1. Direct Social Work Practice, 9th edition Rooney, Dewberry Rooney & Strom-Gottfried
Chapter 8
Assessment: Exploring and Understanding
Problems and Strengths
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.

2. Empowerment Series: Overview
Empowering Programs with Resources that Enhance Social Work Education
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.

3. Social Work: A Competency-Oriented Education
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Social Work: A Competency-Oriented Education
Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)
Defines Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards (EPAS)
Developed Ten “Core Competencies” and 41 Related “Practice Behaviors”
Every student should master the Practice Behaviors and Core Competencies before completing the program

4. Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Resources Aligned to EPAS 2008
The Textbook
“Helping Hands” icons call attention to content that relates to Practice Behaviors and Competencies
(insert icon)
“Competency Notes” at the end of the chapter help put the Practice Behaviors and Competencies in practical context

5. Resources Aligned to EPAS (cont)
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Resources Aligned to EPAS (cont)
The Practice Behaviors Workbook developed with the text provides assignable exercises that assist in mastering the Practice Behaviors and Competencies
Additional online resources can be found at

6. Multidimensionality of Assessment
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Multidimensionality of Assessment
Reciprocal interaction between person and external world
Humans are social creatures
Interactions between numerous systems
Priorities based on:
Client’s immediate concern or presenting problem
Strengths and resources
Legal or safety issues
EPAS 2.1.7a

7. Defining Assessment: Process and Product
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Defining Assessment: Process and Product
Process
What does the client see as his or her primary problems or concerns?
What (if any) current or impending legal mandates must the client and social worker consider?
What (if any) potentially serious health or safety concerns might require the social worker’s and client’s attention?
Product
analysis and synthesis of relevant data into a working definition of the problem
identifies associated factors and clarifies how they interact to produce and maintain the problem
complex working hypothesis based on the most current data available.
EPAS b

8. Developmental needs and life transitions
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Figure 8-1: Overview: Areas for Attention in Assessing Strengths and Problems
Problems as seen by potential clients
-Health and safety concerns
-Legal mandates
-Culture, race, gender, sexual orientation and other areas of difference
Problems and challenges
-Severity
-Sites of problem
-Duration
-Temporal context
-Frequency
-Emotional reaction
-Meanings attached
-Consequences
-Resource deficits
Strengths and resources
-Personal and family coping capacities, skills, values, motivations
-Community resources and support networks including cultural supports
Developmental needs and life transitions
EPAS 2.1.7a

9. Assessment and Diagnosis
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Assessment and Diagnosis
Diagnosis
Shorthand categorization based on specific criteria
Positives: Common language about grouping of symptoms, facilitates research, identifies available treatments, names a condition
Negatives: Self-fulfilling prophecies, obscures uniqueness of the individual, stigma
Assessment
Helps to describe the symptoms related to a diagnosis
Helps to explain the client’s history, current situation
Helps to identify supports and resources to manage the symptoms
EPAS 2.1.3a

10. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR)
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR)
A multiaxial system used to codify the following:
Axis I: Clinical Syndromes
Axis II: Personality disorders and mental retardation
Axis III: Physical disorders
Axis IV: Psychological and environmental problems
Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) score
Considered by many to be counter to Social Work values for its focus on pathology
Widely used as reimbursements are contingent upon diagnosis
EPAS 2.1.3a

11. Culturally Competent Assessment
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Culturally Competent Assessment
Possibilities for distinguishing individual members of an ethnic minority
Degree of commonality between the two cultures (norms, values, beliefs, and perceptions)
Availability of cultural translators, mediators, and models
Amount and type of feedback provided by each culture regarding attempts to produce normative behaviors
Conceptual style and problem-solving approach of the individual and the mesh with the prevalent or valued styles of the majority culture
Individual’s degree of bilingualism
Degree of dissimilarity in physical appearance from the majority culture

12. Emphasizing Strengths in Assessments
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Emphasizing Strengths in Assessments
To emphasize strengths and client empowerment
Give preeminence to client’s understanding of the facts
Discover the client’s wants
Assess personal and environmental strengths on multiple levels

