Assignment: Writing A Treatment Plan.

SOCW 6101: Essential Skills for Social Work Practice

Assignment: Writing a Treatment Plan.

Everything that social workers do is an intervention; therefore, social workers develop treatment plans so that they can outline the purpose of treatment, assist in giving the client direction in the treatment process, allow the social worker to collaborate with the client, and help social workers and clients mark progress toward goals. Depending on where you work as a social worker, your funding source may be dependent upon your treatment plan.

In this Assignment, you develop a treatment plan for a client. In real practice, you should never create a treatment plan without conducting a more thorough assessment and then collaborating with the client to mutually agree on goals and steps to implement the plan. For the purpose of this Assignment, however, you explain how you might go about this process.

To Prepare

Watch the video case study found in the Learning Resources.

Then, consult the Learning Resources and/or go to the Walden Library to find information related to interventions for this type of client or problem.

Use this information to help develop an individual or family treatment plan for the identified client (Amy, Mrs. Bargas, or Bargas family) with whom you have chosen to work from the case study.

For help with this assignment, refer back to the Library recommendations in Week 3.

Helpful tip: Try other keywords including:

treatment programs

intervention

Try using the AND and OR connectors. For example:

drug addiction OR drug abuse OR substance abuse OR drug use

senior citizen OR older people OR elderly OR aging

intervention AND alcoholism

Learn more about AND, OR, and NOT (Boolean operators) in the guide below.

Guide: Keyword Searching: Boolean

By Day 7

Write a generalist treatment plan that includes all of the following:

Identify the client.

Describe the problems that need to be addressed.

Explain how you would work with the client to identify and prioritize problems.

Identify the related needs based on the identified problems.

Describe how you would utilize client strengths when selecting a strategy for intervention.

Identify at least two treatment plan goals.

Create at least one measurable objective to meet each goal.

Explain the specific action steps to achieve objectives.

Describe what information is important to document in a treatment plan, and explain why.

Southside Community Services: Mrs. Bargas Case History

Program Transcript

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LINDA FORTE: Hi, Mrs. Bargas, I’m Linda Forte, the social worker assigned to

your case. It’s nice to meet you. So what brings you in, today?

MRS. BARGAS: Well– I’ve been out of work about 3 months. And 2 weeks ago,

my husband had a stroke. He’s still in the hospital. So it’s been– a lot, all at once.

And the money– I don’t know how going to pay the bills, or the rent. We cannot

lose our home. We have five children.

LINDA FORTE: Has this been hard on them? It sounds like you’ve been going

through a lot since losing your job and your husband being in the hospital. I can

understand how you can feel stressed and concerned.

MRS. BARGAS: My daughter Amy– she’s my oldest– she’s been having the

hardest time. She’s cutting classes at school and she’s failing two of her courses.

LINDA FORTE: So how did you hear about our agency and how can I help?

MRS. BARGAS: Well, my pastor said that you could help me find a job and

maybe help with the rent money. And maybe Amy could– speak to somebody.

LINDA FORTE: OK. Has your daughter, Amy, has she ever expressed any

interest in hoping to speak to somebody about her problems?

MRS. BARGAS: Maybe. I don’t know. I haven’t really mentioned it to her. But my

pastor thinks it’s a good idea.

LINDA FORTE: Has Amy ever spoken to the social worker at her school, before?

MRS. BARGAS: No, I don’t think so.

LINDA FORTE: OK. That’s fine. We can definitely talk about getting Amy some

help. But first, why don’t we talk a little bit about work experience. What kind of

job are you hoping to find?

MRS. BARGAS: Well, before I married my husband, I worked as a nanny.

LINDA FORTE: OK. So why don’t we talk a little bit more about that, about who

you worked for, and what kind of job duties you had.

MRS. BARGAS: Well, I was much younger when I was a nanny. Let me see, it

was– more than 12 years ago. But I don’t think I could do that work, now. Maybe

Southside Community Services: Mrs. Bargas Case History

I could work in an office. You know, I’m really good at working with people. Can

you find me a job in an office?

LINDA FORTE: I don’t know. I work with a career counselor, here. She might be

able to help you.

MRS. BARGAS: I don’t know how I’m going to pay the rent.

LINDA FORTE: I know right now is really tough for you.

MRS. BARGAS: I just don’t know what to do. Nothing has turned out the way I

hoped it would. My whole life. I’m really worried about my daughter, Amy. She’s

afraid to go to school. She loses her temper all the time. She yells at me and

then locks herself in a room and she won’t speak. I am so confused. I don’t know

what to do with her. I just– I don’t know.

