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Class Descriptions

Child and Family Well-Being - Micro Practice

SW622

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: SW506 and SW601 or SW621 (concurrent enrollment in SW601 or SW621 permitted if necessary)

Pathway Associations

Community Change
Global
Interpersonal PracticeElective
Mgmt & Leadership
Policy & Political
Program Evaluation
Older Adults
Children & FamiliesRequirement (Host)

Course Description

CSWE Competencies
● Intervention: Social workers a) Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals; b) Help clients resolve problems; c) Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients; and d) Facilitate transitions and endings.
● Evaluation: Social workers a) critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate interventions

This course will present prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation practice theories and techniques emphasizing culturally responsive and evidence-informed interventions that address diverse groups of infants, children, and youth within their social contexts.(e.g., peer group, school, family, neighborhood, and communities).

A variety of evidence-based interventions for engaging children, youth, and families (or other caretaking adults such as foster parents) will be presented. Particular attention will be paid to cultural, social, and economic factors that influence client functioning or the worker’s ability to accurately implement interventions that enhance client capacities. A range of evidence-based intervention approaches will be presented such as cognitive behavioral therapy, psychoeducation, behavioral therapy, parent management training and multi-tiered school based interventions. Promising practices for children and adolescents across child serving settings will also be reviewed. The use of play therapy in working with young children and children who have been traumatized will be explored.

Content will focus on the early phases of intervention, including barriers to engagement that may result from client-worker differences, involuntary participation on the part of the child, youth, or family, and factors external to the client-worker relationship, such as policy or institutional decisions that may influence or shape intervention. Since work with children and youth almost always requires multiple intervention modalities, attention will be given to creating effective intervention plans through the integration of different modalities. Those intervention methods that have been empirically demonstrated to be effective will be given particular emphasis. Methods for monitoring and evaluating interventions are discussed and demonstrated in this course.

Intervention strategies taught in this course rely significantly on the social worker as a critical component of the change process, thus attention will be paid to the understanding of self as an instrument in the change process.

Objectives

Based on assessment, select culturally responsive and evidence informed intervention strategies (EPAS 8)
Develop advanced intervention skills in working with children, adolescents and their families (EPAS 6, 8)
Implement evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies that are compatible with infant/child/adolescent and family or caretaker goals, needs, circumstances, culture, and values (EPAS 8)
Understand and address the impact of diversity (including ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation) of infants, children, adolescents, and families, and the social worker, on interventions and outcomes (EPAS 2, 4, 8, 9)
Monitor and evaluate interventions regarding effectiveness and sensitivity to diversity factors (EPAS 1, 2, 9)

Design

The instructor will assign required and recommended readings. Class format will include lecture, discussion, case analysis, and skills development sessions. Presentations and written assignments will integrate theory, evidence-based research, and case analysis, and when possible, the student’s practicum work.

Intensive Focus on Privilege, Oppression, Diversity and Social Justice (PODS)

This course integrates PODS content and skills with a special emphasis on the identification of theories, practice and/or policies that promote social justice, illuminate injustices and are consistent with scientific and professional knowledge. Through the use of a variety of instructional methods, this course will support students developing a vision of social justice, learn to recognize and reduce mechanisms that support oppression and injustice, work toward social justice processes, apply intersectionality and intercultural frameworks and strengthen critical consciousness, self-knowledge and self-awareness to facilitate PODS learning.

Intensive Focus on Privilege, Oppression, Diversity and Social Justice (PODS): This course integrates PODS content and skills with a special emphasis on the identification of theories, practice and/or policies that promote social justice, illuminate injustices and are consistent with scientific and professional knowledge. Using a variety of instructional methods, this course will support students developing a vision of social justice, learning to recognize and reduce mechanisms that support oppression and injustice, working toward social justice processes, applying intersectionality and intercultural frameworks and strengthening critical consciousness, self-knowledge and self-awareness to facilitate PODS learning. (Course Statement Approved By Governing Faculty 11/8/06).

PODS will be addressed through discussion of child/adolescent/family-worker differences and power/privilege differentials based on ability, age, class, color, culture, ethnicity, family structure, gender (including gender identity and gender expression), marital status, national origin, race, religion or spirituality, sex, and sexual orientation. Social Justice will also be addressed through discussion of differences between problems responsive to interpersonal practice interventions and those which result from poverty, discrimination, and disenfranchisement, requiring systemic as well as individual interventions. Case advocacy for disadvantaged, deprived, victimized and underserved or inappropriately served children and adolescents and families will also be emphasized. Special attention will be given to issues of diversity as it relates to building therapeutic relationships and intervening. The interaction between environmental risk factors, protective factors, promotive and developmental factors as they contribute to coping, resiliency, and disorder, as well as how these might vary by child or adolescent diverse and intersecting factors, such as race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, gender, sexual orientation, sexual identity and culture.

Content on intervention planning will assist students in selecting interventions which are matched with client problems across diverse populations, cultural backgrounds, socio-political contexts, and available resources.

Interprofessional/Interdisciplinary Education Description

ID/IPE content in SW622 supports students to understand and value the importance of interprofessional and interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork in Social Work practice across a variety of populations, settings and roles.
Inclusion of ID/IPE content is supported by and directly relates to:
CSWE core competencies 1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
University of Michigan 5 IPE Core Competencies: (Values/Ethics, Roles and Responsibilities, Interprofessional Communication, Teams/Teamwork and Intercultural Humility) https://interprofessional.umich.edu/about/ipe-competencies-at-u-m/
This pathway required-course intentionally integrates interdisciplinary or interprofessional practice content including:

CSWE Competencies addressed in this course are: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8

IPE Core Competencies addressed in this course are: Values/ethics; roles/responsibilities; intercultural humility

ID/IPE content that will be addressed and evaluated in the following ways:
1. Interdisciplinary and/or interprofessional practice are required content areas in the course with integration of relevant required readings, class lecture and discussion including:

Focus of multiple readings, lectures, and class discussions include multidisciplinary and interprofessional conceptualizations of child and adolescent intervention. Students learn to develop and implement interventions that increase child and family physical, social, and mental well being. Two common assignments require students to practice skills of interprofessional collaborations, such as understanding the roles and responsibilities of multidisciplinary team members. Intercultural humility is a key area of content for this course which focuses on delivering interventions that are culturally affirming and relevant.

2. Students will be encouraged to actively contribute from their experiences, field placement practice, knowledge of readings, etc. to considerations of the impact of interdisciplinary and interprofessional care related to diverse populations and settings.

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