Select a psychosocial difficulty that may be experienced by an individual at some point during development (e.g. diagnosis of a learning disability, abuse, separation from a primary caregiver, or mental health diagnosis). Explore the impact of that event throughout development. Specifically: 1. Offer a brief description of the difficulty, using at least 3 scholarly citations to summarize what is generally known about the difficulty. Include any sociocultural factors associated with the onset or maintenance of the difficulty. (2 pages) 2. Briefly describe an individual who has experienced this psychosocial difficulty in an earlier stage of development, using a client, acquaintance, or fictional character. (1-2 pages) 3. Describe the normative development (physical, cognitive, emotional, and social) during the period in which the psychosocial event occurred. Reference course readings and other scholarly information. (2 pages) 4. Discuss how development in that state was interrupted or altered by the experience of the psychosocial difficulty for the individual you described. (1-2 pages) 5. Consider how a subsequent stage of development for the individual was affected by the experience of the psychosocial difficulty (e.g. if you describe someone experiencing sexual abuse at age 10, how is this individual’s development altered, if at all, at age 25). Briefly summarize the key developmental tasks of the later stage and discuss how the development of the individual experiencing the difficulty may differ. If later development does not appear to be altered explain what prevented that from being the case – individual and environmental strengths, protective factors, resiliencies, and interventions. (1-2 pages) Presentation 15% Each student will sign up to present on a theory or practice model that is covered throughout the semester. Specifically: 1. Identify the theory and major theorist(s). 2. Provide an overview of the theorist(s) and theory. Identify major concepts. 3. Explore the theory’s utility related to the social work processes of engagement, assessment, and intervention. 4. Identify scholarly evidence related to practice or treatment models related to the theory and its effectiveness.
