Description
Respond to at least two colleagues who chose a different theory or disenfranchised population:
Explain how the theory you chose applies to your colleague’s identified population.
Caitlyn A Bullert (She/Her)
MondayDec 18 at 7:24pm
I currently work with justice-involved people. I truly enjoy working with this population because I have been there myself. They often get treated like criminals and that is all they will ever be, but I have seen quite a few who wish to change their life around. Most of the people that I see are African-American even though they are only about 15% of the population in St. Mary’s County (U.S. Census Bureau, 2022).The theory that most fits in with this population is conflict theory. Conflict theory typically views the community as divided into haves and have-nots, all competing for limited resources (Netting, Kettner, McMurtry, & Thomas, 2017). The resources that they lack are education, jobs with benefits, and transportation. If you do not have a vehicle there is a very limited bus service. The naval base has good jobs available for people with a college degree. There is a community college that can provide some education, but it is not enough to work on the naval base. The other college that exists has very tough requirements to enroll so most people will not be able to go there. This population is not represented very well except by social workers. A lot of probation officers may also treat them like criminals. I try to assist this population in finding the resources they are lacking. The community college also offers other programs that may be a good fit for them such as welding, pharmacy technician, or even to become a registered nurse. They will not make the same money as the contractors on the naval base, but it is a start to get them moving forward. ReferenceNetting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social work macro practice (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.U.S. Census Bureau quickfacts: St. Mary’s County, Maryland. (n.d.-c). https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/stmaryscountymaryland/HCN0102
June Sue Hills TuesdayDec 19 at 11:29am
Identify a disenfranchised population with whom you work or with whom you would like to work.
I enjoy working with people who have substance use disorder. Many times substance use is a symptom of bigger problems such as trauma and/or socioeconomic status. I enjoy this population because the work can be very challenging but also very rewarding.
Apply the theory you chose from Chapter 5 to working with the disenfranchised population you identified.
The theory I use quiet often when working with people who have substance use disorder is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory. According to Noltemymer et al. (2012), “Specifically, they discovered that individuals with higher levels of physical, love/belonging, and self-actualization need satisfaction made better decisions regarding health-promoting and self-care behaviors.” (p 1863) Many time when working with individuals with SUD they are missing having needs met. Sometimes this includes basic needs such as housing or food. Many times I have seen individuals having childhood trauma with a history of unmet needs. Maslow’s theory supports individuals having more positive outcomes when needs are met.
Noltemeyer, A., Bush, K., Patton, J., & Bergen, D. (2012). The relationship among deficiency needs and growth needs: An empirical investigation of Maslow’s theory. CHILDREN AND YOUTH SERVICES REVIEW, 34(9), 1862–1867.
Respond to at least two colleagues who chose a different theory or disenfranchised population:
Explain how the theory you chose applies to your colleague’s identified population.
Elexa Lynn Becton
WednesdayDec 20 at 3:15pm
Identify a disenfranchised population with whom you work or with whom you would like to work.I currently work with individuals that are involved in the criminal justice system and those affected by it. Most of these individuals are considered to be disenfranchised populations. My clients that are experiencing homelessness, those that identify as POC, and all that have been affected by mass incarceration are considered disenfranchised populations. Apply the theory you chose from Chapter 5 to working with the disenfranchised population you identified.Critical race theory is an important theory that can be used by social workers that are working with disenfranchised populations, specifically, those that identify as POC. Social workers that follow this theory and apply it to their work with these groups will work to empower these individuals. They will focus on the systemic, political, socio-economic issues that impact this group as opposed to the individual flaws of these marginalized individuals .ReferenceNetting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMurtry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social work macro practice (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ReplyReply to Comment
Marshelle Owens WednesdayDec 20 at 4:23pm
Week 4 DiscussionIdentify a disenfranchised population with whom you work or with whom you would like to work.The disenfranchised population that I work with is homelessness and housing unsustainability. I work for a non-profit organization that provides sustainable housing for the poor communities in our city. We rebuild, restore, and renew our communities by providing them with decent affordable low-income housing. We also provide many services within our organization that will help families in a holistic way. We provide social services, healthy cooking classes, and a mobile grocery store on wheels that provides healthy food choices in the food desert areas of our city. As the case manager for our organization, I do the assessments on all of our tenants. My goal is to assess their needs and provide them the tools, resources, referrals, and guidance that will help them reach their goals, and to inspire them to elevate to a higher standard of thinking, that will eliminate the mindset of generational poverty. The goals of the organization that I work for are to give people hope by having a decent and affordable place to live and provide them the resources that they need to thrive and excel in every way. Apply the theory you chose from Chapter 5 working with the disenfranchised population you identified with.The theory that I would apply to my disenfranchised population would be Human Behavior Therapy. This theory focuses on the structure and understanding of people, their relationships, and the values that guide them in determining their needs. These factors are based on interactions and values, collective identity, and needs (Netting, 2017, P. 133). This theory helps the social worker to understand why people do what they do and whether the community is placed or nonplaced based. This is how the social worker interacts on a macro level.References:Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., McMutry, S. L., & Thomas, M. L. (2017). Social work macro practice (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.”Chapter 5, “Understanding Communities” (pp. 116-152).
