Identify which aspect of this situation would be most challenging for you if you were the supervisor. Finally, explain how you would use leadership skills to proceed if you were the supervisor.

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Social workers in administrative roles must be able to identify and analyze the external factors that affect the function of the human services organizations for which they work. Though you may apply leadership and management skills as you assume an administrative position, you may also be able to repurpose many of the assessment skills you use in clinical practice for macro social work. Just as you gather information about a client and develop strategies for treatment at a micro level, so too, at a macro level, you gather and analyze information about a situation or program and identify appropriate strategies that will support positive organizational functioning.

For this Discussion, you address the Phoenix House case study in the Social Work Case Studies: Concentration Year text.

Post an analysis of the supervisor’s role in the Phoenix House case study and identify leadership skills that might help the supervisor resolve the issue. Identify which aspect of this situation would be most challenging for you if you were the supervisor. Finally, explain how you would use leadership skills to proceed if you were the supervisor.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

The Phoenix House Case Study:

I am the senior social worker at a program called Phoenix House. Phoenix House is an after-school program supporting at-risk middle school youth. It is funded in part by local school districts. Students are generally referred to Phoenix House by school administrators or parents.

I supervise a staff of four full-time social workers and two social work interns from a local university. Staff responsibilities generally include helping students with homework, individual and group counseling, field trips, and recreational games and activities.

Students are usually referred to Phoenix House when school administrators feel that the student is on the cusp of expulsion or long-term suspension from their school, usually due to disciplinary issues. Parents of students may also enroll their children in the Phoenix House program if they feel it will be beneficial. Parents are made aware of Phoenix House and its services through PTA meetings and via school administrators when a disciplinary incident takes place. Although it is free of charge and funded primarily through school district funds, parents are discouraged from using Phoenix House as an after-school or extracurricular activity for their children.

The average clients of Phoenix House are boys and girls between the ages of 11 and 14. The clients possess a range of presenting issues, mostly relating to inappropriate behavior. Some of the clients have been involved with the juvenile justice system in some form or fashion. Almost all of the clients have been suspended from their school at one point or another. Common problems with clients at Phoenix House include fighting, bullying, stealing, and vandalizing.

The staff I supervise have quite a bit of experience working with juveniles with behavioral issues. Some of them have worked in juvenile detention facilities and others have worked at court-mandated youth programs.

We have recently accepted a new client named Daniel. Daniel is a 13-year-old, Caucasian male. Daniel was enrolled by his mother when he was suspended from his school after a marijuana cigarette was found in his book bag by school security staff. It was the first time Daniel had been suspended from his school and the first time a disciplinary report had been filed on him.

Sarah, one of the social workers, asked to speak to me concerning Daniel. Sarah had spoken to Jim, one of our social work interns, about Daniel and the appropriateness of his presence at Phoenix House. Jim is concerned that Daniel is not a “good fit” at Phoenix House because he does not seem to match up with the character and attitudes of the other clients. Sarah shares Jim’s concern and is also concerned that the other clients may be a harmful influence to Daniel.

Sarah is Daniel’s counselor, as well, and has gotten permission from Daniel to share some of his statements from their counseling sessions. The statements indicate Daniel has no idea how the marijuana cigarette got into his book bag and that Daniel suspects it was put there by another student as a joke or as a means to get rid of it during bag searches. Sarah, who has years of experience working with at-risk youth, indicates that she believes Daniel. Daniel has also gone on to state that his mother has a tendency to overreact, and this may be the reason why she enrolled him in the Phoenix Houseprogram instead of listening to his explanations.

In response to Jim and Sarah’s concerns, I contacted Daniel’s mother, Lisa. Lisa listened to my concerns but did not feel that it would be right to remove him from the Phoenix House program. She said that even if he had done nothing wrong, Daniel could learn a valuable lesson about consequences by being in the Phoenix House program. I attempted to explain to Lisa that this is not really the purpose of the program and also indicated that Phoenix House is not meant to be a typical after-school or extracurricular program. Lisa retorted that it is her right to enroll her son in the program, and in her opinion, the end result of Daniel being in the program will be positive in nature.

