COURSE:
SOWO 841: Child Mental Health: Theory and Practice
SEMESTER:
COURSE WEBSITE:
Fall 2015
Available through Sakai.unc.edu/portal
LOCATION AND TIME:
Mondays 2:00 – 4:50 PM
TTK Building, Room 113
INSTRUCTOR:
Anne Jones, LCSW, PhD
School of Social Work
Office: TTK Building, 563 G
Phone: 919-962-6537
Email: annejone@email.unc.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1-2 pm or by appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course presents knowledge and theories from various disciplines to understand mental health
and wellbeing in children and their families with an emphasis on gaining practice skills.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, students will:
1. Apply concepts and theories from biology, psychology, sociology, and other disciplines to
understand child development and disorders common to this age group;
2. Demonstrate how diversity issues such as race/ethnicity, culture, poverty, education, sexual
orientation, and geography affect children and their families, and their relevance for
assessment, treatment, and case supervision and management;
3. Describe the relationship between child development and practice models in use with children
and their families;
4. Articulate key diagnostic, treatment, and prevention issues associated with the mental health
care needs of children and their families;
5. Apply evidence-based social interventions designed to strengthen parent-child relationships;
6. Examine child mental health social work practice in a variety of direct practice setting and
systems, including child welfare;
7. Explain the continuum of care represented by the child mental health service network;
8. Understand the legal framework in which children and their parents/caregivers seek treatment
and the implications of this framework for practice;
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9. Demonstrate competence in professional documentation and communication of clinical
material.
For each disorder covered, the course will review what is known about the phenomenology of
the disorder, its prevalence, risk factors, co-morbidity with other disorders, issues related to
diversity, etiology and developmental trajectory. DSM-IV criteria are examined for each
disorder. Finally, the course will identify important theory that can guide practice in terms of
assessment, goals, and designing/implementing effective programs of prevention and
treatment.
REQUIRED TEXTS:
Alfano, C. A. & Beidel, D.C. (2014). (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based treatment for children and
adolescents. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. (ISBN: 978-1-118-48756-3)
Webb, N.C. (2011). Social work practice with children (3rd Ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
(ISBN: 978-1-60918-643-2)
Additional supplementary readings will be available on Sakai. These readings are will be designated
with S in front of them.
OTHER RECOMMENDED BOOKS:
Burnett, N. & Thorsborne, M. (2015). Restorative practice and special needs. London: Jessica
Kingsley Publishing.
Glicken, M.D. (2009). Evidence-based practice with emotionally troubled children and adolescents.
London: Elsevier.
Golding, K. S. (2014). Using stories to build bridges: Creative ideas for therapist, life story work, and
direct work and parenting. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
Malekoff, A. (2014). Group work with adolescents: Principles and practice. New York: Guilford Press.
Murrihy, R.C., Kidman, D.A., & Ollendick, T.H. (Eds.) (2010).Clinical Handbook of Assessing and
Treating Conduct Problems. New York: Springer:
Sadock, B. J., & Sadock, V.A. (2009). Concise textbook of child and adolescent psychiatry.
Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer-Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Sutton, C. (2006). Helping families with troubled children: A preventive approach. Chichester, West
Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
Students with disabilities, which affect their participation in the course, should notify the instructor if
they wish to have special accommodations in instructional format, examination format, etc.,
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considered. Accommodations and services are provided by Disability Services (Voice/TDD 962-8300;
966-4041). Learning Disability Services (962-7227) provides supportive services for students with
learning disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders.
POLICY ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:
Plagiarism in any form is not acceptable and it is a violation of the UNC Honor Code. Plagiarism is
defined by the Honor code as the "the deliberate or reckless representation of another's words,
thoughts, or ideas as one's own without attribution in connection with submission of academic work,
whether graded or otherwise". Consulting the following website will help you to avoid it:
http://ssw.unc.edu/students/writing
The APA Style Guide, The SSW Manual, and the SSW Writing Guide are also good sources of
information on attribution of quotes, plagiarism and appropriate use of assistance in preparing
assignments. All written assignments should contain a signed pledge from you stating that, "I have not
given or received unauthorized aid in preparing this written work".
