As a clinical social worker it is important to understand group typology in order to choose the appropriate group method for a specific population or problem. Each type of group has its own approach and purpose. Two of the more frequently used types of groups are task groups and intervention groups.

For this Assignment, review the “Cortez Multimedia” case study, and identify a target behavior or issue that needs to be ameliorated, decreased, or increased. In a 2- to 4-page report, complete the following:

• Choose either a treatment group or task group as your intervention for Paula Cortez.
• Identify the model of treatment group (i.e., support, education, teams, or treatment conferences).
• Using the typologies described in the Toseland & Rivas (2017) piece, describe the characteristics of your group. For instance, if you choose a treatment group that is a support group, what would be the purpose, leadership, focus, bond, composition, and communication?
• Include the advantages and disadvantages of using this type of group as an intervention.

Submit your Assignment.

 

Required Readings

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing [Vital Source e-reader].
“Working With Groups: Latino Patients Living With HIV/AIDS” (pp. 39–41)

Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Chapter 11, “Task Groups: Foundation Methods” (pp. 336-363)
Chapter 12, “Task Groups: Specialized Methods” (pp. 364–395)

Himalhoch, S., Medoff, D. R., & Oyeniyi, G. (2007). Efficacy of group psychotherapy to reduce depressive symptoms among HIV-infected individuals: A systematic review and meta-analysis. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 21(10), 732–739

Lasky, G. B., & Riva, M. T. (2006). Confidentiality and privileged communication in group psychotherapy. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy, 56(4), 455–476.

Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
Chapter 1, “Introduction” (pp. 1–42)
Chapter 2, “Historical and Theoretical Developments” (pp. 45–66)

Required Media

Walden University. (n.d.). Cortez multimedia: A meeting of an interdisciplinary team. MSW Interactive Homepage [Multimedia file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 8 minutes.

 

A Meeting of an Interdisciplinary Team

   

Paula has just been involuntarily hospitalized and placed on the psychiatric unit, for a minimum of 72 hours, for observation. Paula was deemed a suicidal risk after an assessment was completed by the social worker. The social worker observed that Paula appeared to be rapidly decompensating, potentially placing herself and her pregnancy at risk.

Paula just recently announced to the social worker that she is pregnant. She has been unsure whether she wanted to continue the pregnancy or terminate. Paula also told the social worker she is fearful of the father of the baby, and she is convinced he will try to hurt her. He has started to harass, stalk, and threaten her at all hours of the day. Paula began to exhibit increased paranoia and reported she started smoking again to calm her nerves. She also stated she stopped taking her psychiatric medications and has been skipping some of her HIV medications.

The following is an interdisciplinary team meeting being held in a conference room at the hospital. Several members of Paula’s team (HIV doctor, psychiatrist, social worker, and OB nurse) have gathered to discuss the precipitating factors to this hospitalization. The intent is to craft a plan of action to address Paula’s noncompliance with her medications, increased paranoia, and the pregnancy.

Click one the above images to begin the conversation.

 

Physician

Dialogue 1

Paula is a complicated patient, and she presents with a complicated situation. She is HIV positive, has Hepatitis C, and multiple foot ulcers that can be debilitating at times. Paula has always been inconsistent with her HIV meds—no matter how often I explain the need for consistent compliance in order to maintain her health. Paula has exhibited a lack of insight into her medical conditions and the need to follow instructions. Frankly, I was astonished and frustrated when she stopped her wound care treatments and started to use chamomile tea on her foot ulcers. Even though we have educated her to the negative consequences of stopping her meds, and trying alternative medications instead, she continues to do so.

 

 

Psychiatrist

Dialogue 1

As Paula’s psychiatrist for close to 10 years, I have followed her progress in and out of the hospital for quite a while—and I know her very well. She is often non-compliant with her medications, randomly stopping them after she reports she doesn’t like the way they make her feel. She has been hospitalized to stabilize her medications several times over the last 10 years, although she has managed to stay out of the psychiatric unit for the last three. Recently, she had seemed to appreciate the benefits of taking her medications and her compliance has much improved. She had been seeing her social worker regularly, and her overall mental health and physical health were improving. This has changed recently, after several stressful life events. We learned that Paula was pregnant by a man she met briefly at a local flower shop. She also reports he has been harassing her with threatening phone calls and unwarranted visits to her home. Paula disclosed to the social worker that she was neither eating nor taking her medication—and she had not gotten out of bed for days. Her decompensation was rapid and extremely worrisome and, therefore, called for a 72-hour hold.

