Instructions
This assignment asks the student to consider the on-going process of the developing relationship with a client/client system focusing on the processes of engagement, assessment, contracting and goal setting. Choose a client with whom you have had an on-going relationship. If this is not the case, please discuss with your professor. Use the literature to support your use of skills, assessment approach and interventions.
Answer each question.
Describe the client with whom you have been engaging – including your initial impressions and challenges. Integrate the literature.
What does the literature say about the usefulness, importance, and purpose of a biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment?
Provide a detailed biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment of the client system beginning with how the client came to agency, ie: the referral source, what is the presenting problem, issue that needs to be addressed. How do you partialize the problem(s) presented?
Conscious use of self is a critical aspect of professional social work skills. Referring to the scholarly literature, discuss your understanding of this concept and how you are developing this skill. Speak to your experience of learning about your practice with your supervisor. What have your learned about yourself? How you consciously use yourself? How does this process with your practicum supervisor relate to your own developing relationships with your clients? Please add some content from a process recording that demonstrates how you used yourself during the engagement/assessment process. How do biases (conscious and unconscious) impact the assumptions and expectations you have about your client?
5. What goals did you and the client identify? Are these consistent with the client’s needs and the agency’s services? Are there other systems interacting with the client with whom you must connect? Were there referrals and linkages that had to be made to accommodate the client’s needs? Was the client part of the process of identifying and setting goals? If not, why and with whom did you did you develop goals? How might the outcome of the work be impacted by client participation or lack of participation in the goal setting? Were there any value conflicts or ethical dilemmas for you in the goal-setting process? Please integrate the scholarly literature into your response.
How do race, oppression and marginalization figure into your initial engagement, assessment, goals setting strategies and subsequent work with the client? Be self-reflective and include any concerns you or the client may have had over the course of your work together thus far. Include any social work literature that informed your understanding of these issues
What contracting arrangements did you and the client decide upon? Did you have to recontract with the client during the assessment and the beginning of the work stage? What does the scholarly literature say about the importance of contracting?
Provide a conclusion that ties the paper together and highlights anything you would have done differently. Don’t simply repeat your introduction as a concluding statement. Be thoughtful in your concluding statements.
Requirements
Make sure you use and cite professional literature including your textbooks.
Your references should go beyond your textbooks and include at least 7 professional sources outside of the required readings.
Include a reference page using APA (Seventh Edition) style.
Your completed assignment should be approximately 10-12 pages (guide, not a rule).
Bio-Psycho-Social-Spiritual Assessment Organization
Note: This structure is meant for organizing the data, not for presenting it. The final assessment should be an integrated narrative, demonstrating your understanding of the client.
I. Identifying Information
Name: First name and last initial only (e.g., Jessica K.).
Age, Sex, Race
Ethnic Background/Identification (include acculturation issues if applicable).
Marital/Relationship Status
Appearance and Presentation: Affect, dress, grooming, tone of voice.
Current Employment/Educational Status
Household Composition and Circumstances: Current living situation.
II. Reason for Referral/Presenting Problem
Referral Source: How the client came to the attention of the referral source.
Initial Contact: Who made the first contact with your agency?
Presenting Problem/Need and Expected Outcome:
As reported by the client.
As reported by the referring person (if applicable).
Onset, Duration, and Severity of the Problem
Past Attempts to Address the Problem (include efforts at your agency).
Areas Affected by the Problem: Physical well-being, economic situation, occupation, relationships, etc.
III. Client Descriiption/History
Relevant Developmental History: Pre-natal, birth, developmental milestones, speech, delays, strengths; cultural expectations and practices.
Family History: Family composition, family of origin dynamics, intergenerational themes, cultural factors, significant events/traumas, role in the family.
Educational and Occupational History: Include learning difficulties and achievements.
Religious/Spiritual Development: Importance, involvement, positive/negative experiences.
Social Relationships: Quality of network, supports, difficulties.
Dating/Marital/Sexual Relationships
Medical History: Illnesses/diagnoses, current medications, significant family medical history.
Mental Health History: Diagnoses, treatment history, medications, and outcomes.
Alcohol/Drug Use or Abuse: Patterns, impairments, diagnoses, treatments, and outcomes.
Military History: Include service branch and combat experience, if applicable.
Legal History: Past and current involvement with the legal system.
Other Agency Involvement: Past/present experiences with social service agencies.
IV. Current Functioning
Current Stressors
Relationships: Family, partner, friends, co-workers (as applicable).
Role Functioning
Coping and Adaptive Skills
Barriers and Risks Affecting the Problem: Environmental, interpersonal, intrapersonal, etc.
Thought Processes: Memory, intelligence, clarity of thought, mental status, etc.
V. Formulation
In this section, integrate and synthesize the objective information to analyze:
The client’s problem or situation and its underlying causes/contributing factors.
The client’s current functioning.
Strengths and Resources: Social, cultural, familial, psychological, economic, environmental, and systemic factors that will support solutions.
Factors Maintaining the Problem: Social, cultural, familial, psychological, economic, environmental, and systemic factors.
Client’s Motivation and Capacity to address the presenting problem.
Your Voice as a Social Worker:
Share your impressions of the situation.
Provide an assessment of the problem.
Suggest what can be done to improve the situation.
This section reflects your ability to collect, integrate, synthesize, and analyze information.
VI. Intervention Plan
Based on the formulation, outline a realistic intervention strategy:
Problem(s) Chosen for Intervention
Goals and Objectives: Steps to achieve the goals.
Client Role and Responsibilities: In achieving goals and objectives.
Referrals to Other Agencies or Services: Recommendations for other resources.
Anticipated Timeframe: Frequency of meetings, duration of intervention.
Factors Affecting Goal Achievement:
Client motivation and willingness to take responsibility for change.
Personal/cultural resources and limitations.
Agency or community resources/limitations.