SELF-ASSESSMENT

Self-assessment: Social Work Program Goals and Learning Objectives

Brianna Leith

Seton Hill University

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Self-assessment: Social Work Program Goals and Learning Objectives

Introduction

Falling in love. My academic journey at Seton Hill University has been like falling in

love with a home and family. There have been highs and lows just as there are trials throughout

loving someone and creating a home and family. Freshmen year was a trying time. I entered with

enthusiasm and excitement just as you do when you have a crush. I was trying to make friends

and get through my science lab and lectures, to find my place On the Hill. Then I hit a wall, I felt

rejected. Friends weren’t who I thought they were, my academics weren’t what I thought they

would be and I felt lost. Then I changed my major to social work after talking with friends and

family. Now I was deep into my second trying year. I began the sophomore year with a new start,

new friends, and a new career plan. Things started to turn around, my new friends began my

family and made me fall deeply in love with SHU. Now I was supported by my peers and felt

welcomed included and safe. My classes felt just right even though, they brought challenges.

Then my third year was my loving year. My involvements consumed me and I had my family

and career ahead of me and I was preparing for my future with SHU. This third year gave me

memories and happiness. However, there was a trying ending to this year. My family would

graduate, my classes would end, and soon I’d be entering the social work field. The final year of

SHU is where I am presently and my love story will continue beyond SHU now, I entered this

year with trials but now I am leaving with a bittersweet taste in my mouth. My academic love

story is presented below and through my portfolio.

Narrative Statement

Goal 1: Graduates will be able to effectively practice with client systems of various sizes
and types.
Objective 1: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior.
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Spoiler alert, the ending of my love story was a beautiful ending with completing my

field practicum and my final evaluation form from my supervisor measured my ethical and

professional behaviors. My supervisor gave me excellent ratings for both Competency 2.1.1

Identify as a professional social worker and conduct oneself accordingly and Competency 2.1.2

Apply social work ethical principles to guide professional practice (Enciso, 2022). The

competencies in the evaluation apply to many of these objectives and they will be used to share

my story throughout this self-assessment. The final evaluations are the same form and are used to

measure my abilities in the field. My supervisor and advisor meet to discuss the form and

provide examples of my ethical behaviors and professionalism in various ways. The examples

provided by my supervisor to support my professionalism was my attire, time management, and

attendance were marked excellent throughout my field practicum. Examples of my ethical

behaviors discussed was working with individuals in our disciplinary unit in the prison. We also

talked about the constant balance struggle between the security of the prison and the NASW

Code of Ethics. My supervisor and professors have helped develop my professionalism and held

me accountable to work ethically and proficiently.

Objective 2: Engage with, assess, intervene with, and evaluate practice with individuals,
families, groups, organizations, and communities.

Throughout my academic love story, I have engaged with, assessed, intervened, and

evaluated various populations. Working with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project is a core

memory of my relationship with the social work program at SHU. I loved working alongside

social workers around the country and brainstorming ways to develop services provided for

exonerees. I was working with communities and organizations across the nation. This was

measured through my policy project paper submission and the policy (Leith, 2020) I wrote is

currently implemented in the Pennsylvania Innocence Project today. An additional example of

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completing and meeting this objective was my process recording working directly with an

individual who is incarcerated at the Westmoreland County Prison (Leith, 2020). Throughout my

field practicum, I worked directly with individuals that are incarcerated and helped them with

case information, contacting local agencies, and sitting through court hearings. My professors

and supervisor have provided me with the tools and education to be competent while working

with a variety of people. I loved working with these individuals and organizations and my

passion to be a forensic social worker has grown.

Objective 3: Demonstrate the ability to advocate for human rights and social, economic,
and environmental justice.

The ability to advocate for human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice

is crucial for social workers. My passion to be a forensic social worker and my love of this

profession have been supported by my peers and professors. I was able to achieve this objective

through my research project The Mental Health of Correctional Officers during my field

practicum (Leith, 2022). This research project was challenging and tested my patience. I was

often frustrated and overwhelmed during this process however the outcome was amazing and

well worth it. I found a new passion for correctional officers and found that not many people are

looking into their mental health which is vital to a profession in corrections. My ability to

advocate for the mental health and how it is not only impacting them but the inmates and

authority in correctional facilities. There is a significant injustice due to the lack of mental health

treatment for people working in corrections, specifically correctional officers. As a future

forensic social worker, I will continue to advocate for the rights of correctional officers and other

injustices within correctional facilities. This assignment is another example of the love I have for

the SHU social work program. Without the network of the university and other departments, I
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would have not been able to have a field placement in a prison. I am forever grateful for the

opportunities SHU has provided.