13. Commonly Overlooked Strengths
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Commonly Overlooked Strengths
Facing problems and seeking help
Risking by sharing problems
Persevering under difficult circumstances
Being resourceful and creative
Seeking to further knowledge, education, and skills
Expressing caring feelings to family and friends
Asserting one’s rights rather than submitting to injustice
Being responsible in work or financial obligations

14. Commonly Overlooked Strengths (cont)
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Commonly Overlooked Strengths (cont)
Seeking to understand the needs and feelings of others
Having the capacity for introspection
Demonstrating the capacity for self-control
Being able to function effectively in stressful situations
Demonstrating the ability to consider alternative courses of action and the needs of others when solving problems

15. Figure 8-2: Framework for Assessment
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Figure 8-2: Framework for Assessment
Strength or Resource 1 2
Environmental Factors (family, community)
Individual or Personal Factors 3 4
Deficit, Obstacle, or Challenge
Source: Adapted from Charles D. Cowger, Assessment of Client Strengths in The Strengths Perspective in Social Work Practice, 2nd Ed. (Figure 5.2, p. 69) by Dennis Saleeby. Reprinted by permission of Allyn & Bacon.
EPAS 2.1.7a

16. The Role of Knowledge and Theory in Assessments
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The Role of Knowledge and Theory in Assessments
Brief, solution-focused
Seeking exceptions
Scaling the problem
Scaling Motivation
The miracle question
EPAS 2.1.3b,

17. The Role of Knowledge and Theory in Assessments (cont)
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The Role of Knowledge and Theory in Assessments (cont)
Cognitive Theories: thoughts mediate emotions and actions
Assessments would focus on the nature of the client’s thoughts and schemas (cognitive patterns), causal attributions, the basis for the client’s beliefs, and antecedent thoughts in problematic situations
Behavioral Theories: actions and emotions are created, maintained “and extinguished through principles of learning”
Assessments would focus on the conditions surrounding troubling behaviors, the conditions that reinforce the behavior, and the consequences and secondary gains that might result
EPAS 2.1.7a
Walsh, 2006, p. 107

18. Sources of Information
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Sources of Information
Background sheets or other forms that clients complete
Interview with clients
Direct observation of nonverbal behavior
Direct observation of interaction between marital partners, family members, and group members
Collateral information from relatives, friends, physicians, teachers, employers, and other professionals
Tests or assessment instruments
Personal experiences of the practitioner based on direct interactions with clients
Client self-monitoring

19. Questions to Answer in Problem Assessment
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Questions to Answer in Problem Assessment
See example list of questions
Getting started
Assessing for safety
Identifying the problem, its expressions, and other critical concerns
The interaction of other people or systems
The family and extended family or kinship network
The social network
Public institutions
Personal service providers
The faith community
Assessing developmental needs and wants
EPAS 2.1.7b

20. Questions to Answer (continued)
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Questions to Answer (continued)
Typical wants involved in presenting problems
Stresses associated with life transitions
Cultural, Societal, and Social Class Factors
Severity of the problem
Meanings that clients ascribe to problems
Pseudoscientific explanations
Psychological labeling
Fixed beliefs about others
Unchangeable factors
References to fixed religious or philosophical principles, natural laws, or social forces
Assertion upon presumed laws of human nature
EPAS 2.1.4c

21. Questions to Answer (continued)
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Questions to Answer (continued)
Sites of problematic behavior
Temporal context of problematic behaviors
Frequency of problematic behaviors
Duration of the problem
Other issues affecting client functioning
Clients’ emotional reactions to problems
Coping efforts and needed skills
Cultural, societal, and social class factors
Support systems
External resources needed

22. Assessing children and older adults
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Assessing children and older adults
Maltreatment
Data sources and interviewing techniques
Collateral contacts
Interactive activities
Developmental assessment
Screening instruments
Functional assessments
Physical examinations
2.1.7b

23. Summary Internet Resources Notes CAGE
Copyright (c) 2012 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc.
Summary
Internet Resources
CAGE
SAMHSA
National Institute of Mental Health
The Cochrane Collaborative
The Campbell Collaboration
Walmyr Publishing Company
Notes