Competency 7: Assess Individuals, Families, Groups,
Organizations, and Communities
Advanced generalist practitioners approach assessment from a strengths based perspective focusing on resiliency and protective factors as a basis for interventions. Advanced generalist practitioners prioritize cultural values, traditions, and unique resources of rural settings by recognizing and validating the client’s contextual world view. Advanced generalist practitioners structure assessment as 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. Biopsychosociospiritual assessments are a critical component of the overall assessment plan in rural settings. Advanced generalist practitioners critically evaluate and adapt theories of human behavior and the social environment and apply this knowledge in the assessment of diverse rural clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities. Advanced generalist practitioners utilize methods of assessment with diverse clients and constituencies to advance practice effectiveness. Advanced generalist practitioners recognize the implications of the larger practice context in the assessment process and value the importance of inter-professional collaboration in this process. Advanced generalist practitioners consider how their personal experiences and affective reactions may impact their assessment and decision-making. Advanced generalist practitioners:
- Collect and organize client-driven data, and skillfully apply critical thinking to interpret information from rural clients and constituencies;
- Apply theories of human behavior and the social environment, person-in-environment, as well as other culturally responsive and interprofessional conceptual frameworks, when assessing rural clients and constituencies;
- Demonstrate respect for client self-determination during the assessment process by collaborating with clients and constituencies in developing a mutually agreed upon plan based on the critical assessment strengths, needs, and challenges in rural settings;
- Modify appropriate culturally responsive intervention strategies based on the assessment, research knowledge, and values and preferences of rural clients and constituencies; and
- Consider aspects intrinsic in rural settings impacting assessment such as connections with church communities, neighbors, extended family, fictive kin, and other informal resources.
Competency #7 In Practice
As a social worker, I recognize the importance of ongoing assessments before, during, and throughout engagement and interventions. Continuous assessments are essential for accurately evaluating client progress and needs. I commit to social work practice that gauges, analyzes, and monitors outcomes, strengths, and needs at the micro, mezzo and macro level. Therefore, I will utilize widely accepted assessment tools to get client feedback at all engagement or program development stages.
7.1 Formulate comprehensive assessments, using a variety of diagnostic classification systems
Class Evidence: In this Case Study in my Psychopathology, Clinical Assessment, & Diagnosis class, I comprehensively demonstrated the skills I had honed all semester through smaller diagnostic assignments (Anxiety Diagnosis, Depression Diagnosis, OCD Diagnosis, Bipolar Diagnosis). In this assignment, I use clinical evidence to explain my diagnosis of persistent depressive disorder in detail. I also review the potential differential diagnoses, including medical diagnoses that could result in similar symptoms for the client, and explain why they were not selected for the primary diagnosis. This assignment also discussed her cultural formation and potential psychosocial and spiritual influences that could impact her symptoms. By formulating this comprehensive assessment using a variety of diagnostic criteria, bio-psycho-social-spiritual factors, and using clinical evidence to rationalize a DSM-5 TR diagnosis, I demonstrated competency in this practice behavior.
Field Evidence: This Risk Trauma Assessment Form is an essential part of our admission process in the Intercept Program at Youth Villages. This form assesses safety concerns for the youth, family, and specialist and reviews critical information in assessing the current situation. This comprehensive assessment goes over basic safety planning, problem history, weapons the youth might have access to, a brief trauma history, things that bother the youth, how the youth responds when bothered, and what helps calm the youth down. Several times, these questions have brought up information critical to the child’s well-being and success. In one admission session, I facilitated these questions and asked others to follow up on the caregiver’s statements, starting up a needful conversation about the caregiver’s discipline tools of choice that had some safety concerns for the child. The questions in this assessment form helped start the process as we worked to give the caregiver more effective tools in reducing the youth’s verbal and physical aggression. By facilitating comprehensive assessments, I have demonstrated in my internship the ability to formulate helpful questions while building rapport with the family and using a variety of diagnostic classifications.
7.2 Design and implement organizational and/or community assessments
Class Evidence: On page 15 of our program proposal is our needs assessment. In this needs assessment, we designed and outlined a thorough plan to assess the needs of youth aging out of the foster care system in Bradley County. This community assessment covers ethical concerns and site permissions and outlines our formulated hypotheses and how we plan to test them. We used a mixed-methods research design utilizing surveys and focus groups to not only assess needs our research had informed us might be a concern for these youth, sexual health education, housing, employment, education, and finances, but also to have focus groups to have open-ended discussions where the youth themselves could bring up what has been most helpful to them and what the areas are they need the most help in. By designing a comprehensive assessment of the needs of this demographic in Bradley County, TN, I demonstrated competency in designing community assessments,
Field Evidence: I implemented this assessment of trauma-informed attitudes to improve trauma-informed attitudes among student missionaries at Southern Adventist University through psychoeducation. This assessment was necessary to establish a baseline of trauma-informed attitudes among the student missionaries in the class before they watched a presentation on the subject. Establishing this baseline allows us to see how the presentation impacted their attitudes and what the baseline of other student missionaries might be that don’t have a presentation on this subject presented to them. The survey included demographic questions to gauge whether gender, race/ethnicity and age can impact trauma-informed attitudes as well. By implementing this assessment on trauma-informed attitudes with the student missionary class at Southern Adventist University, I demonstrated competency in selecting evidence-based research items and facilitating assessments.