In keeping with the UNC Honor Code, if reason exists to believe that academic dishonesty has
occurred, a referral will be made to the Office of the Student Attorney General for investigation and
further action as required.
POLICY ON UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:
Participation will be evaluated by the degree to which students participate in class discussions,
exercises, role plays and other learning activities. What does good class participation look like? It
looks like someone who is interested, engaged in discussions, shares his or her opinions and
observations and asks questions. It is a student who is an active participant in his or her learning and
keeps up with the readings for his or herself and for the betterment of classroom learning. Attendance
will be recorded and unexplained absences and/or chronic tardiness will impact participation grade.
POLICY ON INCOMPLETE AND LATE ASSIGNMENTS:
A grade of Incomplete is given on rare occasions when extreme circumstances warrant it. It is the
student’s responsibility to initiate a conversation with the instructor to request an Incomplete.
Late assignments are strongly discouraged. Without prior approval,
TEACHING METHODS:
Class sessions will accommodate different learning styles through a combination of lecture,
discussion, videos, and experiential learning activities. I will be scheduling guest speakers as the
semester progresses.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GUIDELINES:
Case Assessment – 20%
Annotated Bibliography – 20%
Reflection Paper – 20%
Treatment Plan – 25%
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Class Participation and Attendance – 15%
EVALUATION OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE:
The following factors are considered when determining the grade earned by each student in this
course:




An “H” is awarded to students whose work reflects “clear excellence” as defined by the
Graduate School. “Clear excellence” means exceeding “P-level” requirements in two ways: (a)
analysis & evaluation of class practice, and (b) extensive use of scholarly literature.
A “P” will be awarded for completion of all requirements as set forth in this syllabus and with
none of the deficiencies noted above. A “P” as defined by the Graduate School signifies
entirely satisfactory work.
An “L” will be assigned when a student has excessive absences or tardiness from class without
justifiable reason and fails to participate in class discussions and activities. An inability to
produce written work that demonstrates graduate-level skills, (e.g. excessive spelling,
punctuation, grammatical, and citation errors) will also adversely affect a student’s grade.
Students are expected to use a 12-point font and the reference style of the Publication Manual
of the American Psychological Association.
An “F” will be assigned for failing to complete any of the above-mentioned requirements as set
forth in this syllabus. Total score for all assignments completed that fall below a grade of 70
also will result in a course grade of “F”.
Points:
94-100
80-93
70-79
>69
Grade:
H
P
L
F
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COURSE OUTLINE:
Week 1: August 24: Introduction to Course
 Introductions
 Review syllabus and assignments
 The mental health needs of children today
 Overview of theoretical lenses used in this course
Week 2: August 31 – Unique Aspects of Working with Children and Competencies Needed to Work
with Them
•
•
•
•
Ethical and legal considerations
Multi-cultural competency
Developmental considerations
Family/other systems involvement
Required Readings:
Webb text: Chapter 1 -The Challenge of Meeting Children's Needs, pp. 3-18
Chapter 2 - Necessary Background for Helping Children, pp. 1938
Chapter 4- Building Relations with all Relevant Systems, pp. 4158
Fried, A. L. & Fisher, C. B. (2014). Ethical considerations in mental health treatment and
interventions with school-age children and adolescents. In C.A. Alfano & D.C.
Seidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and
adolescents (pp. 15-30), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
September 7- Labor Day No class. Enjoy your day!
Week 3: September 14 – Assessing the Child-Family System: General Guidelines
 Engaging the parents/care-takers
 Parenting profile
 Developmental history

Collateral information



Engaging the child- activities, tools and toys
Culture
Risk and protective factors
Required Readings:
Webb text: Chapter 4 - The Biopsychosocial Assessment of the Child, pp. 58-100
Przeworski A., Dunbeck, K. (2014). Development considerations in assessment and
treatment. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Seidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based
interventions for children and adolescents (pp. 3-14), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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(S) Lecroy, C.W. & Okamoto, S.K. ((2009). Guidelines for selecting and using assessment tools
with children. In A. R. Roberts (Ed.), Social workers' desk reference (2nd ed., pp. 381384). New York: Oxford University Press.
