This document outlines two assignments related to social work research proposals and agency presentations. The first assignment involves creating a 5-page research proposal based on selected case studies, requiring a research problem, question, literature review, and evaluation of existing gaps in knowledge. The second assignment entails preparing an 8-10 slide presentation about a specific agency, focusing on its mission, funding sources, and organizational structure, specifically for military mental health services.

1. Assignment 1: Introduction to Research Proposals
Just because you thought of an interesting research question and
have a desire to conduct research does not mean that your
research will automatically be supported by faculty or funded
by an organization. In order to gain stakeholder approval, you
must submit a research proposal. Much like an outline of a
paper or a treatment of a movie script, the research proposal
contains several parts that begin with a research question and
end with a literature review. For this Assignment, you compile a
research proposal that includes a research problem, research
question, and a literature review.
For this Assignment, choose between the case studies entitled
"Social Work Research: Couple Counseling" and "Social Work
Research: Using Multiple Assessments." Consider how you
might select among the issues presented to formulate a research
proposal.
Be sure to consult the outline in Chapter 14 the Yegidis et al.
text for content suggestions for the sections of a research
proposal. As you review existing research studies, notice how
the authors identify a problem, focus the research question, and
summarize relevant literature. These can provide you with a
model for your research proposal.
Submit
a 5-page research proposal stating both a research problem and
a broad research question (may be either qualitative or
quantitative).
·
Use 8-10 of the most relevant literature resources to support the
need for the study, define concepts, and define variables

2. relevant to the question.
·
Include a literature review explaining what previous research
has found in relation to your problem and question.
·
The literature review should also include a description of
methods used by previous researchers.
·
Finally, be sure to explain how your proposed study addresses a
gap in existing knowledge.
Social Work Research: Couples Counseling
Kathleen is a 37-year-old, Caucasian female of Irish descent,
and her partner, Lisa, is a 38-year-old, Caucasian female with a
Hungarian ethnic background. Kathleen reports that she has a
long family history of substance use but has never used alcohol
or drugs herself. She does not have a criminal history and
utilized counseling services 10 years ago for family issues
regarding her father’s alcohol use. Kathleen works as a nurse in
a local hospital on the cardiac floor where she has been
employed for 8 years.
Lisa reports experimenting with substances during college. She
currently drinks wine on occasion. Lisa does not have a criminal
history. Lisa has had many jobs and stated that she was unable
to find her niche until recently when she took out a loan and
opened a small Hungarian restaurant serving her grandmother’s

3. recipes. Her restaurant has been open 1 year. Lisa reports that
while she enjoys the work and has found her niche, she must
work constantly to be successful, and she is worried the
business might fail.
Kathleen and Lisa have been together for over 15 years. They
have a close group of friends and see their families on major
holidays. They came to outpatient counseling at a nonprofit
agency to examine the possibility of starting a family together.
They were both feeling ambivalent about it, and it had been the
source of more than a few arguments, so they decided to come
to counseling to address their concerns in a more productive
way. They said they chose this agency because it was
recognized as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)
friendly. They asked about my sexual orientation and my history
because they were concerned about my level of experience
working with the issues they were presenting.
I thanked Kathleen and Lisa for sharing this concern, and I
informed them of various programs I had worked in within the
agency, including supportive services for LGBT youth in
schools and in the community. I also shared our agency
philosophy and mission, which includes outcome measures and
engaging clients in feedback to evaluate practice.
I explained the tools we used to measure outcomes. The first
form measures how each of them are feeling with regard to their
life and current circumstances. There are four different scales to
measure aspects of their lives, such as social, family, emotional
health, etc. I also provided the chart on which I score the scales
and track progress. I explained that the purpose was to see
where they began to demonstrate progress with the work we
were doing.
The second form measures how well I am providing treatment. I
demonstrated the four scales that measure if the client feels
heard and understood and if we addressed in session what they
wanted to. I explained that this should address their concern
about my ability to assist them. Because we would be evaluating
both how they felt and how the sessions were going each week,

4. we could make adjustments on treatment and delivery style.
I informed Kathleen and Lisa that both measurement tools were
obtained from the National Registry of Evidence-Based
Programs and Practices. We use these tools in the agency to
assess the experience of the client and whether the goals of
treatment are being achieved. Lisa questioned how the
information would be used, and I told them that this information
would be shared with them weekly and would only be in their
chart.
Lisa and Kathleen came every week for 15 weeks. In that time,
we charted each week using both tools. The chart demonstrated
significant progress and then began to level off. During that
time, Kathleen and Lisa worked on effective communication
strategies to discuss the presenting issues. The arguments had
become less frequent and shorter in duration as both Kathleen
and Lisa learned to appreciate the other’s perspective. They
expressed that some members of their families of origin were
not supportive of their sexual orientation, and this was the main
challenge for them as a couple. They were able to identify their
strengths and not let family or societal opinions inform how
they wanted to live. They were able to see that this was their
decision.
During treatment there were times when the measurement tool
indicated that they felt we were not connecting on certain
issues. As I could pinpoint when that was and the topic we
discussed, we were able to address it in the next session to
clarify and get back on track.
References
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].

5. Yegidis, B. L., Weinbach, R. W., & Myers, L. L. (2012).
Research methods for social workers (7th ed.). Upper Saddle
River, NJ: Allyn & Bacon.
Chapter 5 (pp. 100–118)
Assignment 2: Agency Presentation
Various agencies contribute to the social services offered in
social work practice. Although the goal of many social work
agencies may appear the same—to offer social services to
clients who need them—each agency provides a unique
approach or opportunity to deliver those needs.
As a future social worker, understanding the position of your
agency in reference to the world of social work practice might
provide valuable perspectives for applying your professional
skills.
For this Assignment, research the agency you are working with
for your field education experience. Examine the characteristics
of your agency in reference to the field of social work and the
types of services offered to clients.
The Assignment (8–10 PowerPoint slides):
Create an Agency
(military mental health clinic)
PowerPoint Presentation that includes the following:

6. o
A definition of the characteristics of the population(s) served by
your agency: (Serve the military population)
o
A description of the sources of funding for your agency:
(Funded through the Department of Defense)
o
An explanation of the agency's mission statement and a
comparison to your agency learning agreement: (Agency
mission statement is to “deliver human weapon systems to
combatant commanders)
o
A description of the organizational structure of your agency
Support your Assignment with specific references (3-4) to the
resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your
references.
Mctighe, J. P. (2011). Teaching the use of self through the
process of clinical supervision.
Clinical Social Work Journal,
39
(3),301–307.