School of Social Work

SOWK 488 BSW FIELD PLACEMENT

LEARNING PLAN

Before completing this form, please refer to the SOWK 488 learning plan instructions.
Check one:

Concurrent Placement (2-semester)

OR

Student:

Katherine Seese

Semester / Year:

Agency:

Serve 6.8/The Murphy Center

Phone:

BSW/MSW Field Instructor:

On-site Supervisor:
Field Liaison:

Ruth Anderson

Email:

Barbara Jensen

Email:

Joni Handran

Date Completed

9/25/2014

Email:

Block Placement (1-semester)

Fall/2014

970-691-5562

ruthanderson01@gmail.com

Phone:

970-493-0920

bjensen@serve68.org Phone: 970-494-9722

jonihandran@yahoo.com

Phone:

720-261-7042

The learning plan is a working document and may be updated or revised during the field placement.

Signatures:

Ruth Anderson

Digitally signed by Ruth Anderson

DN: cn=Ruth Anderson, o, ou=Serve 6.8,
email=ruthanderson01@gmail.com, c=US
Date: 2014.10.02 11:30:39 -06'00'

BSW/MSW Field Instructor

Katherine Seese
Student

Barbara Jensen

Digitally signed by Barbara Jensen

DN: cn=Barbara Jensen, o=SERVE 6.8, ou=Murphy
Center for Hope, email=bjensen@serve68.org, c=US
Date: 2014.09.30 14:39:17 -06'00'

Date

On-site Supervisor (if applicable)

Date

Date

Field Liaison

Date

Digitally signed by Katherine Seese

DN: cn=Katherine Seese, o, ou,
email=kaseese@rams.colostate.edu, c=US
Date: 2014.09.21 11:49:28 -06'00'

ST/1/2014

Generalist Foundation Competencies and Practice Behaviors

Competency 1: Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly.

Social workers serve as representatives of the profession, its mission, and its values. They know the professions history. Social workers commit themselves to the professions
enhancement and to their own professional conduct and growth.

Practice Behaviors

Learning Experiences

a. Advocate for client access to services of social work;

a. Assist clients with daily check in process. Inform agency staff of client concerns.

b. Practice personal reflection and self correction to assure

continual professional development;

b. Write weekly journal entries to aid in self reflection. Use journal entries to bring
questions to weekly field supervision sessions.

c. Attend to professional roles and boundaries;

d. Demonstrate professional demeanor in behavior, appearance,
and communication;
e. Engage in career-long learning; and
f.

Use supervision and consultation.

c. Maintain boundaries between self and clients on a daily basis. Assert boundaries
when a boundary violation appears to occur.
d. Identify self as a student intern to clients and staff. Follow agency protocol for
appropriate attire.
e. Continue as an active student member of NASW. Upon graduation, become a full
member of NASW.
f. Attend weekly case consultation meetings. Attend weekly field supervision meetings to
give and receive feedback.

Competency 2: Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice.

Social workers have an obligation to conduct themselves ethically and to engage in ethical decision-making. Social workers are knowledgeable about the value base of the
profession, its ethical standards, and relevant laws.

Practice Behaviors

Learning Experiences

a. Recognize and manage personal values in a way that allows

professional values to guide practice;

a. Explore personal values through weekly journal entries. Identify value conflicts as
they arise and discuss during field supervision meetings.

b. Make ethical decisions by apply standards of the NASW Code of

Ethics and, as applicable, of the IFSW/IASSW Ethics in Social
Work, Statement of Principles;

b. Read and understand NAWS Code of Ethics and IFSW/IASSW Ethics in Social Work.
Discuss comparisons during field supervision meeting.

c. Tolerate ambiguity in resolving ethical conflicts; and apply

strategies of ethical reasoning to arrive at principled decisions.

c. Write weekly journal entries to aid in self-reflection. Identify ethical dilemmas and
discuss with seminar group for guidance.

Competency 3: Apply critical thinking to inform and communicate professional judgments.

