As a social worker, I will recognize when situations with individuals, families, groups, organizations, or communities necessitate an intervention in order to promote the human rights and dignity and worth of persons. I will speak out for others. I will utilize connections and relationships on behalf of others, and I will personally walk with individuals through life challenges that are not easily managed alone in order to ensure that the best outcome is achieved for their best interests. I understand that intervention is often an ongoing process in order to achieve desired results. I understand theories of human behavior and the social environment and utilize this information in critically evaluating options for potential interventions. I also utilize evidence-based interventions as I interact with interprofessional cohorts for interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and inter-organizational collaboration. I value communication and will utilize proper communication channels to stay connected with all parties involved in the intervention to ensure a seamless process. In that process all should be aware of the proposed intervention and how they each fit into the overall picture of making the proposal a success for the client(s).
8.1 Implemented Clinical Evidence-based Interventions with Individuals, Families, and/or Groups
I implemented clinical evidence-based interventions in both real experiences at my internship and in mock sessions in order to effect a positive change for clients or patients.
Fieldwork Experience: The evidence-based interventions that I employ include a strengths and person-centered approach by offering some patients inpatient admission when warranted, offering other patients admission to our partial hospitalization program, and offering still other patients outpatient resources to programs or facilities. In accordance with our policies at this facility, if a patient presents with obvious signs of physical distress, they need to be medically cleared before we conduct an assessment. I relied on that guidance in determining that a medical clearance needed to be implemented prior to any behavioral health interventions for a particular patient I was seeing. I also had the good fortune on another occasion to secure a psychiatry appt for a patient that needed it as soon as possible. The appointment was just 2 weeks out, which was exceptional, as the earliest appointments are usually months out.
Additionally, I implemented a plan of care for the patient that included a listing of therapy referral sites, including potential wait times, per doctor’s orders after triaging. The referrals offered are attached below.
Comp. 8.1 Fieldwork Journal Date
Comp. 8.1 Fieldwork Journal Entry
Therapy earliest available local
Coursework Experience: In SOCW 617 – Advanced Clinical Practice: Group Psychotherapeutic Skills, we explored and examined they way in which group therapy should be practiced and also had opportunities to put those theories into practice in mock sessions. I examined evidence-informed interventions as well as engaged with “clients” to implement a culturally responsive approach to achieve the client’s goals, such as addressing potential areas of discrimination that the client may be feeling. This was accomplished through a mock therapy dialogue, in which interventions were implemented and interwoven throughout the session.
8.2 Integrated Macro Level Evidence-based Strategies with Organizations and/or Communities
Fieldwork Experience: At Deaconess Cross Pointe, I collaborated with the organization’s supervisors to evaluate the implementation or the telemental health program and systems approach failures with the current telemental health program. We discussed ways in which we could provide better service provision to patients, including having random patients try to make an appointment via their MyChart portals, in order to further understand how successful most people were at creating appointments and understanding the limits to those appointments. In order to engage at this level about the needs in the community, I asked questions about what preliminary steps were taken prior to the rollout and suggested that interoffice trials should be replaced with patient trials to note the usability of the program. The presentation that served as a springboard is listed below, as is a policy proposal to consider in community service provision.
Proposed TELEMENTAL HEALTH OUTPATIENT POLICY
Coursework Experience: In SOCW 612 Advanced Administrative Practice: Program Development, our logic model and evaluation plan to be presented to the organization that our program falls under serves as an evidence-based strategy integrated with a macro organization. This model serves to illustrate how our advocacy for individuals is not limited to personal interactions but also advocacy at a macro level in order to ensure that individuals, families, and groups within a community receive the benefits they need. Below you will find our logic model and evaluation plan.
Project Planning Form and Logic Model
Knowledge: The knowledge that I incorporated in this competency includes a knowledge of how to THINK STRATEGICALLY about how to implement the suggested disposition for the patient. Further, I had to employ TESTED KNOWLEDGE as I considered the options available for intervention and ENSURED IMPLEMENTATION of the recommended disposition(s).
Values: In order to complete this competency, I had to reflect upon the values of SERVICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE, DIGNITY AND WORTH OF PERSONS, and COMPETENCY. In furtherance of the betterment of my patients there is an element of service which drives my desire to stand up for the social justice of all and due to the inherent dignity and worth of all persons. Additionally, my efforts will prove fruitless unless my actions are couched in competency. With all of these elements present, I will provide the very best of service to my worthy patients.
Skills: This competency requires me to COLLABORATE with other entities to ensure that I can schedule the appropriate interventions for my patients before they leave the office. It also includes INTERPERSONAL SKILLS, in that I must work with the patient to understand their agreeance with the suggseted disposition or not in order to press forward. I will also likely employ COMPUTER SKILLS, including work with Microsoft Excell and Microsoft Word.
Cognitive Processes: In the completion of this competency, I had to INTERPRET information gathered from an assessment and TRANSLATE that into a cogent intervention to assist their mental or substance use issues. In coordination with doctors, I will SELECT appropriate interventions and FORMULATE a way in which those interventions can be put into practice.
Affective Processes: This competency required that I LISTEN to the patient, listen to the provider, and listen to the intervention sites as to feasibility of the dispositions we recommend for intervention and the ability to implement those choices expeditiously. I was also tasked to CHOOSE choose interventions that I thought were appropriate for each patient and present them to the patient and the patient’s family for review, once the provider on call had given his approval for a certain direction. Finally, once decisions were made, I needed to ACT ON the agreed upon path forward and see that it was set in motion.
Theoretical Foundation: The theoretical foundation that was most useful in this competency included the EMPOWERMENT THEORY, because this entire competency includes the presentation of suggested interventions for the patient, their ability to agree to a path forward, and my empowerment of their choice. Ensuring that they have all the resources available to avail themselves of the interventions selected is important. My role is to present options to the patient so that they can realize self-determination in this portion of the process.