Optional Reading:
Webb text: Chapter 5- Contracting, Planning Interventions and Tracking Progress, pp.101-117
Week 4: September 21 – Anxiety Disorders and use of CBT
 Prevalence
 Common anxiety disorders and symptoms
 Cognitive-behavioral treatment: basic concepts
 Components of evidence-based treatments
 Planning interventions
Assignment 1 due
Required Readings:
Seligman, L. D., Swedish, E. F. & Ollendick, T. H. (2014). Anxiety disorders in children. In C.A. Alfano
& D.C. Beidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and
adolescents (pp. 93-109), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
(S) Sutton, C. (2006). Helping families with troubled children: A preventive approach. Chichester,
West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons.
Chapter 2 – Social Learning/Cognitive-behavioural Theory, pp. 33-67.
(S) Connolly, S.D., Bernstein, G. A., & the Work Group on Quality Issues. (2007). Practice parameter
for the assessment & treatment of children and adolescents with anxiety disorders. Journal of
the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry. 46(2), 267-283.
doi:10.1097/01.chi.0000246070.23695.06
Optional Reading:
Greco, G.A. & Morris, T.L. (2004). Assessment. In T.L. Morris & J.S. March (Eds.). Anxiety disorders
in children and adolescents (2nd ed, pp. 98-124), New York: Guilford Press.
Week 5: September 28 – Depressive Disorders
 Prevalence
 Common depressive disorders and symptoms
 Factors that contribute to depression in childhood
 Components of evidence-based treatments
 Practice and reflection
Required Readings:
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Chung W.W. & Fristad, M.A. (2014). Depressive disorders in Children. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel
(Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents (pp. 129146), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
(S) Sutton, C. (2006). Helping families with troubled children: A preventive approach. Chichester,
West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 6 – Helping Families with Children who are Anxious
or Depressed, pp. 131-157.
(S) Center for Health and HealthCare in Schools. (2007). Psychotropic drugs and children: A 2007
update. Saint Louis, MO: The School of Public health and Health Services, The George
Washington University. Retrieved from http://www.healthin
schools.org/*/media/1F79BC0050C64BF9B79EAB1FD0A21D21.ashx.
Week 6: October 5 – ADHD & Working with Parents
 Overview of the disorder
 Prevalence and Co-morbidity
 Evidence-based treatments
 Levels of family involvement
 Behavioral Parent Training
Required Readings:
Webb text: Chapter 6 – Working with the Family, pp.121-148
Powell, N. P., Lochman, J E., Boxmeyer, C L., Jimenez-Camargo, L. A., Crisler, M. E. & Stromeyer, S.
L. (2014). Evidence-based treatment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in children and
adolescents. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based
interventions for children and adolescents (pp. 180-193), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons
Prinz. R. (2009). Behavioral parent training. In H. Reis & S. Sprecher (Eds.) Encyclopedia of human
relationships (pp. 156-159). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publicatios, Inc.
http://dx.doi.org.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/10.4135/9781412958479.n53
Week 7: October 12 - Conduct and Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Intensive In-Home
Interventions
 Overview of conduct disorders
 Overview of evidence-based approaches
 Parent-training for young children
 A family-based approach for older children
Required Readings for next class:
Jones, H. A. &. Rabinovitch A. E. (2014). Treatment of conduct problems and disruptive behavior
disorders. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions
for children and adolescents (pp.195-212), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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(S) McMahon, R. J., Long, N. & Forehand, R.L. (2010) Parent Training for the Treatment of
Oppositional Behavior in Young Children: Helping the Noncompliant Child. In R. C. Murrihy, A.
D. Kidman & Thomas H. Ollendick (Eds.) Clinical Handbook of Assessing and Treating
Conduct Problems (pp.163-192), New York: Springer.
(S) Alexander, J.F. & Robbins, M.S. (2010). Functional Family Therapy: A Phase-Based and MultiComponent Approach to Change In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman & Thomas H. Ollendick (Eds.)
Clinical Handbook of Assessing and Treating Conduct Problems (pp.245-272), New York:
Springer.
(S) Lochman, J. E., Boxmeyer, C., Powell, N.P., & Wells, K.C., (2010). Cognitive behavior therapy for
the group-based treatment of oppositional youth. In R. C. Murrihy, A. D. Kidman & Thomas H.