Goal 2. Graduates will have a working knowledge of the social contexts of social work
practice, the changing nature of those contexts, the behavior of organizations, and the
dynamics of change.

Objective 1: Understand the history of the social work profession and its application to
current social welfare issues and opportunities.

The history of the social work profession was a challenging time during my love story. At

the time of studying Social Welfare, I was also studying many other social work classes. This

also had taken place during my second year in the program which was a challenging year but

eventually began turning around with the support of friends and finding my palace at SHU.

During Social Welfare I was able to develop a working knowledge of the social context of social

work and dynamic changes. I wrote an essay on the Orphan Trains and leadership is important to

becoming a social worker (Leith, 2019). Leading a social movement in my career as a social

worker is likely, so I will apply my knowledge of changes throughout history in social welfare.

In my future practices I hope to work alongside other social workers that also have an

understanding of social work history.

Objective 2: Develop and implement resources, programs, and policies to meet human
needs, promote social and economic justice, and prevent and alleviate distress, especially
for at-risk populations.

Also during my second year of trials and challenges, I took Organizations the first full

semester of social work courses. Through this course, I developed a program proposal with a

coursemate titled I’ll Be There For You (Leith & Pugner-Piper, 2019). It was a program to

provide coping skills and peer support relationships for adolescents who have been impacted by
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addiction in their family, by having a pen pal. This program would have implemented resources

for adolescents and had policies to meet their needs and alleviate some of their distress. This

program was not submitted for funding however with proficient support and care it could have

been developed further and submitted for funding. Then it could have had a significant impact on

the lives of many children in Westmoreland County, where addiction is prevalent. My partner

and I received an excellent grade on the proposal and were excited to see that our efforts were

successful. I hope to develop programs that impact other vulnerable populations such as

correctional officers and other correctional professionals. Application of the knowledge and

skills gained from Organizations will be beneficial to developing programs in my career.

Objective 3: Demonstrate competency in policy practice.

Policy practice as I mentioned previously was a success and helped me find my passion

for corrections and how I can work with people within criminal justice as a forensic social

worker. I wrote a policy manual for social workers at the Pennsylvania Innocence Project (PIP)

during my third year in the program (Leith, 2020). I was filled with joy and excitement when I

got the call from my professor that I could work with the PIP and work to develop a policy for

social workers. It was an educational experience and I was able to build relationships across the

country thanks to the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty. Along with my input for

this policy development, I was the first undergraduate intern for the department and now they

have an undergraduate intern opportunity for other students interested in policy practice and

lawmaking. It was rewarding to see the impact I made in the organization and how the lives of

their clients and interns have been positively impacted.

Objective 4: Function effectively within organizational structures, with appropriate

supervision.
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My love story of the social work program continued into my field placement at the

Westmoreland County Prison. My supervisor discussed and explained my functioning within the

organization during my mid-term and final evaluations (Enciso, 2022). I was able to work with

my supervisor over two semesters to obtain 500 hours. My supervisor provided me with the

opportunity to work with various departments within the county not only with the prison. Due to

the security of the facility, my hours were mostly right by his side. The only times when my

hours extend outside of the facility was my supervisor was not directly present but then I would

check in with him and provide details and information about what I learned and participated in

while in other organizations within the county specifically the courthouse and probation and

parole. My supervisor was amazing at guiding me and teaching me how to work efficiently,

effectively, and most importantly safely. I had to learn so many safety measures and procedures

so that I would not get hurt or harmed while in the facility.

Goal 3: Graduates will be able to understand and capably practice with diverse
populations.

Objective 1: Utilize diversity and culturally competent practice with diverse populations.

While working alongside my supervisor I learned how to utilize diversity and culturally

competently practice with a diverse population. I worked with inmates and correctional officers

to apply my social work knowledge into practice and conduct research on a vulnerable

populations. My academic love story was profoundly strong while conducting research and

practicing with a diverse population that is much different than myself. I found myself loving

going into the field every day and it brought so much joy even though the prison is not a joyful

happy place I found myself excited to learn and help people every day. My supervisor again
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discussed with my advisor my competence in working with diverse populations during my

mid-term and final evaluations (Enciso, 2022).

