Social Work Assistant, AAS (440799)  Degree

3.00 Credit Hours This course is designed to provide tools to assist students to acquire skills necessary to achieve academic and professional success in their chosen occupational/ technical program of study. Topics include: Getting off to a Good Start, Learning and Personality Styles, Time and Money Management, Study and Test Taking Skills, Stress Management and Wellness, Communications Skills, Career Exploration, Research Skills, College Campus Knowledge, Memory & Reading Skills, Presentation & Interview Skills, and Group Skills. Effective Fall 2016, students who already have an Associate Degree or higher will be given exemption credit for the COLL 1500 course.

3.00 Credits Introduces the fundamental concepts, terminology, and operations necessary to use computers. Emphasis is placed on basic functions and familiarity with computer use. Topics include an introduction to computer and digital terminology, and usage, operating systems, Internet and digital communication, word processing applications, spreadsheet applications, database applications, and presentation applications.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): Provisional Admission This course provides an introduction to social welfare institution and the profession of social work. It focuses on the values, ethics, and methods of generalist social work practice with an emphasis on diversity. Students will be introduced to basic social welfare policies, community agencies, and at-risk populations.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): Provisional Admission NOTE: Students enrolled in this course are required to complete the entry level occupational work ethics course during the same term. A practical course in the how to of human service case management. Students will learn the step-by-step process of case management from the initial referral for services, determination of eligibility for services, writing a formal plan for services, case documentation techniques, and techniques for monitoring a clients progress through the service delivery system, to case closure/follow-up activities. This course will include how to access community resources, how to interpret and utilize information from other professionals, and the development of interviewing, intervention, case recording, and caseload management skills. Legal and ethical issues in service delivery will also be discussed.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2000; SOCW 2010 This course provides an overview of multi-cultural and critical perspectives on understanding: individuals, families, and their interpersonal and group relationships; life span development; and theories of well-being, stress, coping, and adaptation. Students learn to address biopsychosocial influences on human functioning.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2000; SOCW 2010 This course is offered as a beginning general foundation class and focuses on social work practice with individuals. It will emphasize the initial contact and rapport building skills utilized in partnering with clients in the social work process, interviewing skills and counseling techniques along with the assessment of a clients situation, and determination of the appropriate level of intervention for the change effort. Students will be expected to participate in interpersonal sharing and activities. Additional areas of study include: interviewing for assessment, the person in environment perspective, motivational interviewing, and ethical framework for practice.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2020, SOCW 2030 This course examines various modalities for assessing and intervening with individuals who have special needs, such as mental health disorders, addictive diseases, and development disabilities. The course focuses on problem assessment, types of intervention strategies, and techniques and methods for determining the effectiveness of interventions.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2020, SOCW 2030 This course will provide students with a foundational understanding of the knowledge and skills required to participate in and lead small groups in a variety of settings. The course emphasizes an experiential approach which will provide students with the opportunity to develop skills in planning, facilitating, organizing, and evaluating the success of groups in micro and macro practice. Students will learn about the basic issues in group work and how to design groups for and work with children, youth, and adults. Emphasis will be placed on exploration and application of group work theory, principles and practices of group counseling, stages of group development, group dynamics, and group leadership. The latest research, ethical guidelines, and practices in group work will be examined and applied. Students will explore the interaction between groups and systems with their external environments and learn about concepts, theories, and methods and skills relevant to group work with diverse populations. Application of group work methods with at-risk populations will also be explored.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2040, SOCW 2050 This course examines various modalities for assessing and interviewing with children and adolescents. It focuses on Bio-psychosocial changes, interpersonal relationships and the individualÆs ability to relate to the social environment. Topics include: child maltreatment, teen parenting, delinquency, violent behavior, school dropout, suicide, substance abuse, and runaway behavior.

3.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2040, SOCW 2050 This course explores the aging process and the experience of aging from a variety of perspectives. Physiological psychological and socio-culturally. Emphasis is placed on understanding the normative changes associated with the aging process, as well as the ways in which those changes are experienced personally and socially. Issues that will be reviewed include the realities of aging on our society; issues around health and emotional well being and aging, including life adjustments, physical health and mental problems and changes in physical appearance; and a look into the future of aging.

6.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): (SOCW 2040 and SOCW 2050) or (SOCW 2060 and SOCW 2070) The field practicum is an educationally focused, guided field experience in which students engage in community-based practice with individuals, families, and/or communities. Students gain experience with various social work roles, such as advocate, broker, and counselor. Students learn to function as professional generalists social workers in an organizational setting, to demonstrate an understanding of and behavior consistent with the NASW Code of Ethics, and to increasingly assume professional responsibility. Special emphasis is placed on the identification of specific needs, the empowerment of diverse populations at the micro and mezzo levels, and a keen awareness of social justice issues. Students will be under the supervision of the Social Work program faculty and/or persons designated to coordinate work experience arrangements.

6.00 Credits Pre-requisite(s): SOCW 2060, SOCW 2070, SOCW 2080 NOTE: Students enrolled in this course are required to complete the capstone level occupational work ethics course during the same term. Field Practicum II is an advanced educationally focused, guided, field experience in which students engage in community-based practice with individuals, families, and/or communities. Students gain experience with various social work roles, such as advocate, broker, and counselor. Students learn to function as professional generalist social workers in an organization setting, to demonstrate an understanding of and behavior consistent with NASW Code of Ethics, and to increasingly assume professional responsibility. Special emphasis is placed on the identification of special needs, the empowerment of diverse populations at the micro and mezzo levels, and a keen awareness of social justice issues. Students will be under the supervision of the Social Work program, faculty and/or persons designated to coordinate work experience arrangements.