Intervene with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and Communities
As an advanced generalist social worker, I understand that interventions are a continual part of the interactive process of social work practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. I will intervene to impact positive changes for my clients and any stakeholders. Therefore, I will stay knowledgeable about evidence-informed interventions to help clients and constituencies obtain their goals. I will apply the theories of human behavior and the social environment in interventions and will collaborate with other professionals when teamwork is needed in the intervention process.
“Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world”. Jane Addams
PRACTICE BEHAVIORS:
8A: Implement clinical evidence-based interventions with individuals, families, and/or groups.
Academic Evidence: In my Mental Health Emphasis class I researched and learned about evidence-based interventions with individuals with hoarding disorder and how these interventions also involve the families and communities in the person’s environment. I learned how hoarding disorder is grounded in attachment theory, as individuals form an attachment with objects instead of people at an early age. This knowledge is helpful to me personally, as I have people with hoarding disorder in my own circle of family, friends, and neighbors. In working with the geriatric population in the future, I need to know the best practices in intervening with those who have hoarding disorder.
Field Evidence: I have intervened with hospice patients and their families who are facing food insecurities and wrote a journal entry about this intervention, as well as other intervention strategy ideas for individuals and families under hospice care. This demonstrated the social work value of service and economic social justice. It called for knowledge of community resources in finding ways to intervene and used critical thinking skills.
Other Evidence: During the week of intensives in 2019, I researched and wrote a paper on the therapeutic intervention of exposure therapy for my Mental Health Emphasis class. This form of CBT can be used particularly as an intervention for those individuals who have anxiety disorders, phobias, eating disorders, and PTSD. I used both research and writing skills in the assignment and learned about the emotional processing theory, which is the prevailing theory behind exposure therapy.
8B: Integrate macro level evidence-based strategies with organizations and/or communities.
Academic Evidence: I was part of a group that wrote a proposal for a nonprofit organization, Everyone At The Table (EATT) that intervenes on the community level by creating a community garden in East Chattanooga, which is a local food desert. This semester-long project began with extensive research and then writing the proposal plan. I also used interviewing skills when talking to local organizational heads to partner with the potential nonprofit. I gained knowledge of local community resources in the process. The proposal was grounded in the social work values of social justice and the importance of human relationships. I learned to work in a group setting and also volunteered (affective level: responding) to take the lead of the project and edit the final paper.
Field Evidence: After assessing the ethnic diversity of hospice patients at my agency and comparing (affective level: organizing) it to Census Bureau demographic statistics, I did an intervention with local African American pastors to educate them about hospice services and to dispel any common myths that people sometimes have about hospice. This intervention required people skills and speaking skills in interacting with the pastors. I gained knowledge about the details of hospice services and what all they provide to clients in order to prepare for these encounters. Click on the “Special Projects” tab at the top of this page for further details.
Other Evidence: For several years I have volunteered (affective level: responding) as a leader in feeding the homeless population in Chattanooga on Thursday evenings. This community intervention is coordinated by Mustard Tree Ministries and First Baptist Church of Chattanooga. Several churches from different denominations as well as student groups from Chattanooga State and a local high school serve on a rotating basis to intervene with the issue of poverty and hunger. We also provide a place for people to take showers, get a free haircut, and do their laundry. I wrote of my experience working with these organizations in this community strategy to help the homeless in a journal entry. The NASW values of service, social justice, the dignity and worth of the individual, and the importance of human relationships are demonstrated in this volunteer work. I use leadership skills in helping train new volunteers and reflective listening skills when interacting with the homeless population. Being present and accessible to the clients in their immediate experience reflects a person-centered theoretical foundation, and I try to be intentional about listening (affective level: receiving) to each person I encounter as I participate in this community intervention.
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