Whether used as a coping mechanism, a way to express anger, or to deal with intense emotional pain, self-harming is often a call for help.

In school settings, faculty and staff are charged with protecting students, but how can they protect those students who choose to harm themselves? The importance of educators understanding the circumstances, causes, and effects of self-harming behavior so they can respond quickly and effectively cannot be overstated. For this Assignment, consider your role as a social worker and think about how you would raise awareness for educators to respond to this increasing maladaptive coping mechanism.

Submit a 5- to 6-slide PowerPoint presentation explaining the indicators of self-harm, appropriate interventions, and follow-up steps for educators needing to respond to those who self-harm.

PLEASE USE LEARNING RESOURCES

Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA:  Cengage Learning.

• Chapter 7 (pp. 333-375)

Moorey, S. (2010). Managing the unmanageable: Cognitive behavior therapy for deliberate self-harm. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 24(2), 135–149

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

When conducting forensic assessments, it is important for forensic mental health professionals to have a thorough understanding of the following:

• Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct Including 2010 Amendments
• Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology: Adopted by APA Council of Representatives

Ethical issues are commonly present when completing forensic assessments. Read the scenario below and discuss the ethical issues therein.

Dr. Smith was contacted by the District County Attorney’s office to evaluate Mr. Doe as part of a sexually violent predator civil commitment hearing. Dr. Smith agreed to complete the evaluation and contacted the prison facility, where Mr. Doe was being held, to schedule an appointment.

Upon arrival at the prison, Mr. Doe’s attorney indicated that he wanted to be present for the interview and psychological testing. Dr. Smith agreed, and they proceeded with the interview. During the interview, while discussing his sex offense history, Mr. Doe admitted to offending against two adult females. He also reported offending against his three-year-old daughter. He indicated that his relationship with his wife, although rocky at times, is generally supportive. Upon inquiry, he reported a history of domestic abuse, which was never reported. He explained that due to his arrest and incarceration, his wife has had to find a job to be able to continue to afford their housing. He reported that he previously worked as a general maintenance worker at a local trucking company. He explained that he cheated on his wife with a coworker, who has since stopped all communication. He indicated that this coworker used to visit and send him letters and money when he was first “locked up.” He reported that he was angry that she ceased all communication, without explanation, and spoke of her with rage and hostility. He said, “If I ever see her again, I’ll kill her.”

During the administration of the psychological tests, Mr. Doe asked to use the restroom once and was provided another five-minute break. There was a great deal of background noise throughout the interview and administration. On two occasions, Mr. Doe asked his attorney how he should answer the question. He was advised, and he answered as such. Upon the completion of testing, Dr. Smith thanked Mr. Doe and his attorney for their time and indicated that he would see them in court.

If released, Mr. Doe will return to his home with his wife and two daughters. He has reported to the prison staff that he will also return to his previous job and may enroll in vocational classes at an area community college.

Tasks:

As a forensic mental health professional, discuss the ethical issues in the scenario. Refer to the following resources:

• American Psychological Association. (2010). Ethical principles of psychologists and code of conduct including 2010 amendments. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
• American Psychology-Law Society. (2011). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology: Adopted by APA Council of Representatives [Unofficial version]. Retrieved from http://www.ap-ls.org/aboutpsychlaw/SGFP_Final_Approved_2011.pdf

Write a 5- to 6-page report in a Microsoft Word document addressing the following:

• Identify the appropriate APA ethical code(s) and the specialty guidelines that may apply to this scenario.
• Examine the limits of confidentiality. How might those limits be affected by some of the information contained in the scenario?
• Discuss specific circumstances in the case study in which there might be a duty to report or duty to warn.
• Explain the limitations of what the evaluator can and cannot say.
• Discuss the implications of the third-party observer to the overall evaluation.

Your report should rely upon at least four scholarly resources from the professional literature that are cited in APA format. The literature may include the Argosy University online library resources; relevant textbooks; peer-reviewed journal articles; and websites created by professional organizations, agencies, or institutions (.edu, and .gov).

Families are as unique as the individuals who form them. While you may utilize the same or similar techniques, while working with family systems (through the steps in the GIM and related practice skills), it is also important to recognize that each family has its own unique needs and experiences in the world. The empowerment perspective states that an essential aspect of working with individuals and families is to address their feelings of powerlessness and oppression. Empowerment is a process; and one part of that process is to gain an awareness of the oppressive structures evident in our society. Oppression, in the form of racism, sexism, classism, and homophobia, can impact a family’s quality of life and ability to thrive. Empowerment practice includes discussing potential societal barriers that may have contributed to the family’s concerns.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Select a diverse family system, such as a family with differences in sexual orientation, a family with differences in race or ethnicity, or a family with members who are managing a disability. Then, consider potential barriers they might encounter in society. Finally, think about how a social worker might address one of these barriers on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level.

