Assess Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities

As an advanced practitioner, one of the skills that is necessary to understand completely is assessment. The assessment process is one of the key steps in the Generalist Intervention Model and dictates how the remaining steps progress. An accurate assessment of the presenting problem and supplemental data is how a social worker is able to formulate an effective intervention strategy for the client. An inaccurate assessment of the client’s needs can lead to harm or prolonged suffering. In my practicum placement, I am assessing the community’s need for a diversity taskforce, and, based on the data that I collect, I will be able to move forward efficiently.

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

Course Evidence: An essential course that has helped in developing my skills in utilizing different assessment tools was Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis (SOCW-633). In the class, I was able to learn more about the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), and how to create an assessment utilizing this tool. One of the assignments that we were able to complete during the class was creating a fictional character who had a DSM-5 diagnosis and explain the reasoning and factors behind the diagnosis. To see the completed diagnosis and assessment plan, please click here.

Field Evidence: While working as a school-based therapist with Centerstone, I was able to provide both individual and family therapy sessions for students at two elementary schools in Cleveland, Tennessee. For several of my clients, I was able to administer several clinical diagnostic tools to help with making accurate assessments for their diagnoses. For example, I had a client who was referred to me since the school counselor and the student’s teacher felt that the student had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). I was able to use the NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment tool to confirm if the student met the clinical criteria for this diagnosis. To see a sample of the Vanderbilt Assessment, please click here.

7.2 – Design and implement organizational and/or community assessments

Course Evidence: In order to make sure you are able to design and implement organizational assessments, it is vital to understand what needs to be done. During the first Advanced Administration Practice course (SOCW-612), my group was able to design and implement a program proposal to address a specific need in the community. Our program proposal was aimed to help teach people how to cook nutritious, healthy food on a budget and finding good quality food. One of the steps of this program was to create a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis for our program. To see the SWOT analysis for Gourmet on a Budget, please click here.

Field Evidence: As mentioned in Competency 4, while working with Commissioner Geter, I was able to create a needs assessment survey for constituents of Hamilton County related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). After several months of having distributed the survey to as many people as we could, we were able to work on assessing the data that we were able to gather. Based on the information, the vast majority were in agreement that we needed to do more in our county to address DEI issues. From this data, I was able to create a couple of simple charts that helped to visually see how the data translated. To see the information generated from the survey, please click here.