Once you graduate and obtain your first job out of your Master of Social Work program, you may be asked to identify the gaps in services at your new agency. You may be asked to create a new group or help to identify a new evidence-based intervention that can be introduced to the clients. Understanding how to research the current literature, and then choose and evaluate an intervention, is an important component of being a successful social worker. For this course, you have researched new and interesting interventions that are currently being used with children, adolescents, adults, and the elderly. Further, you have explored the importance of connecting theory to practice.

For this Assignment, use will practice steps in Evidence-Based Practice. 1) You will think of a practice problem. 2) You then conduct a literature review on available research. 3) You will evaluate the evidence to determine which intervention to use. 4) You will consider client values and your clinical expertise. 5) You will think about what you hope the client gains from this intervention (i.e., decreased depression, increased quality of life, decreased PTSD symptoms) and consider how you might measure this change.

To prepare:

• Choose a population of interest to you.
  • Children
  • Adolescents
  • Adults
  • Elderly/Aging
• Choose a presenting problem (depression, family conflict, homelessness, etc.) related to the population of interest.
• Conduct a literature review focused on the presenting problem within the population of interest.

Submit an 8- to 10-page scholarly paper supported with a minimum of six peer-reviewed articles as references. In the paper, you should:

• Briefly describe the population and presenting problem you are focusing on for this assignment.
• Provide a review of the articles you reviewed from this project and explain what you learned from conducting this research.
• Briefly describe at least 2 evidence-based interventions currently used for your chosen population when addressing this particular problem. Provide supporting references when explaining the evidence behind the interventions.
• Explain which of these interventions you might choose to use and why.
  • Consider client values and your clinical expertise and how those might affect your decision of which intervention to use.
• Describe how you might apply the specific skills and techniques of the chosen intervention.
• Briefly explain how you could measure the outcomes of this intervention.
• Explain any cultural considerations that you need to take into account when working with this population or the particular presenting problem.
• Discuss how the Code of Ethics applies when working with this particular presenting problem and population.
• Explain how you would apply a trauma-informed lens when working with this population

Required Readings

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014a). Sessions: case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
The Levy Family (pp. 15–16)

Knight, C. (2015). Trauma-informed social work practice: Practice considerations and challenges. Clinical Social Work Journal, 43(1), 25-37.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.

Thyer, B. A. (2013). Intervention with adults. In M. J. Holosko, C. N. Dulmus, & K. M. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with individuals and families: Evidence-informed assessments and interventions (pp. 147–176). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Elliott, D. E., Bjelajac, P., Fallot, R. D., Markoff, L. S., & Reed, B. G. (2005). Trauma-informed or trauma-denied: Principles and implementation of trauma-informed services for women. Journal of Community Psychology, 33(4), 461-477.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.