Ollendick (Eds.) Clinical Handbook of Assessing and Treating Conduct Problems (pp.221244), New York: Springer.
Week 8: October 19 – Pervasive Developmental and Intellectual Development Disorders
 Autism spectrum disorders
 Intellectual development disorders and family supports
 Evidence-based practices
Required Reading:
White, S. W., Kreiser, N. l. & Lerner, M.D. (2014). Autism spectrum disorders. In C.A. Alfano & D.C.
Beidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents
(pp.195-212), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Son.
(S) Sadock, B.J. & Sadock, V.A. Concise textbook of child and adolescent psychiatry. Philadelphia:
Wolters Kluwer-Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Chapter 2 – Mental Retardation, pp. 13-32.
(S) Salvador-Carulla L, Reed GM, Vaez-Azizi LM, Cooper SA, Martinez-Leal R, Bertelli M, et al.
(2011). Intellectual developmental disorders: Towards a new name, definition and framework
for “mental retardation/intellectual disability” in ICD-11. World Psychiatry, 10, 175–80.
Week 9: October 26: Introduction to Play therapy and Applications to Work with Children
Affected by Violence and Trauma
 Rationale for play therapy
Assignment Two Due
 Basic techniques and materials


Applications to work with violence and trauma
Dealing with personal reactions
Required Readings:
Webb text: Chapter 7 – Individual Play Therapy, pp. 149-173.
Chapter 14 – Child Victims and Witnesses of Family and Community Violence, pp. 328354.
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(S) Perry, B.D. (2001). The neurodevelopmental impact of violence in childhood. In Textbook of Child
and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry, (Eds., D. Schetky & E.P. Benedek) American Psychiatric
Press, Inc., Washington, D.C. pp. 221-238, 2001
Fisak, B. (2014). Trauma-related problems and disorders. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel (Eds.).
Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents (pp.287- 300),
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Optional Reading:
(S) Golding, K. S. (2014). Using stories to build bridges: Creative ideas for therapist, life story work,
and direct work and parenting. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishing.
Chapter 1 – The Power of Stories to Facilitate Healing for Children and their Families, pp. 2631
Chapters 2 – Creating your own Helping Stories
(S) Shaw, J. A. (2003). Children exposed to war/terrorism. Clinical Child and Family Psychology
Review, 6(4), 237-246. doi: 10.1023/B:CCFP.0000006291.10180.bd
(S) Montgomery, E. (2010). Trauma and resilience in young refugees: A 9-year follow-up study.
Development and Psychopathology, 22(2), 477-489. doi: 10.1017/S095457941000
Week 10: November 2 – Group Work with Children and Applications to Divorce and




Rational for using groups with children
Types of groups
Considerations in planning a group
Activities for promoting social skills, self-esteem etc.
Required Reading for:
Webb text: Chapter 9 – Group Work with Children, pp. 174-198.
(S) Bonkowski, Sara (2005). Group work with children of divorce. In G.L.Greif and P.H. Ephross (Eds.)
Group work with populations at risk (2nd ed., pp. 135-146). New York: Oxford Press.
(S) Malekoff, A. (2014). Group work with adolescents: Principles and practice. New York: Guilford
Press. Chapter 9 – The Purposeful use of Activities in Group work: Innovative, Expressive,
and Mindful Approaches, pp. 194-219.
Optional Reading:
(S) Malekoff, A. (2014). Group work with adolescents: Principles and practice. New York: Guilford
Press. Chapter 3 – Strengths-Based Group Work with Adolescents, pp. 41-68.
Week 11: November 9 – Issues of Child Abuse and Neglect
 Assessing for abuse and need for placement
 Common issues for children in placement
 Evidence-based interventions
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Required Readings for Next Week:
(S) Rycus, J.S. & Hughes, R.C. (2009). Recognizing indicators of child maltreatment. In A. R. Roberts
(Ed.), Social workers’ desk reference (2nd ed., pp. 659-665). New York: Oxford University
Press
(S) O’Hare, T. (2015). Evidence-based practices for social workers, 2nd Ed. Chicago: Lyceum Books.
