MSW 543 Week 2 First Contact Log Example

Social Work Practice - Engagement Chamberlain University Free custom sample in 24 to 48h

This MSW 543 Week 2 sample paper is a first contact log for B., 41, referred by a primary care doctor for anxiety and reached by phone four days after the referral fax. Chamberlain MSW 543 (MSW-543), Social Work Practice: Engagement, wants Master of Social Work (MSW) students to fill in the header nobody fills in. The log records date, mode, duration and verification, quotes the fax and B.'s own words, writes out what was explained as it was said, completes the contact block with message permissions, notes B.'s worry about work finding out and assigns each next step an owner, citing McKay's telephone engagement studies.

CourseMSW 543 Social Work Practice - Engagement
Week2
Paper typeFirst contact log
LengthAbout 480 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolChamberlain University
ProgramMaster of Social Work (MSW)
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for MSW 543 Week 2

1

First Contact Log for a New Referral, B., 41, Sent by a Primary Care Doctor for Anxiety: The Header Filled In, B.'s Words Kept as Words, What Was Explained as It Was Said and the Next Step With an Owner

Student Name

Chamberlain University

MSW 543: Social Work Practice - Engagement

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title promises a log with the header filled in and the client's words kept, which is what makes a first contact usable by the next worker.
2

First Contact Log for a New Referral, B., 41, Sent by a Primary Care Doctor for Anxiety: The Header Filled In, B.'s Words Kept as Words, What Was Explained as It Was Said and the Next Step With an Owner

Header

Date and time: October 6, 2026, 10:14 a.m. Mode: phone, outgoing. Initiated by: agency, after a fax referral from B.'s primary care office on October 2. Duration: 11 minutes. Language: English; no interpreter needed. Caller: MSW student intern. Number verified: yes, by date of birth.

What this page is doingFilling in every header field lets a reader know how, when and by whom contact was made without asking.
3

Reason for Referral, as Faxed

"Patient with generalized anxiety, panic symptoms, requests counseling. PHQ-9: 8. GAD-7: 16."

Copying the referral exactly, scores included, lets the next worker compare it with what B. said on the phone. B. described panic attacks at work; the fax described generalized anxiety. That difference is worth exploring at intake rather than settling on the phone.

What this page is doingKeeping the fax as written alongside B.'s words shows where the referral and the client's account differ.
4

B.'s Words

"I didn't think anyone would actually call." "I've been having these attacks at work, like I can't breathe, and I have to go sit in my car." "I can't come in the mornings, I'll lose my job." "Is this going to be like, therapy therapy? Lying on a couch?"

What Was Explained, as Explained

I said: "This is the counseling center your doctor referred you to. The first visit is about an hour. We'll talk about what's been happening and what you want to change. Nobody lies on a couch. Most people come once a week at first." I said the first visit has a $20 copay with B.'s insurance and that B. could cancel by calling the front desk.

The Contact Block

Address and phone: confirmed. Best time to call: after 5:30 p.m. OK to leave a message: yes, saying only "the counseling center." Email for reminders: provided. Emergency contact: declined for now.

What I Noticed

B. laughed nervously twice and asked twice whether anyone at work would know. I said the agency does not contact employers.

I recorded these as observations, not as a diagnosis. Nervous laughter and repeated questions about work suggest that privacy at work matters a great deal to B., and the first session should open by addressing it.

Next Step, With an Owner

First appointment: Thursday, October 15, 5:30 p.m., with me. Reminder text: front desk, October 14. If B. does not attend: I will call B. at 6 p.m. the same day. Early contact by phone before a first appointment has been linked to higher first-visit attendance in community mental health (McKay et al., 1996).

What this page is doingGiving each next step an owner and a date makes the log a working document rather than a record.
5

References

McKay, M. M., McCadam, K., & Gonzales, J. J. (1996). Addressing the barriers to mental health services for inner city children and their caretakers. Community Mental Health Journal, 32(4), 353-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02249453

MSW 543 Week 2 instructions, in plain terms

The first contact log is a record a colleague could use. Fill in the header completely: date and time, mode, who initiated, duration, language and interpreter, who called and how identity was verified. Quote the referral as it arrived. Keep the person's words as words rather than paraphrasing them into clinical language. Write what you explained in the words you used. Complete the contact block: confirmed address and phone, best times, whether messages can be left and what they may say. Note what you observed briefly. End with next steps, each with an owner and a date. A log differs from a process recording by being a record of facts rather than an analysis.

How this MSW 543 Week 2 example is built

The header gives October 6 at 10:14 a.m., an outgoing call after a fax of October 2, eleven minutes, English and verification by date of birth. The fax is quoted with its screening scores. B.'s words are quoted, from surprise at the call to panic at work and worry about mornings and couches. The explanation section quotes what the writer said about the first visit, the copay and canceling. The contact block records an evening call time and a message limited to the counseling center. A short section notes nervous laughter and repeated questions about work. Next steps assign the appointment, a reminder text and a same-day call if B. misses, citing McKay et al. (1996).

Reading the MSW 543 Week 2 grading rubric

Faculty grade the log on completeness and usability. A log with an empty header or paraphrased client words loses the most. Credit goes to the referral quoted, the person's words kept, the explanation recorded as given and a contact block that protects privacy. Each next step needs an owner and a date. Observations should be brief and factual; the worker's private interpretations belong elsewhere. A source supporting early telephone contact is welcome. The log should be detailed enough that a colleague could make the next call without asking anything. APA citation applies to any source used. A log that records what the worker said about cost, privacy and the first visit lets the next worker avoid repeating or contradicting it.

MSW 543 Week 2 help from the desk

Logs most often lose points by summarizing the call in a paragraph with no header. Another common gap is rewriting what the person said into clinical terms, which loses the meaning. Some logs forget message permissions, which risks a privacy breach. Others end without owners for next steps. If your contact was in person rather than by phone, keep the same parts and adjust the header. A log that serves the next worker will let them see exactly what the person was told and what the person is worried about. Write the next step with a name and a date before you hang up, while the call is still fresh.

Get a MSW-543 Week 2 example written to your instructions

Send the Week 2 instructions and whatever log form your classroom issues, and a custom example is written into those exact fields and returned inside 24 to 48 hours. The first one is free. Where a meeting was real rather than staged, its record stays inside the agency and your supervision, and only simulated material gets written up here.

Request this week free All MSW-543 weeks Finished samples

More MSW 543 papers and MSW samples

MSW 543 Week 2 questions, answered

Is a first contact log the same as a process recording?

No, and confusing them costs points in both. A recording reconstructs a session at length and carries what the worker was thinking. A log is an operational record built for whoever picks up the case, so it stays short, factual, and heavy on the practical block that a recording barely touches. Different documents, different readers, different rubrics.

How much detail belongs in a first log?

Enough that somebody could take the next action without calling you. That is a lower bar than students expect and a different one. Three pages describing the atmosphere of the meeting are worth less than four accurate lines about how to make contact, when the person is available, and what was agreed to happen next.

Do I record what I thought about the person?

One line at most, and flagged as an impression. Early opinions harden, and the next reader treats anything on a form as established. Where the form has an impressions box, fill it with what you noticed and what you are unsure of, and leave the conclusions for a document built to carry them.

Where can I find a free MSW 543 Week 2 sample paper?

Further down, the full MSW 543 Week 2 first contact log for B. appears with its header filled in and B.'s words kept as spoken.

What message permission does the MSW 543 Week 2 sample record?

That messages may be left but should say only the counseling center, because B. worried about anyone at work finding out.