 

OB Nurse

Dialogue 1

I have not known the patient long, but it does appear that she is trying her best to deal with a very difficult situation. Pregnancies are stressful times for even the healthiest of women. For Paula to learn she is pregnant at 43—in addition to her HIV and Hepatitis status and her bipolar diagnosis—must be so overwhelming. Adding to this, she has come to her two appointments alone and stated she has no one to bring along with her. When I inquired about the father of the child, she said he’s a bad man and he won’t leave her alone. She seemed truly frightened of him and appears convinced he will hurt her.

 

Social Worker

Dialogue 1

When Paula came to me and told me she was pregnant, I was indeed shocked by this announcement. She had never mentioned dating anyone, and with her multiple medical and psychiatric issues, I never thought this would be an issue we would address. Paula and I have developed a strong working relationship over the last two years, and she has shared many private emotions and thoughts. This relationship has been tested, though, since I suggested she be admitted to the hospital. Paula was furious with me, accusing me of locking her up and not helping her. It will take time to repair our working relationship. Once I rebuild that rapport, we will need to work together to find a way to address all of her concerns. We will need a plan that will address her medical needs, her psychiatric needs, and the needs of her unborn child.

 

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Bradley Family Episode 5 Program Transcript FEMALE SPEAKER: Sandy, listen. I wanted to follow up with you about something. Our client, Tiffany Bradley–SANDY: Uh-huh. FEMALE SPEAKER: Well, we’d like to use her photo in some of the materials that we’re putting together for our Teen First program, promoting who we are and the services we offer. She’d be great, don’t you think? [MUSIC PLAYING] SANDY: She’s trying to get on with her life. Having her picture used that way, she’d be like the poster child for human trafficking. We’d be making her a victim all over again. FEMALE SPEAKER: That’s a little over the top. Why don’t you ask her and get her opinion? Come on, don’t you think she should make up her own mind? It might make her feel empowered– show what a real survivor she is. SANDY: It feels too soon. I mean, she’s one phone call away from going back to her pimp. FEMALE SPEAKER: [SIGHS] Sandy, you cannot hold her hand forever. She should at least be given the chance to make up her own mind. SANDY: I really don’t want to do this. Besides, can you imagine what would happen if you put her on all your posters and she actually does go back to her old life on the streets? Teens First would look ridiculous

When working with clients, it is important to  maintain professional boundaries to safeguard both you and your clients.  Legislation such as HIPPA (Health Insurance Portability and  Accountability Act of 1996) and the National Association of Social  Workers Code of Ethics are specific in how you as a social worker should  protect client information and safeguard confidentiality. Responding  ethically in a professional situation may be clear in most situations,  but not necessarily in all situations. Even though you have  established laws and code of ethics to guide your decision-making  process, you may still face ethical conflicts.

For this Discussion, review the media of the Bradley case and consider how the case relates to social work professional ethics.

Post the strategy you would use to address the Teen  First director’s request if you

were the social worker in the Bradley  case. Then, describe a hypothetical situation in which an organization’s  decision conflicts with your personal/professional ethics but remains  within the law. Explain how you would respond to this situation, and  why.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references. do not us outside resources.

 

Northouse, P. G. (2018). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.
Chapter 12, “Addressing Ethics in Leadership” (pp. 273-300)

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Chapter 16, “Leadership Ethics” (pp. 423–449)

Stephenson, M. O., Jr. (2011). Considering the relationships among social conflict, social imaginaries, resilience, and community-based organization leadership. Ecology and Society, 16(1). Retrieved from http://www.ecologyandsociety.org/vol16/iss1/art34/

National Association of Social Workers. (2014). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/default.asp

 

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Assessment is perhaps the most fundamental of all social work activities. It is a process of gathering pertinent information to answer questions about problems, contributions to problems, and potential strengths and assets. At a program-evaluation or program-planning level, a social worker applies the same thoughtful process used in individual assessment but extends or filters it to answer program-level questions.

The purpose of a particular needs assessment will help you determine the types of questions to ask and from whom to gather information. You employ a thinking process similar to that used in your experiences with direct practice assessment. You generate two needs assessment plans this week, one for a program of your choice that meets an unmet need, and the other for a support group for caregivers.

 

Social workers often identify client problems that suggest the need for a new or more focused service. Rather than bemoaning the lack of resources, many social workers consider creating new services in the future. They might next imagine what an appropriate service or program would look like. This week, you generate a needs assessment plan for a program that meets an unmet need of your choice.

