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SWK Practice II Reflection
SWK Practice II Reflection
Fall 2022
Holly Thompson
Social Work Practice II was a unique, educational experience because it involved
working in the macro practice setting of social work. Our portfolio assignment for this class was
to do an assessment on the community which I live in. The Community Needs Assessment
highlighted what needs is most dire for service delivery in the area. I chose to evaluate mental
health among adolescents in Robeson County and found many disturbing factors that prohibited
One of the things I noticed was the access to healthcare in this rural area and the health
disparities for most adolescents. A large portion of this population does not have insurance or is
covered through Medicaid. There are mental health agencies who provide therapeutic services
but with the large number of these agencies privately owned, sometimes the cost for care can be
expensive. During the last couple of years of the Covid-19 pandemic, adolescents were unable to
attend school which left many to develop anti-social characteristics or depression. Isolation was a
major factor in this scenario, and this led to a rise in mental health challenges. Another fact that
came about during this isolation period was an increase in substance use. Some adolescents
turned to alcohol and narcotics as a coping mechanism which contributed to mental health as
well.
This assignment gave me insight on the history and geographics of the rural area of
Robeson County. It also found that the Native American (Indigenous) community uphold s
certain values when dealing with mental health. A large portion of their family members refused
to recognize a problem existed which led to adolescents not seeking therapeutic services. During
this assessment, I interviewed the director at UNC Southeastern Hospital who gave me the
statistics and information pertaining to adolescent mental health issues in Robeson County. I was
astounded at the information I received which led me to think about working in the mental health
and behavioral field of social work. It made me concerned for our community and the future
these groups of individuals were heading for, which is detrimental to say the least.
While there are resources for treatment such as Eastpointe and the Robeson County
Bridge Program for financial help in seeking services, I was still astounded over the fact there is
not in-patient treatment facility for youth in the county. This portfolio assignment opened my
eyes that disparities are an issue and changes need to be addressed for future progression.