Goal 4: Graduates will keep abreast of new developments in the field and advance the
knowledge base of the profession.

Objective 1: Demonstrate competency in applying research findings to practice, and

carry out an independent research project.

As I have mentioned under other objectives, my research project on the Mental Health of

Correctional Officers was a part of my Senior Synthesis Course which I completed while in my

field placement at the prison (Leith, 2022). I was at the prison for only a few weeks when I

began to notice the lack of mental health treatment and services for the inmates in the prison.

Upon realizing the mental health department was falling apart I realized that the duties and

responsibilities were being passed onto the counselors and correctional officers. I began

brainstorming ideas about the mental health of correctional officers and what can be done. Then I

realized that there isn’t a lot of research about the mental health of correctional officers. While

researching the current literature I found that researchers recommended interviews would be

beneficial to the literature so that’s when I can to the conclusion that I needed to interview

correctional officers about their mental health to help fill this gap in the literature. Finally, my

research came to a close and my project was presented at the Baccalaureate Social Work

Program Directors Student Conference in March, 2022. I was able to apply my social work

knowledge to research in my field practicum and my findings were plentiful for further research.

My love of research was tested during this time and I face many battles but in the end, it was a

success.

Goal 5: Graduates will provide leadership to the University, the local human services
community, and the profession.
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Objective 1: Demonstrate social work leadership capability and skills.

The social work program provided multiple opportunities to lead and demonstrate our

capabilities and skills. I was inducted into PhiAlpha Social Work Honors Society in the Spring of

2020 but the induction was held in the fall due to the pandemic. Then I took up the opportunity

to be elected as Secretary for PhiAlpha the Spring of 2021 and have held that position through

Spring of 2022. I am grateful for the opportunity to become a student leader in various

organizations at SHU but an induction into an honors society stands out against many of my

other leadership roles. I have put so much effort and love into this program so that I would be

able to apply my sophomore year. I work diligently as the secretary and dedicate my time to

helping put together service projects and fundraisers. I love being an officer of PhiAlpha and I

will be encouraging others to apply to this amazing opportunity within the program.

Reflection

Reflecting on my achievements in the social work program was a flashback down

memory lane to all of the amazing opportunities that the social work program has provided me. I

have learned so much from the people in the department students and faculty members have been

so welcoming and loving. I had forgotten many of those trying times during my four years here,

when I was writing I was remembering little moments of times with old friends and people I

used to hang out with every day. I miss those people and times, even the bad ones still had happy

moments. The challenging times were difficult to write about though, I achieved a specific goal.

The goals are achievable but that doesn't mean they are easy or fun. There are many times

throughout the program I cried, was overwhelmed, frustrated, angry, and upset. These hardships

did not come lightly, but I overcame them with the help of my peers, professors, and support

system outside of academics. I turned to my family and friends, and they reminded me of the
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good times and loving moments when I was joyful, celebrating, excited, and rejoicing in my

successes. I was so excited when I was inducted, into PhiAlpha, accepted as an intern at the

Westmoreland Couty Prison, presented at the Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors

Student Conference, and worked with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.

Throughout this assessment, I focused on a variety of areas but the ones that I highlighted

the most were my field placement specifically the evaluations, and my social policy project with

the Pennsylvania Innocence Project. These two areas are my greatest achievements even though I

have achieved many things throughout the program. Areas I didn’t focus on were lecture-heavy

courses because it is difficult to see the achievements in those programs outside of the grades, I

received on papers and presentations. These, however, are great achievements, but I’d rather see

my work be applied in the workplace especially the application of my efforts. Personally, it is

more rewarding to see my actions put to use rather than receiving a good grade. It was more

difficult to talk about my grades since I am always on the dean’s list it feels less of an

accomplishment and more of an every semester email. I am more proud of my actions in

people’s lives than my numeric academic achievements. I am still proud and work hard for my

grades and strive for straight As each semester, but the outcome is less rewarding.

