Reflection SWK Practice II

Fall 2022
Holly Thompson
Social Work Practice II was a unique, educational experience because it involved

working in the macro practice setting of social work. Our portfolio assignment for this class was

to do an assessment on the community which I live in. The Community Needs Assessment

highlighted what needs is most dire for service delivery in the area. I chose to evaluate mental

health among adolescents in Robeson County and found many disturbing factors that prohibited

treatment options for this group of individuals.

One of the things I noticed was the access to healthcare in this rural area and the health

disparities for most adolescents. A large portion of this population does not have insurance or is

covered through Medicaid. There are mental health agencies who provide therapeutic services

but with the large number of these agencies privately owned, sometimes the cost for care can be

expensive. During the last couple of years of the Covid-19 pandemic, adolescents were unable to

attend school which left many to develop anti-social characteristics or depression. Isolation was a

major factor in this scenario, and this led to a rise in mental health challenges. Another fact that

came about during this isolation period was an increase in substance use. Some adolescents

turned to alcohol and narcotics as a coping mechanism which contributed to mental health as

well.

This assignment gave me insight on the history and geographics of the rural area of

Robeson County. It also found that the Native American (Indigenous) community uphold s

certain values when dealing with mental health. A large portion of their family members refused

to recognize a problem existed which led to adolescents not seeking therapeutic services. During

this assessment, I interviewed the director at UNC Southeastern Hospital who gave me the
statistics and information pertaining to adolescent mental health issues in Robeson County. I was

astounded at the information I received which led me to think about working in the mental health

and behavioral field of social work. It made me concerned for our community and the future

these groups of individuals were heading for, which is detrimental to say the least.

While there are resources for treatment such as Eastpointe and the Robeson County

Bridge Program for financial help in seeking services, I was still astounded over the fact there is

not in-patient treatment facility for youth in the county. This portfolio assignment opened my

eyes that disparities are an issue and changes need to be addressed for future progression.