Chapter 14: Child abuse and Neglect, pp. 519 – 577. (long chapter; if pressed for time read up
to 559).
(S) Neubauer, F. & Deblinger, E. & Sieger, K. (2015) Trauma‐Focused Cognitive‐Behavioral Therapy
for Child Sexual Abuse and Exposure to Domestic Violence. In N. Boyd Webb (Ed.) Play
therapy with children and adolescents in crisis (4th ed, pp. 118-139). New York: Guildford Press
Optional Reading:
(S) Kraus, L.J. & Thomas, R.T. (2011). Practice parameter for child and adolescent forensic
evaluations, Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 50(12), 12991312
(S) Thomlison, B. (2004). Child Maltreatment. A risk and protective factor perspective, 2nd Edition. In
M. Fraser (Ed.), Risk and resilience in childhood: An ecological perspective (pp. 89-132),
Washington: NASW Press.
Webb text: Chapter 10 – Children Living in Kinship & Foster Home Placements, pp. 227-248.
(S) Lavner, J. A., Waterman, J. & Peplau, L. (2014). Parent adjustment over time in gay, lesbian, and
heterosexual parent families adopting from foster care. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry,
84(1), 46-53. Doi: 10.10371h0098853
Week 12: November 16-– School Related Problems and Interventions
 Prevalence and strategies to address bullying
 Prevalence and strategies to address chronic school absenteeism
 Working with GLBT children
 Facilitating home-school-community partnership
Assignment Three
Due
Required Reading for next week:
Webb text: Chapter 9 – School-based interventions, pp. 199-224.
Chapter 15 – The Interpersonal Violence of Bullying: Impact on Victims, Perpetrators and
Bystanders/Witnesses
Kearney, C.A. & Ross, E. (2014). Problematic school absenteeism. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel
(Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents (pp.275283), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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(S) Glicken, M.L. (2009). Evidence-based practice with emotionally troubled children and adolescents.
London: Elsevier Inc.
Chapter 12 - Evidence-based practice with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender children and
adolescents, pp. 201-215.
Optional Reading:
(S) Fong R, Armour, M., Busch-Armendariz, N., & Heffron, LC. (2009) Case management
interventions with immigrant and refugee students and families. In A R. Roberts (Ed.),
Social workers' desk reference (2nd ed., pp. 70-76). New York: Oxford University
Press.
(S) No author. (2015). Refugee Children in the U.S. Schools: A Toolkit for Teachers
and School Personnel. Retrieved from: http://www.brycs.org/publications/schools-toolkit.cf
Week 13 November 23 – Eating Disorders and Obesity
 Overview and prevalence
 Types of disorders
 Evidence-based treatments
Required Reading:
Doyle, P.M., Byrne, C., Smythe, A. & Legrange, D. (2014). Evidence-based interventions for eating
disorders. In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel (Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions
for children and adolescents (pp.231-242), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Optional Reading
Vannucci, A. & Tanofsky-Kraff, M. (2014). Overweight and obesity. In In C.A. Alfano & D.C. Beidel
(Eds.). Comprehensive evidence-based interventions for children and adolescents (pp.335352), Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Week 14: December 1 – Your choice of topics
 Wrap up
 Feedback on the course
 Celebrate
Assignment Four is due in
one week – December 7th
6:00 pm
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ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION
Submission of assignments:
I prefer to work paperless so please submit your assignments through Sakai using the
Assignments Tab. For each due date the submission time is 6:00 pm. For the early birds, each
assignment “site” will be open at least a week before it is due.
You may submit one of the first three assignments late (up to one week) without requesting an
extension.
Assignment One: Case Assessment and Formulation
Due Class 4 – 9/21/15
Objective: The purpose of this assignment is to gain further practice (1) writing an
assessment, in this case involving a child that you are working with in your field placement or
have worked with in the past and (2) developing a clear treatment goal. This assignment will
form the basis of other assignments so please choose a topic that you are interested in and
want to learn more about. I will post an outline on Sakai under the Resources/Assignment
Tab.
Evaluation Criteria for Assignment One
Outline is appropriately followed and required information is easy to gleam.
Possible
Points
5
Agency and description of client and problem are clearly presented.