LINDA FORTE: It’s OK to be upset. Mrs. Bargas? Are you OK?

MRS. BARGAS: I’m sorry, what?

LINDA FORTE: Are you all right?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LINDA FORTE: Good news. I spoke with the career counselor and she has an

available opening for you, tomorrow. She thinks she can help you find a job.

MRS. BARGAS: That’s great! Thank you so much. I was wondering, actually,

there’s something else that you could help me with. I told you that my husband

had a stroke. He’s going to need speech therapy. But it’s– we can’t afford it. And

we don’t have any insurance. Is there any chance that you could call his doctor

and see if my husband can get this therapy? He really needs it.

LINDA FORTE: I may be able to help. But I’m going to need to understand your

husband’s situation a little bit better. Is there any way your husband would be

willing to sign a release form, so I could talk to the doctor?

MRS. BARGAS: You can’t just call his doctor? I give you permission.

LINDA FORTE: I’m afraid not. According to HIPAA regulations, the doctor is not

allowed to discuss your husband’s condition with me without his consent. Your

husband could sign a release of information form, which would then make it

possible for me to talk to his doctor. I recommend you go home and talk to your

husband about whether he’d want to give his consent.

MRS. BARGAS: OK. I will. Thank you so much. You’ve been so helpful.

Southside Community Services: Mrs. Bargas Case History

LINDA FORTE: Absolutely. And I look forward to seeing Amy next week.

Bullying

Program Transcript

LINDA: Amy, can you talk to me? You’re safe here.

AMY: I’m not safe anywhere.

LINDA: Tell me what’s going on? How are things at home?

AMY: My dad’s sick. He had a stroke a few weeks ago. Everything’s so messed up

there. But I’m sure you already heard that from my mom. You’re her social worker, too,

right?

LINDA: Yes.

AMY: What else did she tell you? I bet she told you I won’t talk to her about what’s going

I can’t talk to her. She’s so upset about everything that’s going on with my dad. The

last thing she needs to hear is my problems.

I thought about talking to my guidance counselor at school, but I can’t do that either.

They’ll only see me, and it will get worse. That’s why my mom brought me to you,

thinking you can help me, where they can’t see.

LINDA: Tell me a little bit more about school. What do you mean by if they see you it will

get worse?

AMY: Some girls, they’ve been picking on me– calling me names– fat pig, ugly. They

make fun of my clothes. Yesterday, two of them are waiting by my locker. They pushed

me down, rubbed food in my hair. There were others in the hall, but they just stood

there and laughed.

LINDA: How did that make you feel?

AMY: How do you think? It hurts. They make me feel like a freak. I’m scared what

they’re going to do next. I hate school.

LINDA: I understand.

AMY: But that’s not the worst. They text me late at night, waking me up, saying they’re

going to beat me up. They say, I deserve it for being so ugly. I’m starting to think they’re

right.

LINDA: Have you told anybody about these threats?

AMY: They’ll get me worse if I snitch. Besides, nobody will understand.

Bullying

LINDA: What do you mean by nobody will understand?

AMY: Because they won’t. Nobody understands what it feels like. Not unless they go

through it.

[TEXT MESSAGE]

LINDA: How do you feel right now?

AMY: Read for yourself. How would you feel?

Southside Community Services: Mrs. Bargas and Amy,

Episode 1

Program Transcript

LINDA: Thank you for agreeing to come in and meet together. I know I’ve met

with the two of you individually, but there are some issues that we need to

discuss as mother and daughter. Have you two had a chance to discuss any of

the things that have been going on?

MRS. BARGAS: Well, it’s hard to talk about anything when I don’t know what you

two are talking about. And she doesn’t tell me anything.

LINDA: What we do discuss in this office is confidential. But we are going to talk

openly now about the issues between the two of you.

Mrs. Bargas, can you share some of your concerns that you have about Amy?

MRS. BARGAS: I feel like you’re shutting me out. We don’t talk the way we used

I need you, honey. I’ve got a lot on me right now– work, things with dad.

AMY: You’ve got a lot on you? What about me? She’s got me working with my

little brother after school. I have to feed him dinner and help with his homework.

And I’ve got my own schoolwork to deal with.

LINDA: Amy, how would you feel about sharing with your mom what’s been going

on at school so that she can better understand?

We’ll keep working on that.

How do you feel about Amy’s reluctance to talk about this?

MRS. BARGAS: Ever since I started working, I feel completely out of touch. I

don’t know what’s going on with anyone in the family now.

It scares me.

LINDA: OK. I think we’ve identified some things that we can work on.

Name: SOCW_6101_Week9_Assignment_Rubric