K. & Larsen, J. H., (2010) Direct social work practice: Theory and skills. (8^th Ed.) Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

Hollis, F. & Woods, M. (2000) Casework: A psychosocial therapy.  (5^th Ed.) New York: Random House.

James, R., & Gilliland, B. (2017) Crisis intervention strategies (8^th Ed.). Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning

Kanel, K., (2015).  A guide to crisis intervention. (5^th Ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

Miltenberger, Raymond. (2016). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures. (6^th Ed.) Mason, Ohio: Cengage Learning.

Myer, R., (2001) Assessment for crisis intervention: a triage assessment model. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Reamer, Frederic G. (2001) Tangled relationships: Managing boundary issues in the human services. New York: Columbia University Press.

Reamer, Frederic G. (2013). Social work values and ethics. (4^th Ed.) New York: Columbia University Press.

Roberts, A. R. (2015) Crisis intervention handbook: Assessment, treatment and research. (4^th Ed.) New York, Oxford University Press.

Miller, W. & Rollnick, S. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. (3^rd Ed.). New York: Guilford Press.

Rosenfeld, L., Caye, J., Ayalon, O., & Mooli, L. (2005). When their world falls apart: Helping families and children manage the effects of disasters. Washington, D.C.: NASW Press.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Overview Paper I: Definitions & terms relating to co-occurring disorders & Overview Paper 2: Screening, assessment, and treatment planning for persons with co-occurring disorders

Scurfield, R.M. (2002, January/February). The normal abnormal. (Coping in the aftermath of the terrorist acts of September 11^th). Psychology Today, Vol. 35 (1), p. 50.

Scurfield, R.M. (Revised 11/1/05). Common stages of recovery. (Hand-out).                                   

Spiegler, M. & Guevremont, D., (2016) Contemporary behavior therapy (6^th Ed.). Mason, Ohio: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Walsh, Joseph. (2014). Theories for direct social work practice. (3^rd Ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.