SW 304: Generalist Practice II

University of Louisville

Kent School of Social Work

 Assignment DescriptionS & Rubrics

 Practice Portfolio

 The practice portfolio will be compiled over the course of the semester and include brief essays and assignments to practice core skills. Each of these essays may be written in first person, and there is no required abstract or cover page. Other than these small modifications noted, APA formatting is required for all assignments. For assistance with APA style visit the following website: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_style_introduction.html or contact the UofL Writing Center.

Practice portfolio entries will include the following:

1. Essay on personal background
3. Essay on personal background and values and how those affect work with different individuals in social work practice (3-5 pgs.)

 Purpose of this assignment:

A combination of environmental, cultural, ethnic, gender, religious, geographical, and family influences helped to shape us into the individual we are today.  The purpose of this assignment is to provide an opportunity for you to critically reflect on these influences and how they impact your development as a social work professional. There are two main components:

1. Discuss how “who you are” and “what happened to you” impacts (or will likely impact) your work with individuals. Be specific in discussing your values (personal and/or professional), biases, spiritual or religious orientation, life experiences, and/or your beliefs about individuals.  Additionally, complete the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) survey and discuss your reactions to your score, how your ACEs might impact your work with individuals, how your ACEs might play a role in how you relate to individuals who have their own ACEs.  Make sure you address both the potentially negative and positive impact of these factors.  To take the ACE survey, please go to this website: https://acestoohigh.com/got-your-ace-score/.  You will also find a Resilience survey at the bottom of the same webpage that you can complete as well.
2. In the next section of this reflection, discuss concretely how you will protect the individuals with whom you work so that “who you are” and “what happened to you” will not negatively impact your ability to deliver compassionate and professional services. While this paper reflects on personal experiences, you must cite your primary textbook and the assigned Bloom reading in order to demonstrate integration of the course reading with personal reflection.

Use the subsystems listed below to guide you in your discussion and format your paper using each as a separate heading.

 

• Demographics (e.g., gender, race, age, and socioeconomic status)
• Ethnicity and Culture (e.g., cultural values, practices, racial identity, sexual orientation, and spiritual/religious beliefs)
• Personal Characteristics (e.g., responsibility, commitment, motivation, coping skills, and/or resourcefulness)
• Life Experiences (e.g., relationships, support networks, ACEs, life-cycle stage, mental health status, and/or health status)

 

Important Note: These essays are entirely confidential. Only the instructor will see them. Also, please do not provide details about you personally that you do not feel comfortable providing. Feel free to write in general terms.

 

You may write this essay using first person.  An abstract and title page are not required.  Other than these small modifications noted, APA formatting is required for this assignment.

 

The instructor will consider the following criteria for grading this paper:

Criteria	Comments and Points Earned
Application of critical thinking skills within the context of professional social work practice.  Demonstrated by:
Student completed an accurate and thorough self-assessment, critically evaluating themselves using the subsystems provided, including completion of the ACEs (.75 points).
Student clearly addresses how their personal background and experiences, including ACEs score, will impact, or will likely impact work with individuals (.75 points).
Student concretely addresses how they will protect the individuals with whom they workso that “who they are” and “what happened to them” will not negatively impact their ability to deliver compassionate and professional services (.75 points).
Coherence
The paper is clear, concise and formed of coherent sentences, thoughts and ideas are well-structured, there are no grammatical errors, and it is APA formatted (.75 points).
Scholarship
Use of scholarly sources as appropriate including citing required sources in order to demonstrate integration of the course reading with personal reflection.  (1 point)