SOWK 486 Fall 2021 Planning: Class 08
Week 08: 10/13/21 Content: Assessments Reading: Hepworth et al. (2017) chapters eight and nine Due: A-02: Reading Quiz for chapters eight and nine is due at 5:30 PM before class via My Heritage
A presentation at Heritage University @ CBC Week 08 in October 2021 in Pasco, WA 99301, USA by Jacob Campbell
Week 08: 10/13/21 Content: Assessments Reading: Hepworth et al. (2017) chapters eight and nine Due: A-02: Reading Quiz for chapters eight and nine is due at 5:30 PM before class via My Heritage
Assessments give a social worker the ability to “gathering information and formulating it into a coherent picture of the client and his or her circumstances” (p. 187)
When we are thinking about assessments, we generally think about them as being multidimensional.
Although a social worker’s assessment will be guided by the setting in which the assessment is conducted, certain priorities in assessment influence all social work settings.
Initially, three questions should be assessed in all situations:
As students, and especially BA social work students, we want to discuss a little bit of the limitations of this. It should be self evident, but…
[Whole Class Activity: Discussion] Who general gives diagnoses? (think about autism and who general ascribe those diagnoses)
Students role in understanding clinical practice
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders is a collection of diagnoses of mental disordered accompanied by the typical behaviors and symptoms you might see in a particular diagnosis.
[Discussion] How much do you know about the DSM?
[Discussion] What is the purpose of the DSM
—> Click
While the DSM is prolific and used everywhere, there are some problems that are related to the DSM?
[Discussion] What are some of the problems people have with use of a medical model for diagnoses
Graybeal, C. (2001). Strengths-based social work assessment: Transforming the dominant paradigm. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services, 82(3), 233-242. https://doi.org/10.1606/1044-3894.236
Shackle, E. M. (1985). Psychiatric diagnosis as an ethical problem. Journal of Medical Ethics, 11(9), 132-134. https://doi.org/10.1136/jme.11.3.132
</div>The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) is an important tool for understanding and formulating mental and emotional disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013b).
For each disorder, the manual uses a standardized format to present relevant information. The sections contain:
To emphasize strengths and empowerment in the assessment process, Cowger (1994) as cited in the textbook made three suggestions to social workers:
Cowger, C. D. (1994). Assessing client strengths: Clinical assessment for client empowerment. Social Work, 39(3), 262-268. https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/39.3.262
</div>From saleebey, D. (2009) The strengths perspective in social work practice (2nd ed.) Pearson Education inc: Upper Saddle River New Jersey
4 quadrants
And
The following is a short video. So, you all have at least gotten your AA. I want to do a short little test to see how well you can count. We are going to watch a short movie clip of two teams (a black one and a white one) passing the ball. Make sure that you keep an accurate count!
[Activity] Watch the video clip
[Discussion] How many did you count? How many of you noticed the gorilla moon walking through the background?
Context is important when we think about our clients situations.
Assessment focuses on the conditions surrounding troubling behaviors, the conditions that reinforce the behavior, and the consequences and secondary gains that might result. Questions to address this sequence include:
Numerous sources of information can be used individually or in combination. The following are the most common:
College and life is stressful. The following is a short video clip about managing stress by the BBC.
[Whole Class Activity] Watch video clip
<div style=”margin: 0 0 0 2em; text-indent: -2em;” markdown=”1”>BBC. (2010). Managing stress - Brainsmart - BBC [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/hnpQrMqDoqE
</div>We are going to talk some about screening tools. The Global Measure of Perceived Stress, original published by Cohen et al. in 1983, is a tool. I didn’t want to choose a tool that would be too intrusive and that might still be useful. In class, I’ve generally printed and had students complete about five different screeners to see how each of them work. Today we will just do this one.
[Whole Class Activity] Write on a sheet of paper your rating for each of the numbers (make sure to number your answer)
For each question choose from the following alternatives: 0 - never 1 - almost never 2 - sometimes 3 - fairly often 4 - very often
Example taken from the New Hampshire Department of Employee Assistance Programs: https://das.nh.gov/wellness/Docs/Percieved%20Stress%20Scale.pdf
<div style=”margin: 0 0 0 2em; text-indent: -2em;” markdown=”1”>Cohen, S., Kamarck, T., & Mermelstein, R. (1983). A Global Measure of Perceived Stress. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 24(4), 385. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136404
</div>Score yourself
Individual scores on the PSS can range from 0 to 40 with higher scores indicating higher perceived stress.
