Fall 2025 SOWK 530 Class 10 Weekly Email

MyHeritage Syllabus Presentations Emails

I hope you are all well. I’m back from my conference with the CSWE, it was a great experience and I’m excited for class on Saturday. I’m still planning the content of the session, but I have the forums all set up and ready.

Unit Introduction and What You Will Learn

Week ten includes a synchronous class session on Saturday (11/01/25). Students will move beyond understanding groups to how to facilitate them. They will read Hepworth et al. (2025) and learn about knowledge and skills to effectively intervene using social work groups. Further information forthcoming.

Unit Assignments

Content

• Read Hepworth et al. (2023) Chapter 16 Facilitating Social Work Groups
• Read the attached case scenarios by Pawlukewicz & Ondrus (2013), Garland (2010), and Goodrich & Luke (2015)

W-10 A-02 Asynchronous Engagement

The expectation is that each of your replies will be substantive and provide meaningful perspectives, contributing to the forum’s conversation and scholarship. They can be related to the prompts or building on conversations shared by peers. There are four forums for this week, and you are expected to make at least three replies across any of the forums. These forums include the following:

• The Chapter 16 Content Discussion offers students an opportunity to reflect on group development, leadership roles, and how conflict can be harnessed productively.
• Drawing from their own academic and field experiences, students use Reflections on School-Based Task Groups to analyze how group dynamics such as voice, organization, and leadership unfold over time.
• In the Power or Control in Groups forum, students examine their own group experiences through the lens of power struggles, leadership conflicts, and group development theory.
• The forum Considering Ethical Dilemmas in Social Work Groups encourages students to explore group work ethics through case vignettes on LGBTQI empowerment, psychoanalytic group therapy, and real-world dilemmas, drawing out practical reflections from selected readings.

A-03 Reading Quiz

W-10 Hepworth et al. (2023) Chapter 16 due no later than Saturday 11/1, 8:00 AM.

A-04b: Interviewing Skills Reflective Paper

Meta: Points 90 pts (18% of final grade); Deadline Monday 11/03/25 at 08:00 AM; Completion via Anthology accessible through MyHeritage Assignments; Locations Assignment Submission and Description and Rubric;

Purpose: The Interviewing Skills Reflective Paper offers students a chance to reflect on the experience of their role-play after having watched themselves using a critical eye, increasing students’ self-reflection. Students also share strategies for engagement at non-demonstrated levels.

Task: After students have completed their role-play and had an opportunity to review their performance, they will individually author a reflective paper describing their experience and what they learned. Papers should be between 750 and 1000 words long, formatted using the APA 7th edition style guide. Abstracts are optional, and if your paper does not cite any sources, there is no need for a reference page. Students must include the following in their writing:

• Areas of Strengths: The paper should discuss your areas of strength demonstrated in the role-play. For example, “I used attentive body language because I leaned in slightly and maintained eye contact.” Be specific about what went well. Include quotes from either party.
• Areas for Improvement: The paper should also discuss your areas for improvement. Again, be specific and use concrete language. State how you will work on these skills.
• Strategies for Engagement: Student role-plays include engagement with an individual. Explain what you did to engage with your client, and detail strategies for each additional level of intervention (e.g., family, groups, organizations, and community).

Success: Students will submit a paper demonstrating their ability to self-reflect, propose engagement strategies at every level, and write using strong academic writing skills. Grades are assigned based on the Interview Skill Reflective Paper and Competency 6 Practice Behavior Rubric.

Interviewing Skill Reflective Paper and Competency 6 Practice Behavior Rubric

A-04b: Interviewing Skills Reflective Paper is evaluated using this rubric. Students’ attention to identifying how they would engage with all systems related to CSWE’s (2022) competency six is assessed in this paper. Papers are also reviewed based on their reflection, general formatting, organization, and adherence to the assignment requirements.

Competency 6: Engage with Individuals, Families, Groups, Organizations, and/or Communities.

a. Apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as interprofessional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies; and
b. Use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.

Description	Initial	Emerging	Developed	Highly Developed
Demonstrates ability to engage with all systems	Describes strategies for two or fewer systems that do not differentiate based on HB, PIE, and interprofessional conceptual frameworks	Describes strategies for one to three systems that differentiate based on HB, PIE, and interprofessional conceptual frameworks	Describes strategies for all systems but may have gaps in ability to differentiate use of strategies using HB, PIE, and interprofessional conceptual frameworks.	Describes strategies for all systems (families, groups, organizations, and communities) that are appropriate for engagement. Differentiates use of strategies based on HB, PIE, and interprofessional conceptual frameworks.

General Assignment Requirements

Description	Initial	Emerging	Developed	Highly Developed
Reflection	The paper lacks any substantive reflection on the role-play completed.	There are general reflections related to strengths and areas for improvement, but they are unactionable and don’t appear thoughtfully considered.	The reflections included in the paper include both strengths and areas for improvement, but they appear more surface level and provide only general details about their practice.	The reflections included in the paper explore both areas of strengths and areas for personal improvement. There is a clear eyed view into the completed role-play providing meaningful personal evaluation. The student is able include specific details and relate them to practice.
Organization, Clarity, and APA Formatting	The reflection lacks clear organization; tone is informal or inappropriate for a policy audience; citations and references are missing.	Some organization is evident but ideas may be disjointed; tone is uneven or somewhat unprofessional; several APA citation errors are present.	The brief is generally well-organized with a mostly professional tone; minor APA formatting errors are present but do not detract significantly from clarity.	The reflection is clearly and logically organized with a consistently professional, action-oriented tone; APA citations and references are accurate and properly formatted throughout.
Following assignment requirements	Does not follow the assignment description.	Somewhat follows the assignment description, but significant problems exist.	Follows the assignment description and requirements but has minor problems.	Closely follows the assignment description and requirements.

Unit Resources

I’ve attached readings for this week’s forum, including three resources that explore different aspects of group work. Pawlukewicz and Ondrus (2013) present 25 ethical dilemmas to examine decision-making among helping professionals, several of which focus on group contexts. Garland’s (2010) Vignette D: Verbal Abuse illustrates psychoanalytic principles in action within a therapy group. Finally, Goodrich and Luke (2015) describe the development of an empowerment group for LGBTQI clients, highlighting considerations of inclusion and affirming practice.

I will attach slides and any additional material closer to class.

The Lecture Videos tab in the MyHeritage course is where you will be able to find class recordings. The video this week is at [Fall 2025 SOWK 530 Week 10]().

Reference

Garland, C. (2010). The group’s manual: A treatment manual, with clinical vignettes. In The Groups Book Psychoanalytic group therapy: Principles and practice (pp. 404-591). Routledge.

Goodrich, K. M., & Luke, M. (2015). Group counseling with LGBTQI persons. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119222774

Hepworth, D. H., Vang, P. D., Blakey, J. M., Schwalbe, C., Evans, C., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., & Strom, K. (2023). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (11th ed.). Cengage Learning, Inc.

Pawlukewicz, J., & Ondrus, S. (2013). Ethical dilemmas: The use of applied scenarios in the helping professions. Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, 10(1), 2-12. https://doi.org/10.55521/10-010-100

To-Do List

• Read chapter 16 and do the reading quiz
• Attend class on Saturday
• Complete at least three replies across any of the forums
• Submit your A-04b Interviewing Skills Reflective Paper