These notes are designed to help people write about interventions they might be looking into for SocW517 Practice With Family Violence. This isn't the only way to write about interventions in a term paper; if you have another idea that works for you or your topic, use it. This is for people who are not sure how to think about conceptualizing interventions. I will use the trusty old "X" to be synonymous with the following: independent variable, policy, therapy, practice, program, treatment. These are notes to help you, and are not definitive. Be creative.

1. Problem. Why is X even an issue? What is the problem that X will be used for? Incidence & prevalence of the problem. Literature, clinical/practice experience which suggests this is a problem? What do social workers think about this problem? What theories are there to explain the existence of this problem. Define your terms.
   
   
   
2. Description. What is X? What is the theoretical perspective from which X is drawn? What is the form of X (what type of communication is used, how its presented, what does the worker do)? What is the content of X (what do the client/community learn after they are exposed to X)? What is the typical dose of X (how is X delivered, hours per week, intensity, length of service, etc)? What is the context of X (where does X occur in the larger scheme of intervention; if X is the whole intervention, is it focused on specific culture, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, intelligence, etc)?
   
   
   
3. Evidence. What is the evidence that X is the best thing to do? Is there research supporting its effectiveness? How good is the research? If there is no research, is there other authority for its use (clinical experience, theoretical common sense, gut-level information, practitioner beliefs, agency model, supervisor orders, etc)?
   
   
   
4. Alternatives. What are the other ways of dealing with the problem described in 1 above? Is there any evidence for these? How do you decide to use X rather than the alternative approaches? Will you inform the client about the relative effectiveness of X and the alternatives and let the client choose which they want? Will they provide informed consent for X, by which we mean knowing all the alternatives and possible outcomes, then choosing?
   
   
   
5. Case Example. Provide a case (individual, family, couple, group, community, or larger system) example of X being used, along with how X was received by the client system, observed effects, feedback, evaluation of outcome. Describe any ethical, cultural, implementation, or other concerns. Strengths & limitations.
   
   
   
6. How to Get Better. Where do we need to go from here to become more effective? How can X be improved. Where does X fit in the big picture of social work practice? How should social work regard X? How should we teach people about X? What is the best way to learn?