Post a brief description of the diverse family system you selected. Then explain a potential barrier they might encounter in society. Finally, explain one skill a social worker might use to address this barrier on an individual, family, organizational, group, or community level.

Support your posts and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

200-300 words

PLEASE USE THE LEARNING RESOURCES/REFERENCES

Learning resources:

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., &  Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Understanding generalist practice (8th  ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

• Chapter 9, “Understanding Families: Family Assessment” (pp. 349-381)
• Chapter 10, “Working with Families” (pp. 382-418) 

Your local town is addressing the following issues in its law-making:

1. Should people under 18 be subjected to legal curfews or restricted driving privileges?
2. Should libraries be required to install filtering software or otherwise censor the materials that they provide?
3. Should insurance companies in your state be required to pay for breast reconstruction, birth control pills, or Viagra?
4. Should the use of camera phones be banned in local gymnasiums or other locations?

As an active citizen, you ask to research and present to the town’s citizens one of the above issues. The governing body has agreed and asks that your presentation be specifically designed to show citizens of the community how and why one of the issues above is controversial and how to be educated consumers of information regarding this issue. They ask this because the citizens will be voting on these issues in future elections and the governing body wants its citizens to be properly educated on these topics.

In your presentation, make sure you include the following:

Remember, you are giving a presentation to an audience that does not know much, if anything, about your topic.

• Explain the issue, including definitions of common terms involved in the issue and why this issue is controversial.
• Identify and describe three to four different conclusions that are drawn when arguments related to the issue are made.
• Summarize the kinds of evidence typically used for each constructed argument related to the issue. Be sure to discuss the reasons these kinds of evidence are used and/or are most effective.
• Analyze how each of the different conclusions regarding the topic use particular evidence to support their claims, paying particular attention to analyzing how the conclusions rely on different facts, different sources of evidence, or different reasoning from other conclusions. In other words, explain why certain groups would use a particular type of evidence while an opposing group would use a different type of evidence, or how two groups can represent that same data in two completely different ways.
• Utilize at least three different sources and properly cite them throughout the presentation.

The presentation should be 8 to 10 slides long, and each slide should have complete, formally written slide notes (proper grammar, APA formatting, and academic tone) for record-keeping purposes and in the event there are citizens who are deaf or hard-of-hearing at your presentation. The slide notes must include proper APA citation of sources, proper paragraphing, and proper grammar and tone. Visually, the slides should be easy to read. A properly APA-formatted reference page must be the last slide of your presentation. See the rubric for more specific requirements of the presentation.

Submit your assignment to the Submissions Area by the due date assigned.

Assignment 2 Grading CriteriaMaximum PointsExplain the issue, including definitions of common terms involved in the issue.24Identify and describe several different conclusions that are drawn when arguments related to the issue are made.32Summarize the kinds of evidence typically used for each constructed argument related to the issue. Be sure to discuss the reasons these kinds of evidence are used and/or are most effective.32Analyze how each of the different conclusions regarding the topic use particular evidence to support their claims, paying particular attention to analyzing how the conclusions rely on different facts, different sources of evidence, or different reasoning from other conclusions.36Analysis of commonalities and themes amongst evidence.32Organization: Introduction, Transitions, Conclusion12Style: Tone, Audience, Word Choice12Usage and Mechanics: Grammar, Spelling, Sentence structure16APA Elements: Attribution, Paraphrasing, Quotations when appropriate or assigned4Total:200

Reflect on two to three (2-3) TV shows in which characters demonstrate aggression or violence. Consider the context in which this aggression or violence occurred and ways in which it can lead to desensitization.

Write a one to two (1-2) page paper in which you:

1. Briefly describe at least one (1) episode of a television show in which you observed aggression or violence.
2. Identify the context in which the character(s) demonstrated aggression or violence. Include the gender, age, and culture of the character(s) involved in the aggressive or violent act(s).
3. Discuss at least two (2) possible reasons why the selected TV episode included aggression or violence. Provide a rationale for your response.
4. Describe at least two (2) ways that media violence can cause desensitization in people. Justify your response.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required assignment page length.