Explain why you are researching this topic (e.g., why this question or controversy is important and how it relates to your profession).

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The belief that conflict is an enduring aspect of society is only the starting point from which to understand conflict theory. Within this line of thinking, there are varying perspectives on the existence of conflict and the result of its persistence. How can these perspectives, which include Marxist, power elite, and interest group (pluralist) theory, coexist? What do these variances on perspective mean for the social worker’s understanding of conflict for individuals, groups, and communities?

For this assignment, review this week’s resources. Consider the similarities and differences among Marxist, power elite, and interest group (pluralist) theory. Then think about how these theories apply to your work with clients in social work practice.

 

Assignment (2 to 4 pages in APA format): Your assignment should include:

o   A comparison and contrast of the basic assumptions of conflict theories: Marxist theory, power elite theory, and interest group (pluralist) theory

o   An explanation of how these theories apply to social work practice

 

References (use 2 or more)

 

Champe, J., & Rubel, D. J. (2012). Application of focal conflict theory to psychoeducational groups: Implications for process, content, and leadership. Journal For Specialists In Group Work, 37(1), 71–90.

 

Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P., & Canda, E. R. (2012). Contemporary human behavior theory: A critical perspective for social work (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.

 

Wester, S. R., McDonough, T. A., White, M., Vogel, D. L., & Taylor, L. (2010). Using gender role conflict theory in counseling male-to-female transgender individuals. Journal Of Counseling & Development, 88(2), 214–219.

 

Project: Final Paper Proposal: Questions and Controversies in Clinical Psychopharmacology

In this Final Paper Proposal, you to submit your proposal to your Instructor for feedback and approval of your final paper topic.

During Week 4, your Instructor will provide feedback and explain any necessary modifications of your Final Paper proposal. Once your Instructor approves your Final Paper Proposal, you should begin working on your Final Paper. The Final Paper should address a current question or controversy in clinical psychopharmacology.

Possible topics for the Final Paper include:

o   Something that is currently occurring in your community

o   Something that is currently occurring in a given population

o   A problem identified in the media

o   A controversy discussed in scholarly journals

o   A controversy about a specific diagnosis

Your Final Paper Proposal should include the following components:

Identifying information: 

o   Title: Short and descriptive

o   Student name

o   Name of department/program and university

o   Date

Purpose of the paper/background in this section:

o   Identify the purpose of the paper (e.g., “My paper will exam the controversy related to prescribing ADHD medications to children.”).

o   Explain why you are researching this topic (e.g., why this question or controversy is important and how it relates to your profession).

o   Explain what you intend to learn about the topic.

Describe each of the following: Closed meeting, open meeting, steps, sponsor, and home group. Please note: These terms are specific to AA and NA.

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Locate an open recovery or support group in your local community. Attend one of the group’s meeting. The group can be for any type of substance or process addiction and does not have to be a 12-step meeting. It does however need to be a support group to help with the recovery from any addictive disorder. Ensure that the meeting is considered “open” prior to attending it. Please note- it is not appropriate to take notes while in the group session so please refrain and just take notes for yourself immediately after the meeting.

Write a two-part paper of 750-1,000 words that summarize your experience at the meeting. Be sure to include important concepts presented in the meeting while maintaining the privacy of all group participants. Include the following in your paper:

Part One: Summarize the Meeting

  1. Include the address, date, start time, and end time of meeting.
  2. Describe the format of the meeting that you attended.
  3. Describe the contents of the meeting.
  4. List all key speakers.

Part Two: Discuss Concepts and Methods

  1. Identify the major concepts/methods utilized in the group. For example, are their books utilized, prayers utilized, principles or guidelines or any rituals utilized?
  2. Explain the purpose of each concept/method.
  3. Describe each of the following: Closed meeting, open meeting, steps, sponsor, and home group. Please note: These terms are specific to AA and NA.
  4. Include at least three scholarly resources in addition to the textbook in your paper.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

Describe what you learned about yourself in this exercise and how you will use this knowledge in your specialization.

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Individual Career Plan

Resources

 

As a counselor advising clients or students in career decisions, you will use assessments and inventories to help them create career plans. For this assignment, you will consider yourself as the client, interpret the assessments you completed in Units 3, 4, and 6 in the Career Exploration Workbook, and create a career plan with actionable steps. Use your completed Career Exploration Workbook as a reference to complete this paper.