10
Onset and key historical factors are clearly described
15
Developmental stage and tasks and physical factors are accurate and clearly
delineated.
Important contextual and historical factors are identified and clearly reflected
in discussion of strengths and protective factors.
Impressions and summary provide a thoughtful and insightful appraisal of your
client’s situation. It conveys your opinions and provides a realistic direction for
what you believe should happen next.
Preliminary goal(s) follows logically from the information and summary above
and adheres to SMART criteria.
Information is clearly and succinctly written with few or no errors.
15
Total
20
15
15
5
100
Assignment Two: Annotated Bibliography – Seeking out evidence-based information to
inform your intervention plan.
Due Class 9 - 0/26/15
Objective: The aim of this assignment is to gain experience in seeking out evidence in
the professional literature to support your choice of interventions. There are two steps in
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this process. (1) Developing a client- o r i e n t e d question and (2) tracking down best
evidence to answer the question.
This assignment includes three parts. In part one, you will devise a question that will guide
your research for part two. In part two you will do a literature search leading to an annotated
bibliography that focuses on the most effective therapeutic approach(es) for the client or
client system that was summarized in your assessment. Appropriate selections will include
scholarly articles, book chapters, treatment manuals, conference proceedings, or
governmental reports. One item may be a website. Blogs or entries from Wikipedia are not
appropriate for this assignment. The annotated bib should include at least six cited articles
that will answer your question(s). They should also help you to obtain:
• A more detailed understanding of the kind of problem that you and your client(s) are
working on. This might include information such as etiology, common
characteristics/symptoms, and risk and resiliency factors.
• Information about common client characteristics, e.g. gender, age, culture, race common
co-existing disorders, general prognosis etc.
• A standardized assessment or screening tool and other recommended kinds of data to
gather such as classroom observations, parent tracking etc.
• Description of at least two evidence-based interventions strategies e.g. exposure
therapy, parent training, socialization group, referral for medication evaluation etc.
Each annotation should be between 100-200 words, and should be directly relevant to one of
the bullets listed above. The following is an example of an annotated bibliography entry that
discussed treatment options for the specific population of foster children. NOTE: This
annotation was completed by a student (who gave permission) in this program for a previous
class, and does not ask for all the items you are expected to include for this task. Check to be
sure you are including all the items required of you.
Craven, P. A. & Lee, R. E. (2006). Therapeutic interventions for foster children: A
systematic research synthesis. Research on Social Work Practice, 16 (3), 287-304.
The authors utilize a systematic research synthesis, which features conceptual rather than
statistical data integration, yielding what the authors call hypotheses or "promising
hunches" (p. 288). The authors included 18 articles, each discussing a different
intervention strategy. Nine articles focused on treatment while the other half aimed at
prevention. The authors identified 6 strategies, 4 treatment and 2 preventive, which they
identified as well-supported and efficacious. These are: Dina Dinosaur; Parent-Child
Interaction Therapy, Multisystemic Therapy (MST), and Multidimensional Treatment Foster
Care (MTFC) as the treatment methods, and Partners Intervention and Prenatal &
Childhood Nurse Visitation as the preventive methods. Other articles in this bibliography
also support the use of MTFC and MST for meeting foster youths'
mental health needs.
In part three of this assignment you will summarize and critically evaluate your findings. This
summary should be about a page in length and pull together the information gleaned from the
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research process. It should also include a discussion of how useful the information is and what
gaps/limitations exist.
Final product for Assignment Two:
1) A question regarding how best to intervene regarding your specific client and their issue
and personal characteristics?
2) Six annotated citations (please double space)
3) A one page synthesis of your findings
Evaluation Criteria for Assignment Two
Question(s) is clear, specific to your client situation, and facilitates your
ability to obtain the information needed.
Six items are from appropriate resources; show effort at researching a
specific problem or model specific to your client situation; bibliographic
entries provide information that helps to answer your question(s) and provide
relevant, up-to-date guidance on assessment and therapeutic approaches
for the issue that you and your client are addressing.
Annotations are well written and provide a clear sense of what the chosen item
was about APA format is used correctly,
Summary of findings reflect a succinct synthesis and appraisal of your
findings. Gaps or conflicting information is identified.
