Objective 1:  Apply culturally competent evidennce-based practice skills adaptable to meet the needs of individuals and groups with diverse backgrounds by utilizing understandable language and multi-culturally sensitive communication skills.  In November of 2006 a classmate and I participated in an immersion experience where we took a closer look at individuals with physical disabilities.  This project was designed to expose us to a population of which we had no extensive exposure.  The information obtained from this experience not only expanded our perspective on the lives of people with physical disabilities but increased our insight into our preconceived notions about this population.  People in many different settings have presumptions about various populations and this often leads to incompetence in some areas.  The limited cognition of various client groups can lead to harmful or unproductive results. The immersion experience required us to examine our beliefs and biases about people with physical disabilities, research historical information about this population and interview an individual that is living with a physical disability.  During this experience we observed at group home for people with physical disabilities.  We were welcomed with open arms by people various types of disabilities.  It was a wonderful experience to be in a setting where we could see all the various types of disabilities.  After our observation experience we were assigned to interview someone in community.  We interviewed a lady who had overcome astounding obstacles.  She married young and had five children before becoming blind due to an aneurism.  Her husband left her alone to raise her children.  She not only raised them alone but obtained a master’s degree in social work and opened her own pottery business.  She was a true inspiration. The immersion experience taught us that individuals with physical disabilities are capable of doing everything a non disabled person can do just in a different way.  The media overwhelms us with the idea that “normal” is beautiful and anything less is a burden to society.  We learned that people with disabilities are have to deal with the social stigma of being different and this often leads to individual suffering from anxiety, stress and depression.  We were made aware of the false idea of equal opportunity employment for people with disabilities and how laws that are made to protect against discrimination are not enforced.  The most significant aspect of this experience was coming to realization that people with disabilities are treated so unfairly.  They are ignored by the government, abused by society and robbed of equality.  There is no such thing as a normal life. 

 

Immersion 06.doc.pdf

 

Objective 2:  Synthesize and integrate varied sources to inform decisions and create solutions and appropriate problem-solving strategies congruent with the social work knowledge base.  In November of 2008 my classmates and I formulated two focus groups in the Chattanooga area.  The class was broken into two sections with each focus group concentrating on two series of topics.  We were divided in to two main groups and instructed to lead focus groups about practicing social work in an aging setting. One group led a focus group about burnout and the skill set needed to work with geriatric patients. The other group discussed continuing education and diversity.  We invited social workers from numerous agencies in the community and developed a series of questions that were asked during the session.  Each group had three students that asked questions, while some observed and one who videotaped the group.  Some of questions asked during Group A’s session on diversity and continuing education were:  1.  When dealing with an agency that is diverse, how are problems and issues resolved? 2. Does your agency that you work for provide training workshops or education classes to continue your education in your field? 3. When you have a client from a certain culture or ethnicity do you find it more beneficial to connect them with a Social worker with a similar background? The attendees were very informative in their answers and educated us about diversity in their agencies.  Most of the social workers from the agencies told us they do offer continued education and were required to attend workshops about diversity when they were offered.  They also informed us that when clients come into their agency there is not always a social worker there of the ethnic background and stressed the importance of knowing your own biases so you can assist different types of clients.  Some of questions during Group B’s session on burnout and skill set were: 1.Are there effective methods in treating burnout? 2. What skills do you feel that professional Social Workers need to possess? In the area of geriatric Social Work, what skills do you see that you and your fellow Social Workers need to improve on, if any?  The attendees from the group informed us that taking time for your self is one of the best methods to treat burnout.  Also, when asked about which skills social workers should possess they told us that flexibility and professionalism were crucial skills needed in the social work field.  A worker has to be flexible because your job is always changing and your clients may need different things from week to week.   We also learned the different aspects of holding a focus group.  Some of the attendees were more dominant in the discussions while others tended to simply agree with an answer that had already been given as opposed to responding originally.  We gained leadership and interviewing skills during this process. 

 

 

FocusGroupProject%5B1%5D[1].pdf

 

 

Objective 3:  Demonstrate professional behavior congruent with the social work Code of Ethics and apply strategies to effectively  identify, address, and resolve ethical conflicts.   To meet objective three in our curriculum I am using a survey I created in my field agency, Signal Centers.  I work for the Relative Caregiver program and our goal is to assist family who are raising non birth children.  Many of our caregivers are grandparents raising their grandchildren.   One of the most challenging aspects of our program is getting the clients to our support groups.  We have had varied attendance for a while now and we needed a way to assess this issue. In January, I created a survey with a number of questions asking caregivers about their attendance to our support groups.  Some of the questions addressed their satisfaction with the groups while others inquired about their lack of attendance.  The most important question on the survey asks the clients to please list ways that we, as facilitators, can improve this experience and hopefully regain full attendance by our caregivers.  The support groups are a crucial aspect of our agency.  They give the caregivers an opportunity to meet other people with the same difficulties, network and make friends that can help them out when times are bad.  They also give the caregivers a chance to just be people again instead of just a grandmother, aunt or cousin.  These groups allow the clients to regain the social aspect of their life as well as their independence. 

