Overview: Students will be expected to complete the assignment as described below.
Purpose: Please see Course Schedule for relationships between this assignment, course objectives, and competencies.
In this assignment, you will be asked to complete a reflective self-assessment, incorporating use of the DSM-5, if applicable, as well as the
biopsychosocial approach. This provides students with an opportunity to practice developing insight and skills of self-reflection, necessary in fieldwork. Students will also critically evaluate professional use of self when preparing to work with individuals with diagnosed with mental illness, or experiencing mental health symptoms, through effectively identifying sources of biases and information, and through considering the application of their strengths, boundaries, and challenge areas.
Format: Follow the directions below for successful completion of this assignment. Your Self-Assessment should consist of 4 parts. Limit your work to 5 pages maximum and use APA formatting.
Part 1: Introduction/Reflection on experience: Suggested length: 1-2 pages
This section should be preceded by an introduction to the assignment and a purpose statement.
Identify your personal beliefs about, and experiences with, mental health. It is important to note that there is no need for self-disclosure in this section. You may also write about your experiences from your professional or academic life, or what you have observed in larger groups, or from the media. As I am writing this, I am thinking about a youth who died by suicide and streamed it live on facebook – these types of seminal social events shape us as our own personal experiences do.
If you have personal experiences, you have the right to your privacy, and the purpose of this section is to assist you with self-assessment. There are many ways to respond to this that do not have to involve self-disclosure. For instance, you might write about observations that you have made in the third person or as if they happened to someone you know, etc. DO NOT write something you are not 100% comfortable sharing.
Your responses will be kept confidential, within limits of confidentiality according to the NASW Code of Ethics.
Writing Prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
How were your beliefs about mental health formed? When you think about the phrase, is mental health the same as ‘mental illness’ or did you develop a sense that mental health is like physical and social health? Where did these beliefs arise?
How did your experiences or what you have been exposed to shape your view of the current mental health system?
What has shaped your view of “normal” or “abnormal” with regards to mental health?
What causes mental illness? Where were these beliefs shaped? What are the best treatments? Why do you think so?
Part 2: Experiences as strengths: How will your self-reflection, beliefs, and experiences about mental health and the mental health system improve your practice as a social worker? Suggested length: 2-3 paragraphs
Writing Prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
Will you use self-disclosure, and if so, to what degree? Will you offer opinions on treatment options, and if so, to what degree?
What will guide your decision making in this area? Evaluate the benefits and risks you are considering in these decisions.
Professional boundaries are always the social workers’ responsibility. How will you practice professional boundaries in your work? How will you convey your genuine self?
Part 3: Biases: How might your personally held beliefs, experiences, or biases affect your practice with others as a social worker? It is important to note that we all have biases and being aware of one’s own biases is an essential part of competent social work practice. Suggested length: 3- 4 paragraphs
Writing prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
If you are currently working in the field or completing an internship, what things have arisen that required you to examine your personal biases? If you are not currently working in the field or completing an internship, in what areas of practice or types of practice settings/types of people do you anticipate being faced with personal biases?
In what ways are you working to minimize the effect these biases and experiences may have on practice?
How do these biases have a potential to compromise your approach to assessment, engagement or intervention with people dealing with
mental health concerns?
Part 4: Psychosocial Assessment: Referencing the biopsychosocial assessments that have been introduced, as well as the concerns about diagnosis that have been covered: how do you envision using these tools in your social work practice? A conclusion should follow this area, tying together your self-reflective piece and referring to your initial purpose statement. Suggested length: 1 page Writing prompts (Note: these are not subheadings. Please do not write each of these prompts in your narrative and then respond. They are
meant to guide you in the completion of the assignment).
What elements are most important in a biopsychosocial assessment?
What would you add to a biopsychosocial approach for a more complete assessment of mental health?
What is the social worker’s role in completing assessments, particularly in areas outside our scope of practice (e.g. medical, medication)?
How might you discuss the conclusions of your assessment and recommendations? What are some of the risks and benefits? How might this change with type of diagnosis and prognosis?
How will you address the ambiguity of some diagnoses to establish methods for valid and reliable diagnostic and assessment work?
**** Recommended Guidebook for APA Style Formatting
American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC:
American Psychological Association.