Discussion Post: Addressing Conflicts and Trauma
How do you deal with the aftermath of a tragedy? Working with staff to return to a sense of "normalcy" after a traumatic event can be difficult and challenging. In addition to providing support for staff, you must consider the event's impact on clients as well. As an administrator, you can integrate your clinical and administrative social work skills for intervention at multiple levels within an organization when you address trauma, as well as conflicts in the workplace. As an administrator, you must also be able to develop a plan of action that will include conflict resolution and support for staff, clients, and other appropriate stakeholders to enable them to move forward after their traumatic experience.
For this Discussion, you focus on the Social Work Supervision Trauma Within Agencies case study.
Post (2 to 3 pages) an explanation of the types of skills the social work administrator demonstrated as she addressed the problem of Carla's absence at work and the trauma-related events that followed. Be sure to include an analysis of the administrator's use of conflict resolution skills. Finally, identify one aspect of the case study that would be most challenging to you if you were the administrator, and explain why.
Reference
• Northouse, P. G. (2021). Introduction to leadership: Concepts and practice (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.
o Review Chapter 10, "Listening to Out-Group Members" (pp. 252-275)
o Chapter 11, "Managing Conflict" (pp. 277-306)
o Chapter 13, "Overcoming Obstacles" (pp. 337-357)
• Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014b). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing [Vital Source e-reader].
"Social Work Supervision: Trauma Within Agencies" (pp. 7-9)
• Zelnick, J. R., Slayter, E., Flanzbaum, B., Butler, N., Domingo, B., Perlstein, J., & Trust, C. (2013). Part of the job? Workplace violence in Massachusetts Social Service Agencies. Health & Social Work, 38(2), 75-85.
• Walden University. (2014). Master of Social Work home page.
• Visit the Master of Social Work interactive home page to explore resources available to students in the program.