• Discussion 1: Identifying Micro Skills

  As a new social work student, it takes a lot of time and practice to learn how to work with clients. Knowing when to use micro skills such as rephrasing or clarifying a statement, confronting a situation, or disclosing your personal experiences can be unclear at times. Suppose a client you are working with shares experiences of child abuse. You also experienced child abuse, although, not to the extent that your client is sharing. Do you share your experience with the client? What would be the purpose of this self-disclosure? When is it appropriate to tell a client about your history? The latter question not only depends on your comfort-level with the disclosure; it also depends on the rules and regulations of your agency. Some settings, such as those involving substance abuse, encourage the hiring of people with substance abuse histories and, in turn, allow self-disclosure. However, hospital and psychiatric settings may restrict self-disclosure to protect their clients and the social worker. When might one micro skill be more appropriate than another? What challenges might you face when using micro skills if they are not used properly?

• For this Discussion, review this week’s Resources. Consider any challenges you might encounter when using micro practice skills while interviewing the client. Then think about what other skills you might use to overcome those challenges. Finally, reflect on any skills at which you think you might excel while working with the client. 

  Post by Day 3 an explanation of the challenges you might encounter when using micro practice skills while interviewing the client. Then explain what skills you might use to overcome those challenges. Finally, explain what skills you think you might excel at while working with a client and why.

PLEASE USE REQUIRED SOURCES IN RESPONSE ATTACHED BELOW

• Discussion 2: Generalist Intervention Model

  As a social worker, how do you identify the needs and presenting concerns of a given population? Once you determine those needs and presenting concerns, how do you select the most appropriate intervention and assess that it is effective for this population and the specific concerns they face? Social workers must draw from a variety of resources and consider all of the cultural, societal, biological, and physical factors that might influence a client’s experience. While no intervention fits all situations, practice models, such as the GIM, offer social workers a starting point from which they can engage, assess, plan, implement, evaluate, terminate, and follow-up with the needs of their clients.

  For this Discussion, review this week’s Resources. Then, select a population with which you would be interested in working as a future social worker.  Finally, consider how the Generalist Intervention Model might assist you in working with this population, given what you have read so far.

  Post by Day 4 a brief description of your population of interest and explain how the Generalist Intervention Model might assist you in working with this population given what you have read so far.

  Support your posts and responses with specific references to the Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

REQUIRED REFERENCE FOR THE GENERALIST INTERVENTION MODEL:

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2015). Understanding generalist practice (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

• • Chapter 1, “Introducing Generalist Practice: The Generalist Intervention Model” (pp. 1–52) 

• Discussion 1: Identifying Micro Skills

  As a new social work student, it takes a lot of time and practice to learn how to work with clients. Knowing when to use micro skills such as rephrasing or clarifying a statement, confronting a situation, or disclosing your personal experiences can be unclear at times. Suppose a client you are working with shares experiences of child abuse. You also experienced child abuse, although, not to the extent that your client is sharing. Do you share your experience with the client? What would be the purpose of this self-disclosure? When is it appropriate to tell a client about your history? The latter question not only depends on your comfort-level with the disclosure; it also depends on the rules and regulations of your agency. Some settings, such as those involving substance abuse, encourage the hiring of people with substance abuse histories and, in turn, allow self-disclosure. However, hospital and psychiatric settings may restrict self-disclosure to protect their clients and the social worker. When might one micro skill be more appropriate than another? What challenges might you face when using micro skills if they are not used properly?

• For this Discussion, review this week’s Resources. Consider any challenges you might encounter when using micro practice skills while interviewing the client. Then think about what other skills you might use to overcome those challenges. Finally, reflect on any skills at which you think you might excel while working with the client. 

  Post by Day 3 an explanation of the challenges you might encounter when using micro practice skills while interviewing the client. Then explain what skills you might use to overcome those challenges. Finally, explain what skills you think you might excel at while working with a client and why.

PLEASE USE REQUIRED SOURCES IN RESPONSE ATTACHED BELOW

• Discussion 2: Generalist Intervention Model

  As a social worker, how do you identify the needs and presenting concerns of a given population? Once you determine those needs and presenting concerns, how do you select the most appropriate intervention and assess that it is effective for this population and the specific concerns they face? Social workers must draw from a variety of resources and consider all of the cultural, societal, biological, and physical factors that might influence a client’s experience. While no intervention fits all situations, practice models, such as the GIM, offer social workers a starting point from which they can engage, assess, plan, implement, evaluate, terminate, and follow-up with the needs of their clients.

  For this Discussion, review this week’s Resources. Then, select a population with which you would be interested in working as a future social worker.  Finally, consider how the Generalist Intervention Model might assist you in working with this population, given what you have read so far.

  Post by Day 4 a brief description of your population of interest and explain how the Generalist Intervention Model might assist you in working with this population given what you have read so far.

  Support your posts and responses with specific references to the Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

REQUIRED REFERENCE FOR THE GENERALIST INTERVENTION MODEL:

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2015). Understanding generalist practice (6th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

• • Chapter 1, “Introducing Generalist Practice: The Generalist Intervention Model” (pp. 1–52)