To prepare for this Discussion, review the examples of needs assessments presented in both of the readings. Consider the elements of a needs assessment plan that you must include in your own plan.

Post a needs assessment plan for a potential program of your choice that meets a currently unmet need. Describe the unmet need and how current information supports your position that a needs assessment is warranted.

Identify the sources of information that you might use when conducting a needs assessment, including potential informants. Explain who among these potential informants would be valuable resources and why. Identify steps for obtaining credible, unbiased information.

Be sure to cite course resources or other resources, such as those in the Walden Library, related to both the program idea and to approaches to needs assessments.

 

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Assignment 4.1 Applying the Bradford Hill Criteria

Instructions:

Attached to this assignment, you will find the articles and instructions necessary to complete Assignment 4.1 Applying the Bradford Hill Criteria.

First, you will read the short article about GMOs found at The Generic Literacy Project. (Links to an external site.)This article serves as your example of how to apply the Bradford Hill criteria. As you read, think about how the Bradford Hill criteria were applied to formulate this stance about GMOs. Consider the factors that were identified about GMOs to represent each of the Bradford Hill criteria and, subsequently, form an opinion.

Second, you will read the attached article about a proposed link between French fries and breast cancer. You will then note how the Bradford Hill criteria apply to that article and decide if causation is present based on your application of the Bradford Hill criteria. To complete the assignment, list each of the nine Bradford Hill criteria in a Word document, using the class lecture slides to remind you of the criteria. Next to each one of the criteria, write what you find in the article which corresponds to that criterion–that is, supporting or refuting evidence for each criterion. You may not find evidence for all nine criteria. That is ok. Be sure that you report evidence for at least five of the criteria. After you have noted supporting or refuting evidence for at least five criteria, write a brief summary paragraph stating your conclusion about whether there is a causal link between french fries and breast cancer and why you believe there is or is not based on your application of the Bradford Hill criteria.

Third, you will read the attached article about HPV and cervical cancer. You will apply the Bradford Hill criteria to that article, noting supporting or refuting evidence for each one of the criteria as you did for the previous article. Just as you did before, after noting supporting or refuting evidence for at least five of the Bradford Hill criteria, you will write a brief summary paragraph stating your conclusion about whether there is a causal link between HPV and cervical cancer and why there is or is not based on your application of the Bradford Hill criteria.

Submission Instructions:

Submit your assignment as a Word document

Attachments

• Grading Rubric for Epidemiology Assignments.pdfActions
• Bradford Hill Case Study.French Fries and Breast Cancer.2006 International_Journal_of_Cancer(1).pdf
• HPV causes cervical cancer.journal article (2015).pdf

 

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For this assignment, imagine you have been hired as the new Diversity & Inclusion Specialist in the Human Resources (HR) department of your current company or another company of your choosing. One of the first tasks you are given is to create a Diversity Proposal for your manager in response to an anonymous complaint (below) that was recently submitted to the HR suggestion box:

Complaint: I have been working here for 4 years. I am tired of watching the same “Diversity in the Workplace” 20-minute training video each January in order to satisfy the company’s annual diversity training requirement. Nothing around here shows that this company values diversity. As one of a few people of color at this company, I feel like I’m just here to increase diversity numbers so that the company “looks good” on paper. When are we going to actually do something to recognize all types of diversity? There are more aspects to diversity, besides race, that make individuals unique.   

Create a 500- to 800-word Diversity Proposal that addresses the following questions:

• 1.What is the business case or proposition for recognizing the importance of diversity and inclusion?
• 2.How can we create a company mission and company goals to outwardly express and reinforce our commitment to diversity and inclusion? What might our mission statement say to express our commitment?
• 3.What are at least two short-term actions (less than 6 months) that the company can take to immediately address some of the concerns expressed in the anonymous complaint?
• 4.What are at least two long-term actions (6 months to 2 years) that the company can take to address some of the concerns expressed in the anonymous complaint?
• 5.How can the company enhance its current annual employee diversity training? Why is this training important?
• 6.What initiatives can the company implement to celebrate diversity beyond race?
• 7.How can these initiatives bring employees together to celebrate diversity and promote inclusion?
• 8.What other suggestions do you have to improve workplace culture and messaging around diversity and inclusion?

Include a minimum of two scholarly articles/academic references.

Format your paper/proposal according to appropriate course-level APA guidelines.

 

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