Social workers are knowledgeable about the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and reasoned discernment. The use of critical thinking is augmented by creativity and curiosity.
Critical thinking also requires the synthesis and communication of relevant information.

Practice Behaviors
a. Distinguish, appraise, and integrate multiple sources of
knowledge, including research-based knowledge and practice
wisdom;
b. Analyze models of assessment, prevention, intervention, and
evaluation; and
c. Demonstrate effective oral and written communication in
working with individuals, families, groups, organizations,
communities, and colleagues.

Learning Experiences
a. Research 'housing first' model of intervention and discuss findings with field
instructor.
b. Attend training on motivational interviewing. Analyze and discuss with agency staff.
c. Compose weekly e-mails to Homeless Gear staff regarding donation requests.
Maintain a professional tone during such communications. Discuss requests with
Homeless Gear staff while on-site.

Competency 4: Engage diversity and difference in practice.

Social workers understand how diversity characterizes and shapes the human experience and is critical to the formation of identity. The dimensions of diversity are understood as
the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity and expression, immigration status, political ideology, race,
religion, sex, and sexual orientation. Social workers appreciate that, as a consequence of difference, a persons life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization,
and alienation as well as privilege, power and acclaim.

Practice Behaviors
a. Recognize the extent to which a cultures structures and values
may oppress, marginalize, alienate, or create or enhance
privilege and power;
b. Gain sufficient self-awareness to eliminate the influence of
personal biases and values in working with diverse groups;
c. Recognize and communicate their understanding of the
importance of difference in shaping life experiences; and
d. View themselves as learners and engage those with whom they
work as informants.

Learning Experiences
a. Research existing cultural competence literature. Apply the concepts learned to
advocate for clients during conflict situations.
b. Journal practicum experiences weekly. Review content of entries to aid in
self-reflection and to facilitate learning.
c. Avoid making judgments or assumptions about clients during interactions. Utilize
the strengths perspective during assessments and interactions.
d. Use interactions with clients as opportunities to gain new perspective and
understanding.

Competency 5: Advance human rights and social and economic justice.

Each person, regardless of position in society, has basic human rights, such as freedom, safety, privacy, and adequate standard of living, health care, and education. Social
workers recognize the global interconnections of oppression and are knowledgeable about theories of justice and strategies to promote human and civil rights. Social work
incorporates social justice practices in organizations, institutions, and society to ensure that these basic human rights are distributed equitably and without prejudice.

Practice Behaviors
a. Advocate for human rights and social and economic justice; and
b. Engage in practices that advance social and economic justice.

Learning Experiences
a. Attend open house forum on affordable housing. Discuss findings with seminar
group.
b. Research policies that affect the client population. Discuss how these policies impact
the client population during field supervision meeting.

Competency 6: Engage in research-informed practice and practice-informed research.

Social workers use practice experience to inform research, employ evidence-based interventions, evaluate their own practice, and use research findings to improve practice,
policy, and social service delivery. Social workers comprehend quantitative and qualitative research and understand scientific and ethical approaches to building knowledge.

Practice Behaviors
a. Use practice experience to inform scientific enquiry; and
b. Use research evidence to inform practice.

Learning Experiences
a. Review demographic data from agency database. Use the agency database system
to generate different reports and discuss findings with field supervisor.
b. Research and update resource information weekly. Submit updated and accurate
information to Intake Specialist in order to assist with service delivery.

Competency 7: Apply knowledge of human behavior and the social environment.

Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter
people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural,
psychological, and spiritual development.

Practice Behaviors

Learning Experiences

a. Utilize conceptual frameworks to guide the processes of

assessment, intervention, and evaluation; and

a. Attend motivational interviewing training. Analyze learned concepts and discuss

findings during seminar group.

b. Critique and apply knowledge to understand person and

environment.

b. Discuss the agency's practice model of choice with field supervisor. Discuss how
the model can be applied to other agencies.

Competency 8: Engage in policy practice to advance social and economic well-being and to deliver effective social work services.