I have shared this conversation with the staff at our weekly meetings. The staff seem convinced that Daniel will not have a positive experience at Phoenix House and feel he is being picked on and bullied by the other clients despite their efforts to prevent it. Some staff members have also pointed out that this may be an ethical issue because they feel the situation violates the social work value of “do no harm”

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].

  • “Social Work Supervision, Leadership, and Administration: The Phoenix House” (pp. 82–84)

Identify two significant external factors that might influence your work if you served in a leadership or management role in social work. Explain why these external factors are significant and how they might affect your work as a leader or manager.

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you began exploring the similarities and differences of leadership and management roles and the contributions these roles make to an organization’s functioning. Social workers need to be aware of these similarities and differences in order to determine which management or leadership skills are most appropriate in a given position or situation.

This week, you have focused on the influence of external factors on an organization’s functioning with a special focus on their impact on the leadership of social workers in supervisory roles.

As you have explored leadership and management roles, skills, and behaviors, you may have become aware of how these align, or do not align, with your personal skills, strengths, and interests. You may also have begun to consider how external factors might influence you if you were to assume a leadership or management role in social work.

For this Assignment, you assess your strengths and areas for growth in order to determine what aspects of leadership and management are a good “fit” with your personality, leadership style, and relevant skills. You also address how external factors might influence you as you serve in a leadership or management role.

Assignment (4–5 paragraphs): Complete the following:

  • Assess your strengths and areas for growth with regard to both the leadership and management roles based on what you understand about these roles so far. Be sure to address whether your skills and interests align better with the leadership or management role.
  • Identify at least one area of growth in either of these roles you would like to further develop, and explain why.
  • Identify two significant external factors that might influence your work if you served in a leadership or management role in social work. Explain why these external factors are significant and how they might affect your work as a leader or manager.

Submit a 4- to 5-page paper that analyzes the implementation of the evidence-based practice in your field of practice to determine if you can expect similar results to the research

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Many social workers attempt to implement an evidence-based practice that seems to be strongly supported by research, only to become frustrated or confused when their efforts do not yield the same positive results as the research. This discrepancy can occur because they failed to recognize the differences between conditions in their practice environment and the conditions of the study. Moreover, they may have failed to consider and adequately plan for issues that arise during implementation.

To prepare for this Assignment, using the resources for evidence-based practices, identify an evidence-based practice that may be applicable to your field of practice. Review two research articles demonstrating the effectiveness of the evidence-based practice. Note any similarities or differences between the conditions in which the evidence-based practice was implemented in the study and the conditions in which you plan to implement it.

By Day 7

Submit a 4- to 5-page paper that analyzes the implementation of the evidence-based practice in your field of practice to determine if you can expect similar results to the research. The paper should include the following:

  • A description of the evidence-based practice that you selected including:
    • The population for which the evidence-based practice is intended
    • The problems for which the evidence-based practice is intended to address
    • A summary of the evidence from the research articles that demonstrate the evidence-based practice’s effectiveness
  • An explanation of any differences between the conditions of the study and the conditions on your practice. Explain the potential impact these differences could have on successful implementation.
  • A description of the steps that would be required to implement the evidence-based practice including:
    • Any factors that would support each step and how you would leverage them
    • Any factors that would limit or hinder each step and how you would mitigate them
  • A conclusion that includes:
    • Anticipated results of the implementation in your practice setting
    • An explanation of whether they will be similar or different from the research results from the articles

 Write a 700-1000 word paper analyzing an emotional experience. The experience can be your own or that of another person. The experience should be one involving intense emotions such as self-defeating anger, anxiety, guilt, depression

