Discussion Response – Person-in-Environment

Discussion Response – Person-in-Environment

Response 1 

Hello Kaneese,

Thank you for your post. I agree with you that the person-in-environment approach is vital in rural social work as these areas face unique challenges. Only through the holistic view of PIE can a social worker better understand these challenges and how they affect the individuals, enabling them to come up with more effective and tailored solutions to said problems. Regarding the challenges social workers face in rural areas, technological advancements are significant, especially in regard to the digital divide whereby rural areas struggle to access these technologies (Curtis et al., 2022). The solution to this would be to first lobby for the establishment of infrastructure, for instance, in schools and libraries, where there is unlimited internet access. Secondly, rural areas are often characterized by diverse cultures whose values and beliefs can contradict those of a social worker assigned to the area. Therefore, as you have argued, cultural competency training is critical for social workers. Lastly, in rural areas, social workers often have limited resources to work with. This can lead to a piling up of work as cases take longer to resolve, and social workers have to work more than required to access the resources required. Indeed, the solution to this is to ensure that social workers are provided with programs that ensure they care for themselves mentally, emotionally, and physically.

References

Curtis, M. E., Clingan, S. E., Guo, H., Zhu, Y., Mooney, L. J., & Hser, Y. I. (2022). Disparities in digital access among American rural and urban households and implications for telemedicine‐based services. The Journal of Rural Health, 38(3), 512-518.

Response 2

Hello,

Great post. As you have argued, the person-in-environment is an ideal approach for social work in rural areas. Essentially, the PIE approach involves looking at all the systems and factors that influence a person or group to understand where any given behavior comes from. The systems include the macrosystem, exosystem, mesosystems, and microsystems. This holistic understanding enables more effective interventions, leveraging local resources and informal support networks like family and community organizations (Daley, 2021). Secondly, I also agree that limited access to healthcare in rural areas is a challenge faced by social workers, and as was found by Coomb, Meriwether, Caringi & Newcomer (2021), physicians also have to treat mental health issues as there are no mental health professionals in such areas. However, with the advancement of telemedicine, through remote connection, rural areas can now access such services that are lacking in these areas.

References

Coombs, N. C., Meriwether, W. E., Caringi, J., & Newcomer, S. R. (2021). Barriers to healthcare access among US adults with mental health challenges: A population-based study. SSM-population health, 15, 100847.

Daley, M. R. (2021). Rural Social Work in the 21st Century- Serving Individuals, Families, and Communities in the Countryside Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

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Discussion 1:

Kaneese Johnson (She/Her)

The Person in Environment (PIE) approach is a fundamental concept in social work that emphasizes the importance of understanding individuals within the context of their environment. In the context of rural social work, the PIE approach is particularly crucial due to the unique challenges and dynamics present in rural communities.

The importance of PIE in rural social work is being able to face distinct challenges such as limited access to resources, isolation, poverty, and lack of specialized services. By applying the PIE approach, social workers can gain a comprehensive understanding of how these contextual factors impact individuals’ well-being and shape their experiences. The PIE approach encourages social workers to assess clients not only based on their individual characteristics but also considering the wider environmental influences such as family dynamics, community support systems, economic conditions, and cultural norms prevalent in rural areas. This holistic assessment helps in developing more effective interventions tailored to the specific needs of rural populations.

Lastly, the PIE approach enables social workers to engage with local stakeholders, leverage existing resources, and collaborate to address social issues together. By recognizing and understanding the state of having different parts or things connected or related to each other between individuals and their environment, social workers can empower communities to drive positive change from within.

Challenges Faced by Social Workers in the 21st Century:

Challenge #1) Technological Advancements: The rapid pace of technological advancements poses challenges for social workers in terms of adapting to new communication platforms, data privacy concerns, and ethical dilemmas related to online interactions with clients. To address this challenge, ongoing training programs on digital literacy and ethical guidelines for online practice are essential.

Solution #1) Continuous Professional Development: Establishing mandatory training programs on emerging technologies and ethical considerations can enhance social workers’ skills in navigating digital platforms responsibly while maintaining client confidentiality.

