In the social sciences, we take our backgrounds and “reflexivity” (reflecting ba

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In the social sciences, we take our backgrounds and “reflexivity” (reflecting back on our experiences and our perspectives, and how that affects our initial approaches to research) rather seriously. As we will learn more about, sociology was initially created as a social equivalent to ‘earth’ sciences (“social physics”).
However, many perspectives that developed over the course of time have come to acknowledge that as humans, we are a part of society, and thus we cannot completely shut out our own experiences through research. Instead, it is better for us to acknowledge we have experiences that we bring into research – and often these influence what we research – and explore how they may influence the research process. We do our best to examine them and from there, use scientific processes to help ensure that they do not bias our research.
To help us get started from this more conscious place of our standpoints, I would like for you to explore your background from a social scientific perspective. I would like this practice to help you consider what approaches (primary sociological perspectives) you may lean more towards – at least to start. We can then reflect back on this after we’ve taken our journey through social theory.
For these reasons, this week you will write a brief autobiography:
(1) Consider your life experiences and how these have shaped you to be the Social Scientist you are currently or plan to be.
(2) Based on your background, which “quadrant” do you currently lean towards and why (e.g., Nonrational and individual, Nonrational and collective, Rational and individual, Rational and collective) or are you currently undecided (refer to chapter 1 and explain why in either case)?
(3) [#3 may be integrated into prompts 1 and 2] Write out in detail the experiences that have shaped your social scientific approach within the field up to this point, taking into consideration why you chose your major.
(4) Now, write a second brief autobiography where you do not consider or apply your experiences to your social scientific approach.
(5) After writing this second autobiography, reflect back on the the difference between writing the first and second versions of the autobiography. (6) Describe if it was difficult to do so (or not).
(7) Based on this comparison, how can you see your life experiences as important in shaping your sociological arguments?
Minimum word count: 500 words

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Jerry has been a daily heroin user for the last 7 years. He is HIV positive and

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Jerry has been a daily heroin user for the last 7 years. He is HIV positive and has recently been diagnosed with hepatitis C. Jerry believes that both of these illnesses were contracted through the use of shared needles. As a condition for treatment of hepatitis C with interferon, Jerry must agree to undergo treatment for his heroin addiction. He is considering the “methadone cure,” which includes daily doses of methadone to replace the heroin. He is not sure that he is willing to give up his heroin use. In fact, he used immediately before coming to his most recent counseling session. Jerry feels torn, but he knows that his life depends on this choice. What might be some compelling information for a client in this situation to know? What is your role as a mental health professional in advocating for treatment?
For this Discussion, review the case studies in the Learning Resources and select one case study. Consider the factors used to determine the appropriateness of the medication used to treat a client’s substance abuse.
By Day 4
Post
An explanation of the factors that indicate the appropriateness of the medication in potentially treating the client’s substance abuse
An explanation of the expected side effects of the medication and the mental health professional’s role in monitoring these side effects
A justification of the medication to advocate for its use to encourage the client to continue with treatment
****CASE STUDY******
Case 1: Constantine
Constantine is a 28-year-old Turkish immigrant. He has been told that he must stop
drinking or his life will be in jeopardy. Constantine moved to the United States at 18 to
study economics. During his first year of college, he tried alcohol for the first time and
was quickly “hooked.” He drinks nightly and cannot recall how many drinks he has had.
Constantine says that he drinks, “at least a bottle of scotch” every night. Over the past
10 years, he has come to realize that he has a problem. This was not an urgent issue
until recently, when he developed pancreatitis. His doctor informed him that his drinking
has already caused some damage to his liver, which is very “fatty.” In fact, there are
some areas of his liver that may never recover, even if he stops drinking. If he does not
stop, though, he will eventually either need to have a liver transplant or he will die from
complications of cirrhosis.
Constantine decided to take his doctor’s advice and will be participating in a daytreatment program at your counseling clinic. He tried to quit drinking once in the past,
and his blood pressure skyrocketed. Constantine worries that this might happen again.

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An electronic health or medical record (EMR) is a digital version of a paper med

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An electronic health or medical record (EMR) is a digital version of a paper medical chart that contains a patient’s medical history. EMRs offer clinicians and patients increased access to information and assist in the coordination of care. In hospitals, EMRs are particularly useful because each member of the health care team is able to monitor a patient’s progress across disciplines. A social worker, for example, is able to read, in real time, the note of every physician, nurse, or therapist who has seen a patient. To maintain HIPAA compliance, institutions have strict policies that restrict access to EMRs. These policies require computers and networks to be secure, ensuring that only authorized users can access protected health information.
To prepare for this Discussions, review this week’s resources including the article by Harman et al. Consider the complexities involving the emerging electronic health record system. Think about how the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules apply to EMRs.
By Day 4
Post an explanation of how the HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules apply to EMRs. Then, address the following questions and explain your reasoning:
Can a social worker access any patient’s electronic medical record?
Can a social worker access his or her own electronic medical record?
Can a social worker access the electronic medical record of his/her family members?
Finally, explain the positive and negative ramifications HIPAA might have on medical social work practice in clinical settings with regard to handling EMR

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Budgeting in human services organizations brings about many challenges. Human se

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Budgeting in human services organizations brings about many challenges. Human services agencies must be creative in managing their budget due to the increased demands on the agency and the needs of the clients and stakeholders. There are many legal, contractual, and other requirements under the concept of financial management, as such agency administrators need to be creative to obtain funding. Applying for grants in both the private and public sectors is one access to funding resources. Most grants will require that you present a proposed budget for use of the funds. Thus, grants and budgeting often go hand in hand.
For this Discussion, think about grant writing and the elements needed to write a successful grant. Then, review sample grants at https://grantspace.org/resources/sample-documents/. Identify one grant to discuss.
By Day 3
Post the following:
Describe the key elements to grant writing.
Provide a brief description of the grant proposal you selected and explain the strengths of the proposal and any areas where it could be improved.
Explain how you would improve on the grant proposal to convince the funder that funding this program would have a positive and measurable effect on the community.

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