Fall 2025 SOWK 486w Week 03 - Direct Social Work Practice

A presentation at Heritage University in September 2025 by Jacob Campbell and is tagged with Heritage University, BASW Program, SOWK 486w

Two stylized figures sitting across a table, representing communication. Text: 'An Overview: Direct Social Work Practice.' Additional text: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025' and 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

**Object:** Presentation Slide **Action:** Displays text **Context:** Focuses on Week 3 Plan for a social work course. **Important Text:**- **Week 3 Plan**- **Agenda:** - How we help - Orienting perspectives for social work practice - Evidence-based practice - Involuntary clients - Ecological Systems Model - Social work jobs and roles- **Learning Objectives:** - Identify and describe key roles, settings, and practice areas where social workers operate, including local examples. - Explain the purpose of social work and how the profession addresses prevention, restoration, and remediation. - Analyze the ecological systems model and orienting perspectives (e.g., strengths-based, cultural humility, trauma-informed) as frameworks for understanding client interactions. - Reflect on personal and professional alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and its core values. - Describe strategies for building trust and promoting cooperation with mandated clients.- **Footer:** SOWK 486bw Fall 2025, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University

A child sits with head on folded arms against a concrete wall, wearing jeans and a white shirt. Blue text box reads: “You can close your eyes to the things you don't want to see, but you can't close your heart to the things you don't want to feel.” — Johnny Depp.

A child sits on the floor, hugging knees, against a concrete wall. Blue panel with text: 'Recall a time you were experiencing...supported. How did you 'know'...that person was supportive...List these on your poster for future reference.'

Venn diagram: Three overlapping circles titled 'Prevention,' 'Remediation,' and 'Restoration.' Center labeled 'The Purpose of Social Work.' Text details social work objectives. Source: Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LCSW at Heritage University.

Title text presents 'Contemporary Influences on Social Work.' Bullet points list factors: self-care, pandemics, funding, technology, globalization, scientific changes, sociopolitical environment. Citation: Hepworth et al., 2023. Footer: course details.

The image illustrates NASW core values with associated images and text: Service, Social Justice, Dignity & Worth, Relationships, Integrity, and Competence. Additional text: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

**Object:** Presentation slide**Action:** Lists core values**Context:** Describes NASW ethical principles for social workers, including service, social justice, dignity and worth, relationships, integrity, and competence. Encourages partner discussion on relevance.**Text:**- 'NASW Core Values (National Association of Social Workers, 2021)'- 'Service: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems.' - 'Social Justice: Social workers challenge social injustice.' - 'Dignity and Worth of the Person: Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person.' - 'Importance of Human Relationships: Social workers recognize the central importance of human relationships.' - 'Integrity: Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner.' - 'Competence: Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise.'- 'With a partner, discuss these ethical principles and how they relate to your life or how you connect with it.'- 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025'- 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University'

A presentation slide titled “Orienting Perspectives for Social Work Practice.” It features a diagram with “Ecosystem Perspective” and “Direct Practice.” Five focus areas are: Strengths Perspective, Cultural Humility, Antioppressive Practice, Trauma-Informed Practice, and Evidence-Informed Practice. Text includes: “SOWK 486w Fall 2025” and “Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.”

Title text reads 'Principles for Practice' against a gradient background from yellow to pink. The slide includes phrases: 'Embedded in interactions with their social and physical environments,' 'Collaborative problem solving,' and 'Self-awareness.' Bottom text states, 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025,' 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

Diagram with circular arrows connects 'Research' and 'Practice.' Context includes bullet points: 'Choosing effective interventions,' 'More effective individual practice,' and 'Development of profession.' Text credits Jacob Campbell and Heritage University.

Ribbon graphic depicting a training focus, alongside text reading: 'Evidence-Based Practice: Focuses not just on knowing about the intervention but on acquiring the skills necessary to carry it out effectively” (Hepworth, et al., 2017, p.19). Footer: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

Two colored blocks compare approaches: the left blue block describes 'Common Elements Approach' focused on commonalities in interventions, and the right yellow block describes 'Common Factors Approach' highlighting shared factors like relationship strength. Footer text: SOWK 486w Fall 2025, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.

Slide with title 'Deciding when and how to intervene with clients in social work practice.' Key points: Increase decision-making, assess environment, sensitive to diversity, evidence-based practices, critical thinking. Credits: Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW, Heritage University.

