DISCUSSION 1:

There will be times when a social worker is presented with a case where they are not familiar with the surrounding psychosocial issues. Because social workers are on a continual journey in learning, it is important to read pertinent literature. This Discussion provides an opportunity to visit Walden Library and strengthen your skills in identifying and locating an empirical research article.

To prepare:

  • Select one of these three groups: (1) an immigrant individual from a racial or ethnic minority group, (2) a gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) individual, OR (3) an individual who is physically disabled.
  • Review the Walden Library resources listed in the Learning Resources.
  • Then conduct a library search for an empirical study focused on one of the groups above and the unique psychosocial factors or issues a social worker should be aware of when working with that group.

By Day 3

Post:

  • Post the APA-style reference for the article you found in the library.
  • Describe four specific psychosocial factors that should be taken into account in order to understand the psychosocial context when working with the group you selected. (Two of these factors should be psychologically related and two of these factors should be socially related).
  • Identify and explain a psychosocial intervention that addresses one of the four specific psychosocial factors you described above.
  • Identify 1 to 2 outcomes you might measure if you were to evaluate the effectiveness of the intervention.
  • Evaluate one advantage of using a psychosocial framework in social work practice with the group you chose.

DISCUSSION 2:

An emergent school of thought dictates that the most stimulating component for disease prevention and wellness promotion may reside within the individual patient. Eliciting patient behavior change, however, is a paramount challenge for today’s health professional teams, including medical social workers.

Motivational interviewing is a collaborative, client-centered, goal-oriented method of communication. It helps to resolve ambivalence and identify and strengthen an individual’s motivation for change. Motivational interviewing is an evidenced-based practice that has been employed with diverse patient populations and across a variety of settings.

Rollnick, Miller, and Butler (2008) argue that motivational interviewing has a place in informing communication between patients and health care providers that can influence how patients feel, how they behave, and their overall health outcomes. Within the context of health and illness, motivational interviewing can be used on micro levels (i.e., during consultations between patients and providers) and on macro levels (i.e., throughout population-centered health education programs).

To prepare for this Discussion, consider the major components of motivational interviewing. Think about clinical and public health issues to which you can apply motivational interviewing.

By Day 4

Post a description of the major components of a motivational interview. Explain the goals of motivational interviewing. Describe direct applications of motivational interviewing to a clinical situation in a health care setting. Be specific and use examples or scenarios such as patient population or disease condition to illustrate your response. Then, explain the direct applications of motivational interviewing to a public health issue or situation. Finally, discuss the disciplines of medical social work in which a social worker would be most likely to use motivational interviewing.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the resources and the current literature using appropriate APA format and style.

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