Career and Decisions

After graduating from Seton Hill University with a Bachelor in Social Work with a

specialization in forensics, and minor in psychology and criminal justice. I will be attending

NYU Silver School of Social Work to obtain my Master’s in Social Work as an advanced

standing student. I will be graduating from NYU in May 2023 and plan to enter the workplace. I

hope to work for a state facility as a mental health professional for people that are incarcerated.
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While employed, I will be studying for the LSAT so that I can apply to law school to practice law

and hopefully become a social worker in the courtroom and advocate for my clients that are

struggling with their mental health. If law school doesn't work out in my favor I will continue

working and strive to abolish the death penalty with national organizations such as the Innocence

Project, Witness to Innocence, and Equal Justice Initiative. I am hoping to work on death penalty

cases and free people wrongfully convicted as a social worker and or lawyer. No matter the

outcome I will continue working as a social worker through the NASW Code of Ethics to guide

my practice wherever it takes me.

Conclusion

My achievements in the social work program are plentiful and demonstrate my ability to

work competently as a social worker. I will continue my love of the profession beyond Seton Hill

University and share my knowledge with other social workers around the country. I also hope to

continue impacting people’s lives through the implementation of programs and policies. I am

hopeful that my love of social work spreads into others' lives. My academic love story doesn’t

end here. Seton Hill isn’t my final education destination and I am certain that my education at

NYU will build off of my love of social work and bleed into my profession upon graduation

from NYU. I will be sure to share my next academic love story with my professors so that they

know I have used their education to make a difference in the world.

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Attachment
CHECKLIST
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT OF SOCIAL WORK PROGRAM GOALS & OBJECTIVES
GOALS
1. Graduates will be able to effectively
practice with client systems of various
sizes and types.
2. Graduates will have a working
knowledge of the social contexts of
social work practice, the changing
nature of those contexts, the behavior
of organizations, and the dynamics of
change.
3. Graduates will be able to understand
and capably practice with diverse
populations.
4. Graduates will keep abreast of new
developments in the field and advance
the knowledge base of the profession.
5. Graduates will provide leadership to
the University, to the local human
services community, and to the
profession.
12
OBJECTIVES (OUTCOMES) PARTIALLY SUBSTANTIALLY
ACHIEVED ACHIEVED
Demonstrate ethical and professional X
behavior, as measured by ratings of 70% or
higher on the final field instructor evaluation
for students completing field practicum.
Engage with, assess, intervene with, and X
evaluate practice with individuals, families,
groups, organizations, and communities,
measured by a score of 70% or higher on the
social work competency assessment
completed in SW400 Senior Synthesis in
Social Work as part of the capstone
assessment.
Demonstrate the ability to advocate for
human rights and social, economic, and
environmental justice, as measured by grades X
of 70% or higher on the community service
project paper in SW332: Generalist Practice
III: Organizations and Communities.
Understand the history of the social work X
profession and its application to current
social welfare issues and opportunities, as
measured by final grades of 70% or higher in
SW210 Social Welfare.
Develop and implement resources, programs,
and policies to meet human needs, promote
X
social and economic justice, and prevent and
alleviate distress, especially for at-risk
populations, as measured by a score of 70%
or higher on the program proposal completed
in SW300 Organizations.
Demonstrate competency in policy practice, X
measured by a “somewhat useful” or higher
rating by the organizational partner for the
student policy project in SW310 Social
Policy.
Function effectively within organizational X
structures, with appropriate supervision, as
measured by ratings of 70% or higher on the
final field instructor evaluation for students
completing field practicum.
Utilize diversity and culturally competent X
practice with diverse populations, as
measured by ratings of 70% or higher on the
diversity sections of the field instructor
evaluation for students completing field
practicum.
Demonstrate competency in applying X
research findings to practice, and carry out
an independent research project, as measured
by a grade of 70% or higher on the student
research project in SW400 Senior Synthesis
in Social Work.
Demonstrate social work leadership X
capability and skills, as measured by a rating
of 70% or higher on the leadership section of
the capstone self-assessment completed in
SW400 Senior Synthesis in Social Work.
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References

Enciso, Derek. (2022). “Field Final Evaluation Form.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna & Pugner Piper, Samantha. (2019). “Program Proposal: The I’ll Be There For You

Project.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna. (2021). “Community Action Paper.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna. (2021). “Process Recording.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna. (2020). “Social Policy Paper.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna. (2019). “The Orphan Trains: Taking a Train Home.” Seton Hill University.

Leith, Brianna. (2022). “The Mental Health of Correctional Officers.” Seton Hill University.