01 Apr Discuss WK 5-Screening and Assessment Tools
Discuss WK 5-Screening and Assessment Tools
What is important to know and when is it important to know it? To intervene in a problem, a social worker must first identify the problem. Screening and initial assessment can be useful to identity individuals who may be experiencing mental health concerns and could benefit from seeing a clinical social worker. This then would lead to a more comprehensive assessment from which a treatment plan is built. However, deciding who to assess, when, and using which tools can feel like a confusing process. For example, should you provide depression screenings in the community to people who are not clients? Should you screen all new clients for substance abuse regardless of presenting problem? Should you ask about suicide in every session or only when it feels like it could be a concern?
For this Discussion, review the following resources and consider the different screening and assessment tools currently available. Identify the tools you think you would be most likely to use in your practice.
American Psychiatric Association. (2018). Online assessment measures. Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-resources/assessment-measures#Disorder
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019). Screening tools and prevention. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/screening-tools-prevention
Post which screening and/or assessment tool(s) you would use in your practice. Explain why you identified the specific instrument(s) given the type of practice and client population with whom you would like to work. Explain how and when you would use the tool(s). Explain how you would use the information gathered from the tool in a session.
References
Congress, E. (2013). Assessment of adults. In M. Holosko, C. Dulmus, & K. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions (pp. 125–145). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Cowger, C. D. (1994). Assessing client strengths: Clinical assessment for client empowerment. Social Work, 39(3), 262– 268.
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Mental Health Diagnosis in Social Work: The Case of Miranda (pp. 7–9)
Hawkins, R. L., & Kim, E. J. (2012). The socio-economic empowerment assessment: Addressing poverty and economic distress in clients. Clinical Social Work Journal, 40(2), 194– 202.
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014a). Sessions: case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
The Cortez Family (pp. 23–25)
Resources for Discussion
American Psychiatric Association. (2018). Online assessment measures. Retrieved from https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/practice/dsm/educational-resources/assessment-measures#Disorder
National Institute on Drug Abuse. (2019). Screening tools and prevention. Retrieved from https://www.drugabuse.gov/nidamed-medical-health-professionals/screening-tools-prevention