Respond to two colleagues in one of the following ways: (Use sub-headings in response and please ask a question for further discussion to happen and have at least 2 APA reference) Compare your TEST results or other aspects of your post with your colleague’s responses. Provide suggestions for how your colleague could connect their theoretical orientation to future courses, in the discipline, and/or in practice. Share an insight you learned from another colleague in this Discussion or from earlier in the course. Response to Stormey The Theoretical Evaluation Self-Test (TEST) My Results Psychodynamic: 30 Biological: 15 Family: 23 Ecosystems: 27 Cognitive: 33 Pragmatic: 28 Humanistic: 16 Explain the extent to which you were surprised or not surprised by the TEST results and explain the reasons why you were surprised or not surprised. I was not surprised by my results. I scored highest in Cognitive, due to my beliefs in Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory. I truly believe that this theory explains how a child constructs a mental model of the world, and that development is a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment. Identify the top three theories or models that most appealed to you. The top three theories that most appealed to me are: Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Empowerment Theory, and Resiliency Theory. Explain how your personal values, worldwide views, life experiences, and/or your personality influenced your selection of the top three theories or models. Cognitive Behavioral Theory: I like Cognitive Behavioral Theory because it is a goal-oriented psychotherapy treatment that takes a hands-on and practical approach to problem-solving. My experience with CBT is that when people change their patterns of thinking and/or behavior, this will change the way they feel. Empowerment Theory: I know when people are empowered, they have the ability to do amazing things. I have used empowerment with client’s and for myself, and when someone is empowered it is easier to realize their strengths and understand that they have the ability to change the situation. Resiliency Theory: I believe that people have the ability to maintain resilience in the face of adversity. As a social worker, I will assist and empower my clients to develop positive self-esteem, strong coping skills, and be self-efficient. I will encourage them to be optimistic, connect them with strong social resources, help develop adaptability, decrease their fear of failure, increase determination, and perseverance, and develop a high tolerance of uncertainty. In this course, you were asked to select one case study to use throughout the entire course. Describe this experience, what you learned, what could perhaps be done differently. Throughout this course, I used the case of Helen Petrakis. I really enjoyed “working” with Helen and applying different theories to her case. This allowed me to see what theories worked best for her and what theories to stay away from. Using one case throughout the course provided me with a real-world experience. In practice I may work with a client who has several issues and I may have to apply different theories and models to see what one works for the client to best help him/her. I choose Helen because I can relate to Helen (I am Helen), at times life gets so overwhelming that I feel as though I am inadequate and cannot handle all my responsibilities. As I applied different theories to Helen, I applied them to my life and I must say that I gained a lot of insight about myself and how capable I truly am. I do not think anything could have been done differently in part of a two-way communication between myself and “Helen”. Overall, I believe I effectively helped Helen overcome her obstacles and successfully prepared her for the road ahead. Resources: Coleman, D. (2004). The Theoretical Evaluation Self-Test (TEST): A Preliminary Validation Study. Social Work Research 28(2), 117-128. Cowan, P. A., Langer, J., Rich, J. H., & Nathanson, M. (1969). SOCIAL LEARNING AND PIAGET'S COGNITIVE THEORY OF MORAL DEVELOPMENT. Journal Of Personality & Social Psychology, 11(3), 261-274. Janet, L. (2014). Conceptual Frameworks and Research Models on Resilience in Leadership. SAGE Open, Vol 4, Iss 3 (2014), (3), doi:10.1177/215824401454546 Perkins, D. D. and Zimmerman, M. A. (1995). Empowerment theory, research, and application. American Journal of Community Psychology; Vol. 23; No.5, pg. 569 Response to Lucy INTERPRETING YOUR RESULTS SUBSCALE YOUR SCORE SAMPLE OF 130 mean (SD) Psychodynamic 26.2 (5.2) Biological 14.6 (4.0) Family 18.2 (4.0) Ecosystems 24.2 (2.6) Cognitive 25 (4.5) Pragmatic 20.1 (5.7) Humanistic 10.4 (2.4) Explain in 2 to 3 sentence the extent to which you were surprised or not surprised by the TEST results and explain the reasons why you were surprised or not surprised. I was not that surprise about my results. I was surprised by the score of the humanistic value. I can relate to Pruitt when he states that “the strategies I believed in most were what I was most comfortable offering to my clients (e.g., self-care using your support system). My general lack of a theoretical orientation, however, did not leave me well prepared to handle more severe problems like personality disorders, eating disorders, or substance abuse” (Pruitt 2014). I focused on small changes while working with homeless veterans. Identify the top three theories or models that most appealed to you. The top three theories that appealed to me were Cognitive Behavioral Theory, Role Theory and Solution Focused therapy and Mindfulness. I like Cognitive Behavioral was more in line with my personality and values. I enjoy seeing the veterans I work with make changes to their lives for the better. I believe that CBT can be coupled with other models. I really like the Role Theory because it put the client’s roles that impact their lives in perspective, it shows the social worker and client what expectations are expected of them for each role. I really like coupling CBT and Solution Focused therapy, I have used Solution Focused therapy and did not realized that I was using it. I participated in a workshop where Mindfulness was the focus, I have not used it in my practice but I look forward to using it in the future. Explain in 3 to 4 sentences how your personal values, worldviews, life experiences, and/or your personality influenced your selection of the top three theories or models. My top three are in line with my personality and values. The theories selected especially the CBT and solution focus allows the client to be the expert and the driver in therapy. My personality is that I learn from others and these theories and models allow me to listen to the client and learn from them what is important to them. I believe the client will be successful if they are provided the opportunity to be the driver in their therapy. If I was in therapy I would like for the therapist and myself to work together and for them to listen to me and help me to be successful in reaching my goals and making my life better. In this course, you were asked to select one case study to use throughout the entire course. Describe this experience—for example, the degree to which it was helpful to focus on one case, what you learned, what could perhaps be done differently I really enjoyed having one case study to use throughout the course because I was able to focus on the case and apply the theories as I would if it was a real case study. I worked with veterans with PTSD as an LPN and then I went back to school to earn my BSW, I work with homeless veterans that had PTSD, mental health issues and substance abuse issues, this case study helped me learn different strategies to apply to my practice. I have learned a lot and I am so grateful to my colleagues and Dr. C. I am proud of the work we have done and I will carry it in the next phase and especially in my practice. I really don’t feel that anything different should have been done. The feedback really helped me in my course work, with the feedback it let me know exactly what was expected and it kept me focused. The assignments were very interesting, I was able to do things that I have not done before such as doing a power point with narration or filming myself talking about my case. I have nothing but good things to say about this class. Thank you all and Dr. C for giving me a positive experience. Pruitt, N. T. (2014). From dodo bird to mindfulness: The effect of theoretical orientation on work and self. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 70(8), 753-759. Retrieved from Walden Library databases.