Allison May's BSW Portfolio

Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

Social workers understand that assessment is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge in the assessment of diverse clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers understand methods of assessment with diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Social workers recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and value the importance of inter-professional collaboration in this process. Social workers understand how their personal experiences and affective reactions may affect their assessment and decision-making. Social workers:

collect and organize data, and apply critical thinking to interpret information from clients and constituencies;
apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, and other multidisciplinary theoretical frameworks in the analysis of assessment data from clients and constituencies;
develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives based on the critical assessment of strengths, needs, and challenges within clients and constituencies; and
select appropriate intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of clients and constituencies.

Introduction: One main takeaway from competency 7 is that assessing is an ongoing process. Social workers collect information from clients at the beginning of a relationship to assess the case from the clients perspective. Throughout the continuous process of assessment, it is important to emphasize that the client is the primary focus. The social worker does not impose their agenda on the client but rather they work collaboratively with the client to determine goals and the best interventions for the client. The first artifact is a collection of assessment tools I utilized with a partner to assess a mock client case. The second artifact I chose to showcase is an outline I used for creating treatment plans and writing treatment notes while participating in my field placement.

Competency 7-1

Artifact 1 is a comprehensive mock client assessment. During generalist practice 2, there was a primary focus on micro work within social work and how to engage and assess client cases. While working with a partner, each of us came up with a background and presenting problem for our "client". To the left is an example of a client intake form my partner and I took from the internet and completed for each of our "clients". In addition, to the right is an ecomap, genogram, and Beck Depression Inventory we completed. These tools amongst others help to gain greater insight into a client's presenting issue/concern. While this was only a mock case for conducting a micro assessment, this paved the way for how to assess clients while participating in my field placement. Competency 7 highlights the importance of collaboration with our clients. groups, communities, etc. In collaborating with one of my peers, we were able to assist each other in practicing our skills towards an initial assessment with clients.

Treatment Plan Outline.docx

Treatment Note Cheat Outline.docx

Artifact 2 is a treatment plan and treatment note outline I use at my internship. After being admitted to Robert Brown Crisis Center (RBC), individuals meet with the treatment team (nurse, physician, and social worker) to create a treatment plan for their stay. While treatment planning there is a lot of information we look to gather such as consumer reported reason for referral, psychiatric history, substance use, trauma history, family structure, supports, strengths, etc. Completing these treatment planning sessions is important to getting the scope of who you are working with and some goals they have for their stay at RBC . After the treatment planning session/initial assessment, the social worker will meet with clients everyday to check in and assess progress until they are discharged. I would utilize the treatment note outline and assess an individuals symptomology, harm risk, review goals, and discuss discharge.

Conclusion: Within the development of competency 7, it is important to understand the ongoing and continuous nature of assessment. Typically assessments of individual clients, groups, etc. include obtaining information that is tailored to the individual(s) receiving services. Completing the mock client assessment allowed myself to explore and practice assessing cases using a variety of assessment tools. This experience completing this assignment then translated to assisting me in assessing real clients during my field placement. While participating in my field placement I got to be a part of treatment planning sessions, often times being the one to write and implement the client's treatment plan. I then saw the ongoing nature of assessment through conducting one-on-one sessions everyday with clients before their discharge. During these sessions I would be looking to assess symptomology, assess harm risk, review goals, and discuss discharge planning.