Total
Possible
Points
10
60
10
20
100
Assignment Three: Reflection Paper
Due Class 12, November 16
Objective: The aim of this assignment is to facilitate personal reflection on the internal conflicts,
biases, struggles and triggers that inevitably emerge when working with clients, especially when
there are children involved. In this paper, I would like to hear from you about your reactions to one
or more of the following questions.
(1) How do you feel your work with your client(s) has been going and why?
(2) How do you feel about your own abilities and qualifications as you have been working
with this case?
(3) What kinds of interactions have you had with parents/care-givers or other adults involved
in the case and what have they been like for you?
(4) What personal conflicts have you experienced with this situation, e.g. parents not following
through.
(5) What if any triggers have there been for you and how have you worked on them?
(6) What if anything has surprised you during the course of this case (either about yourself or
your client(s)?
(7) Conclusion (required) -what have you learned about yourself as you have been
involved (or were involved) in this case?
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This is not required, but it may be helpful to do some brief journaling on your own to prepare for
this assignment. If you do, this is for yourself and does not need to be handed in.
Length: Approximately 3 pages, double-spaced.
Evaluation Criteria for Assignment Three
Paper shows high level of thoughtfulness
Paper covers all or most of questions/prompts from above
Assignment is well organized and written
Total Points
Possible
Points
45
45
10
100
Assignment Four: Treatment Plan
Due December 7th
Objective: The aim of this paper is to integrate your findings from your annotated bibliography
and other class readings with the specifics of your client's circumstances and develop an
evidence-based supported intervention plan.
• Utilizing the additional information obtained in your literature review, write a brief case
summary explaining the client's presenting problem (from assignment #1) in light of what
you have learned and factors that are highlighted in the literature (assignment #2). This
is short but can be difficult. Take your time here.
• Identify a measure checklists or other forms of assessment that you could use to
support your conclusions or diagnosis.
• Your case formulation and treatment plan should be consistent. For example, if you are
working with a child (and family) diagnosed with a Conduct Disorder and are using an
approach with a strong cognitive-behavioral component, you will be using terminology
such as parenting management skills and problem-solving skills rather than attachment
bonds and ego strength.
• Write out two primary goals of the case, you may do this in bullet form. Be sure that the
goals are consistent with the way in which you have now formulated the case and plan
to intervene.
• Choose one intervention to go with each of the goals you have listed for the case plan-An intervention is what YOU as the practitioner do to facilitate the client's success i n
achieving their goals, e.g. you will provide…, refer…, model…demonstrate… etc.
• Briefly discuss any practical or ethical concerns you have about what your findings as
well as disconfirming evidence that came to light during your searches. These might be
gaps in the research or a lack of specificity to your client characteristics, e.g. Latina.
Also, discuss any identify any major barriers that could potentially impede the success of
the treatment and describe your precautions against those effects.
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Evaluation Criteria: Assignment Four
Possible
Points
Case Formulation
Your client situation is succinctly summarized and described utilizing the perspective
of the treatment approach that was highlighted and supported in your literature
review. In doing so, you will highlight aspects of the case that are relevant to the
recommended treatment model. For example, a multisystemic therapy approach is
grounded in ecological theory and suggests the need to intervene with multiple systems
such as family, peers, teachers, neighbors etc.
Assessment
At least one form of an assessment measure is provided. This should be a
standardized measurement that has been identified in the literature. In addition, other
forms of assessment might include a structured interview, parent-child observations,
collateral reports etc.
Goals and Interventions
1. Two primary client-oriented specific goals that are linked to the assessment and
intervention approach. These goals should be in accordance with SMART goal
criteria.
2. One clearly articulated, congruent, evidence-based intervention is provided for
each goal.
Practical and Ethical Concerns or Barriers
Discuss any concerns that you have about implementing the assessment and
interventions that you have found. This could be a range of things including: Your
agency does not lend itself to the models/interventions that you found; gaps or
limitations in the literature about the problem itself, little attention given to modification
of interventions for different cultures etc.
Writing and APA: Writing is clear and contains few or no errors. APA format is used
correctly throughout the paper and in the reference list.
TOTAL
16
20
12
24
18
16
10
100
17
18