Competency 7: Assess with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities

 

Introduction: An assessment is a way to gather and analyze information from a holistic approach to understand a client’s situation and goals. Social Workers understand and know that each aspect of a person’s life is intertwined, therefore treatments and supports are geared to address the whole person’s well-being (psychological, physical, emotional, and spiritual). This is done from a strengths-based perspective and using various evidence-based tools.

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7.1 – Formulate comprehensive assessments, using a variety of diagnostic classification systems

Course Evidence: Online discussion board questions contained case scenarios in which we had to assess the facts provided and utilize the DSM-5 to diagnose the client.

Field Evidence: For the Austin Hatcher Foundation I created a five question Parents Needs Assessment to determine the needs of parents and their satisfaction with services from ATF.  This information also provided feedback to my supervisor and the Program Director. 

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7.2 – Design and implement organizational and/or community assessments

Course Evidence: Human Trafficking Advocates group created an eight question Consent Form & Survey Questionnaire  that would be given to sex trafficked survivors to assess their needs in terms of program services and areas of concern.

Field Evidence: In therapy sessions the Beck Depression Inventory assessment tool was utilized for youth to obtain baseline of where the client was presently so that we could determine what areas to focus on when creating goals and then completed again to compare and assess progress. Specific assessment types used were for self-concept, anxiety, and depression. I also completed Psychosocial Assessment Tools to determine what level of services a family would best benefit from based on how they rated their level of needs (i.e. spiritual, support system, pediatric cancer child areas of concern, area of concern with other children, financial, family dynamic, marital, etc). After all information has been input into the system, the assessment is then scored and results can indicate that either clinical, targeted, or universal intervention is needed.