 

 

enhance groups obj. 3.pdf

 

 Objective 4:  Apply strategies for continuous self-evaluation including supervision and consultation, and feedback from peers and other sources for self development.  To meet objective four I will upload a select few of the evaluations from Research Showcase presentation.  This project was done in the fall of 2007.  My research was on people who have schizophrenia.  I prepared a 5 page slideshow and presented my findings to the cohort, professors and members of the community.  Each attendee evaluated my presentation and I received the recordings after the semester ended. 

 

 

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obj. 4.jpg

 

 

Objective 5:  Practice with an understanding of human rights and social justice by engaging in systematic social change to alleviate ecomonic deprivation and oppression by applying change strategies to begin the process of achieving a just society in a global community.  In December, 2007, my classmates and I held the first ever Truth Commission in Chattanooga Tennessee.  We spent about three months planning the event that would hopefully change Chattanooga forever.  The Truth Commission was held December 1^st and the turnout was wonderful.  Among the attendees were students, teachers, commissioners, poor people and many others from the community.  We also had a deaf interpreter and media coverage for the event. The journey began in August and as a class we were split into several committees.  Some found money for our budget, others printed up flyers to educate people about her project.  Some students were in charge of finding entertainment, prepping the commissioners and many others tasks.  We had to find a location, organize food and make sure everything went smoothly.  We videotaped the testimonies being read, the commissioners findings and then let people from the community give their testimonies.  The event went smoothly and the commissioners shared with us some of their experiences in the field.  It was a valuable learning experience for everyone that attended.  The purpose of the event was to educate people from the community about their economic human rights and inspire them to stand up for themselves and others.  As a class, we learned about poverty, human rights and how to take action when our own rights are being violated.

 

 

TC PDF.pdf 

 

 

Objective 6:  Integrate an appreciation for the history of the social work profession and the relationship between social welfare policies and the social work profession toinform the context of current generalist practice.  In SOCW 410 we are instructed to create several research briefs on different policies addressing social issues.  We have to read and critique at least 4 articles for each brief and have at least 6 references.  This assignment has been informative in terms of gaining knowledge of the latest research on these issues.  We have to prepare 3 for the semester.  One of the articles must be qualitative, one quantitative and one multidisciplinary.  We also have to integrate a chart in our briefs that is included in one the 4 articles we read. 

 

 

 

brief pdf.pdf 

 

 

Objective 7:  Evaluate the effectiveness of evidence-based practice interventions and other generalist practice activities adn client situations in the context of political and social policy by applying both quantitative and qualitative evaluation, research, and effective writing skills to a variety of practice settings. In order to meet objective number seven in our social work curriculum at UTC I will be attaching my research proposal.   For my research project I am looking at the relationship between life satisfaction and the intake of non biological children in relative caregiver’s homes. I am distributing surveys consisting of demographic information, tools I obtained from agency, the Zarit Burden Interview as well some of own questions.  Before beginning my research, I completed the IRB training and the certificate is located under accomplishments.  My proposal includes an abstract, hypothesis, questions, procedures along with my research tools and codebook.  I also have an informed consent attached to the bottom of the proposal.  At the BSW level, all research participants must sign an informed consent.  This research is important to me because I am an intern for the Relative Caregiver program.  This program is designed to be a one stop shop for grandparents and other relatives raising non birth children.  Over the last several years the percentage of grandparents raising children has more than doubled.  This is a well needed service in our community. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Objective 8:  Function as a professional, collaberative, and supportive team member in implementing agency mission and functions.To meet objective number eight in our curriculum at UTC I will talk about my experience at the social forum and the Truth Commission we put together for the Chattanooga area.  In July of 2007, our cohort attended the United States Social Forum held in Atlanta.  The class was split into two groups and we stay two nights a piece.  The Social Forum is an event where people all over the world come to promote their cause.  Our cause, as we attended as PPEHRC members, was to abolish poverty.  The Poor People’s Economic Human Right Campaign is designed to educate people about their economic human rights, empower people to advocate for themselves and fight against any source that oppresses people in terms of their human rights.  After we attended the Social Forum, we then held a Truth Commission in Chattanooga.  It was the first ever held there.  We planned the event and it turned out to be a success.  We interviewed people from the community and then read their personal stories of how their rights had been violated.  The commissioners then spoke on how oppressed poor people are in our community.  There were also several people there whose rights had been violated and they have testimonies as well.  It was a wonderful, eye opening experience. 

 

 

 

TC PDF.pdf 

 

 

 

Objective 9:  Apply an understanding of the effects of interpersonal, social, and institutuional oppression and discrimination in assessing and planning change in service delivery systems and organizations. To meet objective number nine from the social work curriclum which states that the student can apply an understanding of the effects of interpersonal, social, institutional, oppression and discrimination in assessing and planning change I am using a powerpoint that I did on people with schizophrenia.  I am very intrigued by this mental disorder.  I have a good friend who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia for many years and he allowed me to use his story as a baseline for this project. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Objective 10:  Contribute to the service-centered focus of the university in promoting intellectual, ethical, social, and cultural professional growth to enrich one's own life and the lives of others and in preparation for functioning professionally ina variety of entry-level practice settings. To meet objective 10 from the social work curriculum which states that the student must contribute to the service-centered focus of the university in promoting intellectual, ethical, social and cultural professional growth to enrich one’s own life and the lives of others I will use a group powerpoint we developed on the topic of social work.  Each student contributed a slide about what social means in their intern agency.  I work with the Relative Caregiver program.  We assist people who are raising relatives children