Main text: 'Define Critical Thinking Skills and Apply Them to Practice' alongside 'Universal Intellectual Standards (Paul & Elder, 2014)'The slide lists elements like 'Purpose,' 'Question,' and 'Concepts,' explaining each briefly, focusing on reasoning and clarity. Context: educational presentation with a university and instructor's name mentioned.Text at bottom: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025 Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University'

The slide features three squares: 'legally mandated' in yellow, 'voluntary' in green, and 'non voluntary' in orange, labeled 'Types of Clients'. Context includes course information: SOWK 486w Fall 2025, Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University.

Slide titled 'Involuntary Clients' lists five tips for working with them, such as acknowledging their voluntary status. It includes a sidebar with '10 Tips for Working with Mandated Clients' by Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015.

**Object**: Presentation slide **Action**: Lists strategies for handling involuntary clients **Context**: Slide titled 'Involuntary Clients' with tips including offering choices, fostering trust, and respecting client decisions. Includes a reference to '10 Tips for Working with Mandated Clients' by Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2015. Text attribution to Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. at Heritage University.

The image shows a stylized blue river flowing from green mountains with a yellow leaf, symbolizing the 'Ecological Systems Model.' Text explains it as a tool for social workers to analyze interactions within various systems. Additional text: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025' and 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

A river flows through a diagram illustrating the 'Ecological Systems Model.' Text includes descriptions of 'Habitat' and 'Niche.' Additional credit: Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.

Diagram illustrates a mountain labeled 'Habitat' with a river passing through a labeled 'Niche.' Text: “Ecological Systems Model,” “The Diverse Systems,” with bullet points: Subsystems, Interpersonal systems, Organizations, Physical environment. Credits: Jacob Campbell, Ph.D.

Diagram illustrating the 'Ecological Systems Model' with a mountain labeled 'Habitat,' a river labeled 'Niche,' and surrounding 'The Diverse Systems.' It includes icons for closed and open systems. Text boxes explain 'Target System' (affected by intervention) and 'Action System' (performs intervention). Presented by Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. at Heritage University, SOWK 486w Fall 2025.

The diagram depicts a mountain labeled 'Habitat' above a flowing river marked 'The Development of Needed Resources,' intersecting a circular 'Niche' with a fish, amidst 'The Diverse Systems.' Titled 'Ecological Systems Model,' credited to Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University for SOWK 486w Fall 2025, with a reference to Hepworth et al., 2017.

The slide illustrates the 'Ecological Systems Model,' featuring a mountain labeled 'Habitat,' a river labeled 'Niche,' and diagrams depicting mutual influence. Concepts of equifinality and multifinality are explained. Presented by Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LCSW.

A diagram illustrates the 'Ecological Systems Model' featuring a river flowing through a landscape labeled 'Habitat' and 'Niche.' Additional icons and arrows represent diverse systems. Text includes: 'The Diverse Systems', 'Ecological Systems Model', 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025', and 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University'.

Icons representing various social work services surround centralized text reading 'Direct Social Work Practice.' Areas include immigrants, financial services, health, mental health, aging clients, disability, schools, child welfare, youth and family, and substance abuse. Below are: 'SOWK 486w Fall 2025,' 'Jacob Campbell, Ph.D. LICSW at Heritage University.'

A chart depicts 'Levels of Case Management' with a green arrow. 'Intensive' involves fewer clients; 'Administrative' involves more. Transitional stages include 'Blended' and 'Resource coordination.' Text includes course info and citation: 'Summers, 2015.'

The image is a slide titled 'Social Worker Roles and Functions,' displaying five categories: Direct Service Provider, System Developer, Researcher & Research Consumer, System Linkage Roles, and System Maintenance Roles. Sub-bullets under each specify roles such as counselor, program developer, and supervisor. The background is black with text boxes in different colors. Attribution is to Jacob Campbell, Ph.D., LICSW at Heritage University.

Dr. Jacob Campbell

28 slides

Description

Week three of SOWK 486 is about understanding what direct social work practice and some of what makes social workers unique in our helping style. We will start with an exercise, considering how you have been helped in the past. Many clients we work with as social workers are mandated to participate in services involuntary in some manner. We will discuss how to engage with them through some best practices. The agenda for the session is as follows:

How we help
Orienting perspectives for social work practice
Evidence-based practice
Involuntary clients
Ecological Systems Model
Social work jobs and roles

Learning Objectives

Identify and describe key roles, settings, and practice areas where social workers operate, including local examples.
Explain the purpose of social work and how the profession addresses prevention, restoration, and remediation.
Analyze the ecological systems model and orienting perspectives (e.g., strengths-based, cultural humility, trauma-informed) as frameworks for understanding client interactions.
Reflect on personal and professional alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics and its core values.
Describe strategies for building trust and promoting cooperation with mandated clients.