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Write a 700-1000 word paper analyzing an emotional experience. The experience can be your own or that of another person. The experience should be one involving intense emotions such as self-defeating anger, anxiety, guilt, depression. Your analysis should identify and examine:1. The elements of the emotional experience (emotional objects, bodily feelings, replaying of bodily feelings, behavioral changes, emotional reasoning).2. The particular emotion/s in question (anger, guilt, anxiety, etc.) using the E=O + R formula (See examples of such definitions of emotions in your text, p. 8.)3. The emotional reasoning. Formulate this reasoning using the standard form of emotion reasoning:If O then ROSo, RFor example, say O = my friend lied to me; and R = He is a rotten person. Then the emotional reasoning would be:If my friend lied to me then he’s a rotten personMy friend lied to meSo, he’s a rotten person(See reading on “Emotional Reasoning” and your text, pp. 14-17, for further details).4. Identify any fallacies in the premises (refer to chapters 2-4 in your text, the definitions contained in  Cardinal Fallacies, and your scanning records in Tell Walter);   5.  Show how to refute these fallacies, that is, discuss why they are irrational.6. Discuss how the situation leading to the emotion/s in question might have been more rationally managed using the theory of guiding virtues and other philosophical insights gleaned from the course (see discussions of guiding virtues in your text, chapters 2-4, and the link Guiding (Transcendent) Virtues.7. Discuss a plan of action based on these philosophical insights.PHI1113 RUBRICThis paper will be assessed according to three sets of competency skills:1.     Communicates Effectively2.     Demonstrates Logical/Analytical Thinking3.     Shows Emotional/Moral SensitivityA PAPER = satisfies all or most standards in all three categoriesB PAPER = satisfies all or most standards in two categoriesC PAPER = satisfies all or most standards in one categoryD PAPER = satisfies some standards in one category.F PAPER = does not satisfy any standards in any categoryThe standards of assessment for each of these three categories are as follows:1.     Communicates Effectively•       Presents information about an emotional experience clearly and accurately through the effective selection and organization of information.•       Uses language in ways that clearly and concisely describe the various components of the experience and their relationships.•       In presenting this information, identifies the most significant and relevant facts, definitions, and concrete details of the experience for purpose of analysis.  2.     Demonstrates Logical/Analytic Thinking•       Identifies instances of deductive and inductive inference in the context of assessing the reasoning involved in the emotional experience.•       Identifies key assumptions/premises in such reasoning.•       Identifies major irrational thinking errors (“fallacies”) inherent in such assumptions/premises.•       Demonstrate at least one method of refutation of such fallacies (e.g. reductio, double standards, inconsistency, lack of inductive evidence).•       Shows how to effectively address such fallacies through the application of philosophical ideas or theories.•       Applies such philosophical ideas or theories to the construction of a plan of action.  3.      Shows Emotional and Moral Sensitivity

  • Identifies the particular emotion/s (anxiety, guilt, depression, anger, etc.) experienced by the person in question.
  • Demonstrates empathy in understanding the perceived problem or perspective of this person.
  • Identifies the influence of feelings and other non-cognitive factors on the person’s thinking.
  • Identifies key ethical concepts or virtues that can contribute to constructive, behavioral and emotional change.

The following General Education Learning Outcomes and Preamble have been adopted by Indian River State College.  This course, and the above learning outcome assignment in particular, seeks to promote these Learning Outcomes:“The general education curriculum at Indian River State College is designed to empower students to become lifelong learners.  Students who complete a degree will acquire a broad body of knowledge and experiences from the Humanities, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, and Social Sciences disciplines. These courses foster critical thinking, effective communication, and application of knowledge to meet new challenges in our student’s everyday life.”  General Education Learning Outcomes: Communication Demonstrate essential skills in verbal and written communication, to include the ability to communicate ideas clearly and precisely. Interpretation and Evaluation Demonstrate critical thinking skills in the analysis of key values and ideas presented in areas such as philosophy, history, information literacy, literature, music, theatre, visual arts, and religious studies. Behavioral and Social Analysis Demonstrate scientific reasoning in the analysis of various human phenomena such as  human nature, human behavior, human diversity, and human social systems. Scientific and Mathematical Reasoning Demonstrate scientific or mathematical reasoning in problem solving.Plagiarism PolicyAny student who uses the work of another without giving due acknowledgment will fail the course.