MCCCD Program Description

Foundations of Social Work Practice

Course: SWU295

First Term: 2025 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Academic
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: Introduction to professional helper communication skills with respect to cross-cultural practice and diversity issues, in a social work setting.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Demonstrate a conceptual knowledge of culture and its impact on human behavior, recognizing the strengths that exist in all cultures. (I) 2. Describe methods of helping and healing within ethnic, cultural and racial groups. (I) 3. Explain the strengths of ethnographic interviewing, and identify barriers to an effective cross-cultural interview in a professional helper context. (II) 4. Demonstrate the process of trust-building, using naturalistic inquiry and the naturalistic paradigm. (II) 5. Explain the roles of both culture and social work in the helping and change process. (II) 6. Explain the value base of the social work profession, and describe its implications for practice skills with diverse clients. (I, III) 7. Demonstrate skilled listening, and practice of basic communication processes within the context of ethnosystems and other diverse groups. (III) 8. Demonstrate self-awareness, and explain the implications of, one`s own personal, cultural values, beliefs and biases toward groups that are different the one`s self. (III)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. Multi-Cultural Framework for the Professional Helper A. Cultural Impact on Human Behavior 1. African American 2. Native American 3. Hispanic 4. Asian American 5. Women 6. Gays and lesbians 7. Rural 8. Elderly 9. Other special populations B. Theoretical Models 1. Strengths Perspective 2. Empowerment Model 3. Ecological Systems Perspective 4. Historical Trauma Perspective C. Value Base of the Profession 1. Diversity 2. Practice Skills 3. National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics D. Helping and Healing 1. Ethnic groups 2. Cultural groups 3. Racial groups II. Professional Helping Relationship Techniques A. Theoretical Basis for Communication and Helping Skills 1. Effective helping relationship and rapport 2. Establishing trust 3. Nonverbal communication 4. Active listening, reflection and empathy 5. Questioning and probing 6. The I message 7. Barriers to effective communication B. Ethnographic interviewing 1. Naturalistic inquiry 2. Trust 3. Use of language 4. Verbal and non-verbal communication styles 5. Client as expert 6. Skilled listening in ethnographic interviewing 7. Barriers to effective cross-cultural interviewing 8. The change process 9. The social work role in a multicultural context III. Personal and Professional Development A. Self-Awareness 1. Cultural assumptions 2. Biases 3. Value differences 4. Implications of values 5. Implication of beliefs B. Practice skills with clients 1. Ethnic diversity 2. Sexual orientations 3. Ageism 4. Development stages 5. Disabilities 6. Wellness issues C. Assessment and Intervention 1. Intervention objectives 2. Naturalistic Inquiry 3. Information and advice 4. Behavioral contracting 5. Social history 6. Assessment interview 7. Client strengths and assets 8. Family dynamics 9. Ethnographic interview 10. Therapeutic interview D. Intervention and monitoring 1. Intervention objectives 2. Client needs list 3. Informal resources 4. Planning an interview 5. Information and advice 6. Behavioral contracting 7. Confrontation E. Evaluation 1. Assessing mental status 2. Assessment of suicide risk 3. Assessing a child`s need for protection 4. Mandatory reporting F. Intervention and monitoring 1. Intervention objectives 2. Client needs list 3. Informal resources 4. Planning an interview 5. Information and advice 6. Behavioral contracting 7. Role reversal 8. Confrontation, clarification, paraphrasing, summarization 9. Priorities weighting grid 10. Decision making matrix 11. Client advocacy 12. Cross-cultural helping 13. The client in crisis 14. The child as client 15. The elderly client 16. The cognitively impaired client G. Termination 1. Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) 2. Peer review

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: December 10, 2024

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.