Module 5 Assignment: Ethical Responsibilities to Older LGBTQ Clients with mental illness.

Background: In module 3, Individual assignment 1, you looked at the social worker’s role in the ethical and professional treatment of people suffering from mental illness includes factors such as working within one’s scope of practice and ensuring equity of service.  As mentioned then, treatment is never a one sizes fits all endeavor; each intervention must be custom tailored to the specific population it is meant to serve.

Purpose: The primary purpose of this individual assignment is to continue to refine those skills first introduced in the module 3 assignment.  These skills included identifying ethical considerations and utilizing them in the creation of interventions for diverse populations.  The primary purpose of this assignment is for learners to consider how to apply these skills to a specific population, namely, members of the LGBTQ community who are aging (older adults).    

Description: Learners will select a specific mental health illness that typically affects older adults.  Next, using the article titled: Perspectives of LGBTQ older adults on aging in place (2017), describe potential barriers related to providing traditional interventions associated with this mental illness, that may be unique to this population.  You must use this article to identify an issue, but feel free to use the text, Gould (2016), the NASW Code of Ethics and other material shared in the course to support your positions in the paper.  Using at least this one journal article, the text and the NASW Code of Ethics (3 references total, as a minimum), write a 3 page paper that considers the following categories; 1) an example of a treatment inequity or discrimination associated with those in an aging LGBTQ population, 2) specific barriers associated with the LGBTQ population on mental health treatment, 3) social workers role in providing accommodations and culturally sensitive interventions for this population and 4) perceptions on the next steps in social advocacy for issues related to the LGBTQ community and mental health issues. 

While this is an individual assignment, learners may want to consider how this information can be used in group assignment 2.  What information you include in that assignment will of course be a group decision.  This paper should contain a cover page, APA formatting and reference page.  Neither the cover page nor the reference page will be included in the 3-page requirement.   Students should view, and pay particular attention to, the grading rubric for this assignment to earn all points.  Examine what constitutes “Excellent” in each of the grading criteria categories to earn the maximum points.

Textbook: Gould, Nick. 2nd ed. Mental Health Social Work in Context, (2016).