Although you are using yourself as the client, be sure to write from the third-person point of view. Address the following aspects in your assignment:

Client Profile

  • Describe the client’s identifying information such as age, race, gender, family, work status, educational background, current educational status, et cetera.
  • Describe the presenting issues (as you would gather from an intake interview with yourself).
  • Be sure to write from the third-person point of view.

Results of Assessments

  • Personality:
    • 16-Type Jungian Personality Test: Identify your client’s preferences (E/I, S/N, T/F, J/P).
    • Big 5 Personality Theory: Identify your client’s scores regarding extroversion, openness, agreeableness, neuroticism, conscientiousness.
  • Values:
    • Identify your client’s top five values from the card sort.
  • Interest Assessment:
    • Identify your client’s highest categories in realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional.
  • Interpretation of Assessments:
    • Connect the assessment results to the presenting issues. What themes emerged?
    • Use your reflections from the Career Exploration Workbook to help you complete this section.
  • Analyze the appropriateness of the inventories and assessments completed in relation to the client’s developmental stage and profile.
  • Professional Assets:
    • Assess your client’s training, education, and professional and volunteer experiences in relation to his or her career goals.
  • Career Options:
    • Identify 2–3 job titles that match your client’s skills and interests.
    • Describe the education and or training needed, the employment trends, and expected salary for each job.

Individual Career Plan

  • Create a career plan for this person moving forward. Include in your plan your client profile, goals, and an action plan. Use an example career plan from your text or find one that you like on your own.

Personal Reflection

  • Describe what you learned about yourself in this exercise and how you will use this knowledge in your specialization.
  • As part of your reflection, assess your professional limitations as a career counselor.

Your paper should be 4–6 pages with at least four references, written in third-person point of view, and following APA format. Include your completed Career Exploration Workbook as a supplement to this assignment. Review the Individual Career Plan Scoring Guide for the detailed grading expectations of this assignment

Identify a single risk assessment questionnaire or instrument used by psychologists.

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Case Scenario:

You work for a large corporate business. One of the managers at the company receives an anonymous e-mail message claiming that a certain employee, Bob, has been acting strangely and muttering threats to get even with others. The manager calls the police, who, after obtaining Bob’s permission, search his car and workstation but find no evidence of any weapons. Bob denies ever making any sort of threat and says he was just having a bad day.

 

The manager asks you to conduct a threat assessment on Bob. The manager says that the company has the right to conduct a threat assessment, but Bob is liable to sue if he is fired as a consequence of your findings, so the threat assessment has to stand up to scrutiny in court. In addition, Bob must be determined by you to have “fully cooperated” with the assessment in order to avoid termination. Therefore, you can expect him to participate in any form of assessment you choose even though he may lie or misrepresent his answers. If you state Bob lied during the assessment, he will be fired. This, too, must stand up to scrutiny in court.

 

You review Bob’s personnel record. He has been late to work several times and has even come to work drunk. He missed one week of work three years ago while jailed on a drunk and disorderly charge. He took personal leave to cover the missed time, and the arrest was discovered only by a report in the newspaper.

 

At the time of his arrest, he had a gun in his possession, for which he had a permit and which he could carry as a concealed weapon. Bob has been divorced twice and has no children. He currently lives alone. He has completed the eleventh grade but not his General Educational Development (GED). School records reveal he was often truant and was suspended three times for fighting. He served two years in the military and was honorably discharged after being found to have a “severe personality disorder that made him unsuitable for duty.”

 

Part 1: Planning

Tasks:

On the basis of the case scenario, create a 3 page plan in a Microsoft Word document addressing the following questions:

  • What is the purpose of the specialized interview?
  • How will you plan the assessment?
  • Whom will you interview and why?
  • What will you tell Bob about the nature and purpose of the evaluation and its potential consequences? Why?
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of a telephone interview?

In addition, answer the following:

  • What assessment instruments will you administer to Bob? Why?
  • How will you evaluate the truthfulness of his responses?
  • What methods will you use to deal with Bob’s defensive posture in interviews?

Part 2: Client Statement

In Part 1, you created a broad plan of action to investigate the threat Bob poses to the company. To conduct the risk assessment for Bob, in this part of the assignment, you will explore the existing risk assessment questionnaires you can administer to him.

Tasks:

Create a 1 page reference paper (below the plan you created in Part 1) addressing the following:

  • Identify a single risk assessment questionnaire or instrument used by psychologists. Find four references—web-based references or published scientific reports—on the instrument or on the process of risk assessment.
  • Your list of references should include at least two articles for and two articles against the risk assessment questionnaire or instrument in general (write a 1-paragraph summary of each reference you provide).