The Perceived Stress Scale is interesting and important because your perception of what is happening in your life is most important. Consider the idea that two individuals could have the exact same events and experiences in their lives for the past month. Depending on their perception, total score could put one of those individuals in the low stress category and the total score could put the second person in the high stress category
[Small Group Activity] Students will be broken up into small groups to consider their scores for the Perceived Stress Screener
[Whole Class Activity] Have discussion about how we can use screeners and why we might use them.
PHQ-9 - Patient Depression Questionnaire
<div style=”margin: 0 0 0 2em; text-indent: -2em;” markdown=”1”>Kroenke, K., Spitzer, R. L., & Williams, J. B. (2001). The PHQ-9: Validity of a brief depression severity measure. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 16(9), 606-613. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2001.016009606.x
</div>GAD-7 - Generalized Anxiety
<div style=”margin: 0 0 0 2em; text-indent: -2em;” markdown=”1”>Spitzer, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, J. B. W., & Löwe, B. (2006). A brief measure for assessing generalized anxiety disorder: The GAD-7. Archives of Internal Medicine, 166(10), 1092-1097. https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.10.1092
</div>GAIN-SS - Internalizing, externalizing, and substance abuse.
<div style=”margin: 0 0 0 2em; text-indent: -2em;” markdown=”1”>Dennis, M. L., Chan, Y.-F., & Funk, R. R. (2006). Development and validation of the GAIN short screener (GSS) for internalizing, externalizing and substance use disorders and crime/violence problems among adolescents and adults. American Journal on Addictions, 15(s1), 80-91. https://doi.org/10.1080/10550490601006055
</div>Show the various tools at PMH-NP
Good practice requires social workers to use a variety of communication methods to encourage the client to tell his or her story.
Social workers’ initial contacts with clients will concentrate on…
A portion of the assessment should include information regarding the various systems they interact with
People commonly interact with the following systems:
Determining unmet needs, then, is the first step in identifying which resources must be tapped or developed.
In determining clients’ unmet needs and wants, it is essential to consider the developmental stage of the individual, couple, or family.
[Whole Class Activity] Discuss how we asses needs along with the difference between needs and wants.
This assignment is going to be a part of participation in class for week 09. There are no other assignments either this week or next to have time to prepare for it.
Purpose: For students to be able to both increase knowledge around assessment and to facilitate learning for peers about what to examine in various assessments.
Task: Students will work in small groups to plan a presentation to take place during class on 10/19/20. Students will prepare a short five to 10-minute presentation to talk about what social workers should be looking for in various aspects of assessments. During class 10/12/20 students will be divided up into four groups. Each group will be assigned one of the following out of the textbook:
Students are to prepare to share information and have a discussion with classmates about their selected area. Students may choose to create a presentation that can be completed during class. The goal is to help classmates know how to assess for the given topic and have a group discussion about the topic.
Criterion for Success: Students will show they are prepared in class on week nine to facilitate both information about their topic and have discussion with their fellow students.
I wanted to show how I write my notes.
The following are the general parts of a MSE
[Discussion] Do we use formalized words in our documentation?
[Discussion] Mental Status Examination vs Mini Mental Status Examination
General appearance is one aspect that is evaluated by workers as a part of a diagnostic process.
—> Appearance
Along with the appearance is…
Facial expressions and psychomotor activity are both included in the general appearance of the client.
Speech and language is also a part of the general appearance.
Reporting on emotions is an important aspect of client assessment as well.
Neurovegetative (autonomic - acting or occurring involuntarily) can be signs of depression. Neurovegetative symptoms are symptoms leading to dissociation from society as a whole.
Symptoms include physical, emotional and cognitive changes. When the symptoms combine as in depression, they work in unison to cause a further decline in the mental state of the patient. This downward spiral can be overlooked until the depression is in an extreme state.)
Another area that is that of a clients cognitive functioning.
As well there can be…
Thoughts and perceptions are another area that we evaluate.