Social workers understand that policy affects service delivery, and they actively engage in policy practice. Social workers know the history and current structures of social policies
and services, the role of policy in service delivery, and the role of practice in policy development.

Practice Behaviors

Learning Experiences

a. Analyze, formulate, and advocate for policies that advance

social well-being; and

a. Research federal, state, and local policies that affect client population on a monthly
basis. Discuss findings during field supervision meetings.

b. Collaborate with colleagues and clients for effective policy

action.

b. Discuss Special Agency Sessions program with agency staff.

Competency 9: Respond to contexts that shape practice.

Social workers are informed, resourceful, and proactive in responding to evolving organizational, community, and societal contexts at all levels of practice. Social workers
recognize that the context of practice is dynamic, and use knowledge and skill to respond proactively.

Practice Behaviors
a. Continuously discover, appraise, and attend to changing locales,
populations, scientific and technological developments, and
emerging societal trends to provide relevant services; and
b. Provide leadership in promoting sustainable changes in service
delivery and practice to improve the quality of social services.

Learning Experiences
a. On a monthly basis, visit other agencies that provide services to the client population
(For example, Catholic Charities, Open Door Mission).
b. Familiarize self with data collection systems such as HMIS and SPOC. Discuss
continuum of care at the local level, and discuss improvements to inter-agency data
communication with agency staff.

Competency 10: Engage, assess, intervene, and evaluate with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Professional practice involves the dynamic and interactive processes of engagement, assessment, intervention, and evaluation at multiple levels. Social workers have the
knowledge and skills to practice with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Practice knowledge includes identifying, analyzing, and implementing
evidence-based interventions designed to achieve client goals; using research and technological advances; evaluating program outcomes and practice effectiveness; developing,
analyzing, advocating, and providing leadership for policies and services; and promoting social and economic justice.

Practice Behaviors
a.

Engagement

Learning Experiences

i.

Substantively and affectively prepare for action with

individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities;

i. Coordinate the exchange of a donation box with Colorado State University staff. Bring
the donated items to the agency.

ii.

Use empathy and other interpersonal skills; and

ii. Demonstrate rapport-building and active-listening skills when interacting with clients.

iii.

Develop a mutually agreed-on focus of work and desired

outcomes.

iii. Shadow Resource Specialists twice weekly to learn and observe competent social work
interview skills. Ask for feedback.

b. Assessment and Planning

Learning Experiences

i.

Collect, organize, and interpret client data;

i. During daily check in process, identify client needs and inform staff.

ii.

Assess client strengths and limitations;

ii. Utilize the strengths-based perspective during assessments and discussions of clients.

iii.

Develop mutually agreed-on intervention goals and objectives;

and

iii. Collaborate with clients to determine client needs.

iv.

Select appropriate intervention strategies.

iv. Determine relevancy of client needs to available resources. Direct clients to

appropriate resources and agencies.

c. Intervention
i.

Initiate actions to achieve organizational goals;

ii.

Implement prevention interventions that enhance client

capacities;

iii.

Help clients resolve problems;

iv.

Negotiate, mediate, and advocate for clients;

v.

Facilitate transitions and endings.

Learning Experiences
i. Assess Gear Room supply needs on a weekly basis. Complete Gear order requests
and submit to Homeless Gear weekly.
ii. Assist clients to obtain needed items from the Gear room on an as needed basis.
iii. As needed, assist clients with obtaining needed items from the Gear Room.
iv. Mediate conflicts between clients and all others in within the agency, including
volunteers.
v. On a weekly basis, assist clients to complete the check-in process in a timely fashion.
Facilitate their transition to the next step of the intervention process.

d. Evaluation
i.

Social Workers critically analyze, monitor, and evaluate

interventions.

Learning Experiences
i. Research the Results Oriented Management and Accountability (ROMA) matrix. Attend
self-sufficiency matrix development meeting. Shadow Resource Specialists, and discuss
the interventions chosen in order to gain a broader understanding of practice.