Time Schedule:
Taryn Lindhorst
SOC W 540
Seattle Campus
Teaches theory and strengths-based practice within multi-disciplinary medical clinics and emergency settings from bio-psychosocial, family systems, multi-cultural, contextual, and lifespan perspectives. Advances skills in conducting assessments and cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused, motivational and crisis interventions to support individuals and families experiencing pain and loss associated with trauma and acute or chronic illness.
Class description
This advanced health care practice course teaches theory, knowledge and practice skills used by health care social workers in prevention, public health, primary care and emergency department settings. Health is much broader than just the absence of disease, so this course draws on biopsychosocial, ecological, contextual, multicultural, and lifespan theories to inform our understanding of health. Special emphasis is placed on understanding health disparities, issues of disability and chronic illness interprofessional collaboration and consultation, review of medical terminology, and medical ethics.
This course focuses on skill building around theory and strengths based assessment and intervention aimed at the individual, family, organization and larger cross-cultural community. Students will be encouraged to think systemically about multi-level aspects of individual health experiences. Specific assessment and intervention strategies related to motivational interviewing, narrative elicitation for planning care, crisis intervention and cognitive behavioral theory will be demonstrated.
Student learning goals
Theory Skills 1) Explain and utilize the spectrum of theories and approaches addressed around practice interventions in health settings identifying linkages between application of methods and theory. 2) Demonstrate a clear knowledge and support of the application of strengths and empowerment perspective in working with clients and their families in health care practice. 3) Describe the general characteristics of particular settings and contexts of health care delivery, the influence of these on social work practice and methods of intervention. 4) Apply knowledge of human development over the lifespan to achieve appropriate assessment and enhance interventions. 5) Understand the empirical basis for practice and the role that research has in informing practice and increasing professional knowledge in health care.
Multicultural Interprofessional Practice 1) Recognize and be sensitive to the effects of cultural variation in responses to health, illness, and disability and demonstrate an ability to work with diverse populations in health care settings. 2) Explain the relationship of health disparities, socio-economic variables and group membership to health outcomes and interventions that can be successful in improving outcomes. 3) Incorporate and advocate for social justice and ethical practice in health care settings. 4) Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of skilled interprofessional collaborative practice in health care settings and the role that social workers have as teacher and consultant with other colleagues.
Assessment and Intervention Skills 1) Recognize and incorporate biopsychosocial factors in the assessment and design of treatment strategies associated with specific categories of illness and disability (e.g. sudden trauma, chronic illness, etc.). 2) Demonstrate how core social work skills are applied across a variety of health care settings, including the establishment of helping relationships, psychosocial assessment, advocacy, resource mobilization, management of loss, grief and painful emotions. 3) Demonstrate the ability to do problem-oriented medical recording to document assessments and intervention plans in a medical chart. 4) Demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate narrative, motivational, crisis, cognitive behavioral and other brief treatment approaches in health practice settings. 5) Discuss the legal and ethical principles influencing the social workers role in health care practice, including limits to confidentiality, liability, charting, right to treatment, advanced directives etc.
Self-Awareness Skills as a Professional Social Worker 1. Demonstrate awareness of one’s own assumptions, beliefs, values, and behaviors with regard to illness, disability and one’s own mortality. 2. Affirm and respect one’s own and others’ cultural identities as they interface with choices regarding death and grief. 3. Be mindful of the role of power differentials and social inequalities in influencing family and professional staff behavior and relations in health care. 4. Demonstrate a commitment to the core values and ethics of the social work profession as evidenced in classroom discussion, course assignments and practice interventions. 5. Develop a deeper understanding of the reactions you, families, friends and clients have to health care problems, illness and disability in life.
General method of instruction
This course will be taught using interactive and participatory exercises and focuses heavily on the development of self-awareness, so students should be prepared to “wrestle” with their own fears, beliefs and hopes about health, illness and disability.
Recommended preparation
Class assignments and grading
15% Class Contribution: Because this course focuses on learning social work skills, it’s important that you are on time for each session and actively participate. Exercises in and out of class will be part of the evaluation of your growth and mastery of the course material. Given the pace of the class, more than two absences will negatively affect your course grade, and could result in failure of the class.
25% Assessment and Intervention in Illness Part 1: More information on this assignment will be provided in class. In brief, you will be asked to explore an illness narrative either through reading a biographical illness account, or interviewing a friend or family member with a serious illness and write a 2 – 3 page report on the major issues related to this illness. (due week 3)
Part 2: Based on the narrative you selected in the “Narratives of Illness” assignment, you will write a 4 - 5 page report providing the rationale for an intervention based on one of the approaches used in this class, and discuss the implementation of this intervention in another cultural group. More information on this assignment will be provided in class. (due week 5)
25% Case Consultation (weeks 6 – 9) You will all participate in a case consultation group made of 8-9 of your classmates. Friday “Breakfast Club” (9:00 – 10:00) and “Lunch Bunch” (12:00 – 1:00). Each of you will be responsible for presenting and writing up a case assessment and intervention plan once during this 5 week period. Two cases will be presented each week in each group. The presentation should be a biopsychosocial assessment one single-spaced page long. An example will be given to class members two weeks before the first case group. On the day of your presentation, copies of your assessment and intervention plan should be given to each member of your group and to me (9-10 total ). In addition you should write one or two questions or issues about the case that you would find particularly interesting for the group to discuss. Each presentation and the discussion should last approximately 15-20 minutes. I will be available via email or during office hours for consultation prior to your presentation and will provide written feedback on your assessment the following week. You will be able to revise it if you want. The purpose of the presentation is to give members of the group a chance to hear about a case you are working on and to help you think through your assessment and intervention plan.
35% Final Project You will negotiate your final project with me based on your learning objectives. The final project can be either a professional poster presentation and brief report on a topic that we mutually agree on (and that would benefit your field site), or you can videotape yourself utilizing at least one of the specific assessment and intervention techniques we will discuss and write a brief report on its use. I will provide you feedback on your practice (this will require a 30 minute appointment during finals week). More information will be given on this project in class.
assignments are graded based on four criteria: a) thoroughness and completeness of content, b) clarity and logic of presentation c) evidence of critical thought and self-reflection, and d) writing and editing quality. Feedback will be provided to students which critiques the student's strengths and need for improvement in each of these areas. Please see the attached “Summary of Course Schedule” for due dates on all assignments.