Challenge #2) Diversity and Inclusion: Social workers increasingly encounter diverse populations with varying cultural backgrounds, identities, and needs. Ensuring culturally competent practice requires continuous education on diversity issues, promoting inclusivity in service delivery, and advocating for policies that uphold equity and social justice for all individuals.

Solution #2) Cultural Competency Training: Integrating cultural competency training into social work curricula and professional development opportunities can equip practitioners with the knowledge and skills needed to effectively engage with diverse populations sensitively.

Challenge #3) Workforce Burnout: The demanding nature of social work roles coupled with high caseloads, emotional intensity, and limited resources contribute to burnout among practitioners. To combat workforce burnout, organizations should prioritize self-care initiatives, provide adequate supervision and support systems for staff members, and advocate for sustainable work practices that promote staff well-being.

Solution #3) Wellness Programs: Implementing wellness programs within organizations that focus on self-care strategies, stress management techniques, and creating a supportive work environment can help the burnout among social workers and promote overall well-being.

Discussion 2:

E. Novar

The person in the environment is an important approach to rural social work, because it focuses on understanding individuals within their social, economic, political, and physical environment. In rural settings, the person-in-environment approach helps social workers improve the well-being of individuals and communities in rural areas (Daley, 2021, p. 214). Rural communities face many challenges, such as limited access to healthcare, education, and employment opportunities. Also, the communities are very tight-knit, and complex. The in-person in environment approach recognizes that people’s behaviors, experiences, and challenges are influenced by their surroundings. In rural areas, this can include factors like community dynamics, access to resources, and the community’s cultural norms (Daley, 2021, p. 221). By using the person in environment approach, a social worker can gain an understanding of how these environmental factors interact with the client’s personal characteristics, leading to a deeper understanding of the relationships and issues present in rural communities and what the effects of a client’s environmental factors are to their individual well-being (Daley, 2021, pp. 269-270). Rural areas might have limited formal social services, but might have a lot of informal support networks that can help individuals. The person-in-environment approach would be beneficial for social workers to identify and utilize the client’s local resources, such as their culture, their family, and any community organizations like churches (Daley, 2021, p. 95).

There are many challenges that are faced by social workers in the 21st century. There are still issues with people having adequate access to healthcare and mental health services in rural communities (Daley, 2021, p. 306). Rural communities face higher rates of mental health issues and substance abuse but have fewer mental health professionals and services available (Daley, 2021, p. 306). A solution for ensuring that there is adequate access to mental healthcare in rural areas would be to bring attention to the lack of needed mental health services and advocate for the government to expand telehealth services to provide remote counseling and psychiatric care. There is the issue that even if a community does implement telehealth services to reach their community, many rural areas still do not have reliable internet access, which limits access to things such as healthcare via telehealth services and other necessities such as online education (Daley, 2021, p. 311). A rural social worker could advocate for local government to invest in improving access to the internet, especially by investing in rural broadband infrastructure. Another solution would be for social workers to advocate for local governments to develop and implement training programs that teach computer literacy to rural community residents, which would help them utilize online healthcare and education services effectively (Daley, 2021, p. 311).

For people in rural communities, there is still stigma around people receiving mental health services. Telehealth is one solution, and another solution could be for the community to access healthcare and mental health services would be for the social worker to advocate for integrated in person services that combine primary care and mental health services, which would make it easier for individuals to access comprehensive treatment in their community. Integrated services would also help lessen the stigma of receiving mental healthcare by showing it is as important as physical healthcare for an individual’s overall well-being.

Rural communities frequently experience higher unemployment rates and economic instability, because of limited economic opportunities within the community, as well as low wages (Daley, 2021, p 308). These factors cause poverty for individuals, who have little to no money to spend in their community, which then causes poverty in the community with businesses closing due to not being able to remain in business (Daley, 2021, p. 308). A solution could be that the social worker could collaborate with a rural community’s local government to help develop business opportunities, job training and education programs to the meet the community’s needs and opportunities using resources that are already available within a rural community (Daley, 2021, p. 320). Also, improving the rural community’s internet access infrastructure would also encourage businesses to move into rural communities, which would create economic opportunities for the community (Daley, 2021, p. 311).

Daley, M. R. (2021). Rural Social Work in the 21st Century-Serving Individuals, Families, and Communities in the Countryside Second Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Publisher.

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