Fall 2026 SOWK 587 Week 08 - Individual Engagement, Assessment, and Intervention Skills

A significant activity school social workers engage in is completing individual work through the process of engagement, assessment, and intervention. This week’s reading, Jarolmen and Bautista-Thomas (2023), section one of chapter nine, describes the process social workers follow when implementing change in a school setting (referral, engagement, assessment, and implementation). They describe evidence-based practices related to intervention (cognitive-behavioral therapy, evidence-based trauma treatment, motivational interviewing, and a solution-focused brief approach) and to need (autism, behavioral disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety). The forum prompts build on this content. They are extra credit this week. During class, we will practice activities and discuss the referral, assessment, and treatment approaches.

The agenda for the in-person class includes:

  • Referrals
  • Practical application of gathering information
  • Assessment
  • Solution-Focused Therapy in the Schools

The learning objectives for the week include:

  • Explain the stages of school-based intervention (referral, engagement, assessment, and intervention) and describe the school social worker’s role at each stage.
  • Identify and evaluate evidence-based practices used in school settings to address common student needs, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), trauma-informed approaches, and solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT).
  • Analyze culturally relevant adaptations of evidence-based interventions using case study material, with attention to feasibility and ethical considerations in school-based practice.
  • Apply engagement and assessment skills in simulated activities, including role-plays of referral discussions and initial solution-focused sessions with students.

Clinical Case Study: CBT for depression in a Puerto Rican adolescent

With the Simulated home visit this week, class will likely start at 10:45 or so. While you wait, the following is material you can engage in.

[Small Group Activity] Read Case Study and Discuss

Read the case study and discuss the following with a partner:

  • What stood out to you about the way CBT was adapted?
  • What are the implications of this study for school-based mental health interventions?
  • What ethical considerations are important when designing culturally adapted interventions?

[Content Note] ✅ Competency E

Jiménez Chafey, M. I., Bernal, G., & Rosselló, J. (2009). Clinical case study: CBT for depression in a Puerto Rican adolescent: challenges and variability in treatment response. Depress Anxiety, 26(1), 98-103. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.20457

Agenda and Learning Objectives: Plan for Week 10

Agenda

  • Referrals
  • Practical application of gathering information
  • Assessment
  • Solution-Focused Therapy in the Schools

Learning Objectives

  • Explain the stages of school-based intervention (referral, engagement, assessment, and intervention)
  • Analyze culturally relevant adaptations of evidence-based interventions using case study material, with attention to feasibility and ethical considerations in school-based practice.
  • Apply engagement and assessment skills in simulated activities, including role-plays of referral discussions and initial solution-focused sessions with students.

Referrals

[Whole Group Activity] Framing Discussion

  • What do your schools do to refer students for services?
  • What works well, and what doesn’t?
  • In referral meetings, what information is generally shared?

[Whole Group Activity] Referral Pitch

Working groups of three or four: make a pitch for a student to be referred to social work services. It could be a real case or a fictional one.

Use of Screening Tool & Facesheet

Referral and assessment

[Whole Group Activity] Discuss my initial use of Y-PSC

Examples of Facesheet Used

Multipurpose:

  • Quick access to information
  • Mini assessment

Formalized Assessment Tools

[Whole Group Activity] Framing Discussion

  • Assessment tools used in your schools

Textbook has a long list of assessment tools:

  • The young children’s empathy measure
  • Depression rating scale
  • Behavior and emotional rating scale
  • Children’s cognitive assessment questionnaire
  • Children’s perceive self-control scale
  • Child report of posttraumatic symptoms and parent report of posttraumatic symptoms
  • Adolescent concerns evaluation
  • Behavioral self-concept scale
  • Behavior rating index for children’s (BRIC)
  • Childhood personality scale
  • Children’s cognitive assessment questionnaire
  • Eyberg behavior inventory
  • Family, friends, and self form
  • Hare self-esteem scale
  • Homework problem, checklist
  • Index of peer relations
  • Multi attitude, suicide, tendency scale
  • Concern, overweight, and dieting scale
  • Connor’s teacher rating scale
  • The young children’s empathy measure
  • Brown attention deficit disorder scales for children and adolescence
  • Pediatric adverse childhood experiences and related life events
  • CASEL SEL assessment guide
  • The RAND education assessment finder
  • Mental health screening and evaluation compendium
  • Strengths and difficulties questionnaire
  • Measuring violence related to attitudes, behaviors, and influence among youth
  • Measuring bullying, victimization, perpetration, and bystander experiences
  • Compendium of screening tools for early childhood, social-emotional development
  • Social-emotional learning assessment measures for middle school youth
  • California evidence base clearinghouse for child welfare
  • Ohio scales
  • Single system design analysis
  • DSM five online assessment measures

Consider reviewing pp. 187-191 for info

[Small Group Activity] Find and share a few assessments

Consider:

  • What might you use in your practice
  • Recognize that not all of them are easily findable

(Jarolmen & Bautista-Thomas, 2023, pp. 187-191)

[Content Note] ✅ Competency E

Assessment

[Whole Group Activity] Framing the Discussion

  • What type of information might you need to gather to understand the needs of a student

[Small Group Activity] Assessment Hot Seat Working groups of three or four, have the group gather assessment data by putting peers in the hot seat to answer questions

Solution-Focused Therapy in the Schools

The First Session

  • Inquire into the child’s life.
  • Clarify problem behaviors (Why do you think you are here?).
  • Ask relationship questions to see how others view the problem.
  • Track exceptions to the problem.
  • Scale the problem…
  • Ask the miracle question to develop solutions.
  • Take a session break to reflect, develop compliments and formulate tasks.
  • Deliver compliments and tasks.

[Small Group Activity] Partner Role Play

With a partner, take one of the examples of students used in discussing referral/assessment and role-play the first session.

[Content Note] ✅ Competency E