| Course | MSW 544 Social Work Practice - Assessment |
|---|---|
| Week | 2 |
| Paper type | Presenting problem summary |
| Length | About 440 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | Master of Social Work (MSW) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MSW 544 Week 2
Presenting Problem Summary for V., 28: The Primary Care Referral Quoted Uncut, V.'s Own Version Dated, the Differences Itemized and What V. Believes the Agency Wants
Student Name
Chamberlain University
MSW 544: Social Work Practice - Assessment
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Presenting Problem Summary for V., 28: The Primary Care Referral Quoted Uncut, V.'s Own Version Dated, the Differences Itemized and What V. Believes the Agency Wants
Where the Case Started
A fax from V.'s primary care clinic, dated January 12, 2027, after a visit for headaches and poor sleep.
The Referrer's Words, Uncut
"28 yo pt, MDD recurrent, PHQ-9 = 17. Poor adherence to sertraline, stopped after 3 wks. Single parent, housing unstable. Refer for counseling and medication compliance."
V.'s Version, Dated January 19, First Session
"I'm tired all the time. I can't drag myself out of bed for my kid. The pills made me feel like a zombie so I stopped. I just moved into my own place in December and I'm scared I can't keep it. I don't need someone telling me to take pills. I need to be able to function."
The Differences, Itemized
1. The referral names the problem as major depression; V. names it as not being able to function for the child.
2. The referral says "poor adherence"; V. says the medication had a side effect V. could not tolerate, and no one asked.
3. The referral says "housing unstable"; V. moved into a lease in V.'s own name in December, which V. sees as an achievement at risk, not instability.
4. The referral asks for "compliance"; V. does not want to be told to take medication.
What V. Thinks Is Wanted
V. said, "I figured you'd want me to promise to take the pills." V. expected the agency to be an enforcement arm of the clinic.
I told V. that counseling here does not report to the clinic about medication and that any note to the doctor would go only with V.'s permission. V. visibly relaxed and said, "Okay, then I can tell you the real stuff."
What the Summary Concludes
The working presenting problem, in V.'s words with clinical framing added: depressive symptoms, including exhaustion and low morning energy, that interfere with parenting and with keeping a new home. Medication is a question to revisit with V.'s doctor, not the focus of counseling. Starting from the client's definition of the problem supports engagement and accurate assessment (Hepworth et al., 2022).
Next Step
With V.'s permission, a note to the primary care clinic explaining that V. stopped sertraline because of side effects and would discuss alternatives.
References
Hepworth, D. H., Rooney, R. H., Rooney, G. D., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2022). Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.
What the MSW 544 Week 2 assignment asks for
The presenting problem summary holds two statements that do not match. Name where the case started, such as a referral form, a phone message, a discharge letter or a court order, and quote the referrer's words without cutting or softening them, including words you find unhelpful. Then give the person's own version, dated, in their words. Itemize the differences one by one. Record what the person thinks the agency wants from them, which shapes engagement. Close with a working statement of the problem that starts from the person's definition, with clinical framing added. If the referral was a phone call, quote your notes of it and say so.
Inside the MSW 544 Week 2 example
The opening names a primary care fax dated January 12, 2027. The referrer's words are quoted in full, including MDD recurrent, poor adherence and medication compliance. V.'s version, from January 19, quotes exhaustion, mornings with the child, stopping pills that caused a zombie feeling, a new lease and not wanting to be told to take pills. Four differences are itemized: the problem's name, the reason for stopping medication, the meaning of the housing change and the goal. A section records V. expecting a promise about pills. The conclusion states the working problem and cites Hepworth et al. (2022), and a next step plans a consented note to the clinic about side effects.
Where the points sit in the MSW 544 Week 2 rubric
Faculty look for two statements quoted accurately and an itemized comparison. A summary that blends the referral and the person's account into one narrative loses the most. Credit goes to the referrer's words uncut, the person's version dated, differences listed separately and attention to what the person expects. The working problem should start from the person's definition. Quoting words you find offensive is acceptable when they are the referrer's words and you note them. Small differences still count and should be itemized. A source on assessment in APA style supports the approach. A summary that shows how a clarification changed the client's view of the agency earns credit for attending to engagement.
MSW 544 Week 2 help from the desk
Summaries most often lose points by paraphrasing the referral into neutral language, which hides how the person was described. Another common problem is presenting the clinical label as the problem without the person's version. Some summaries never ask what the person thinks is wanted. Others list differences in a paragraph rather than one by one. If your two versions barely differ, say so and itemize the small differences; even one changes the plan. A summary that ends with the person's words in the working problem shows the assessment started where the person did. Ask the person directly what they think the agency wants from them, and quote the answer.
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MSW 544 Week 2 questions, answered
What if the referral was a phone call with no document behind it?
Then the summary records it as a phone call, names who spoke, gives the date, and carries as much of the wording as was written down at the time. A reconstructed quotation should say that it is reconstructed. Sections accept an oral referral without complaint; what they mark down is a spoken concern presented as though a form had carried it.
Do I have to quote a word I find offensive?
Quote it and mark it as quoted. Removing it hides something a later reader needs, and softening it changes the record. The usual handling is the term inside quotation marks with the speaker named, followed by whatever was actually described. That keeps the word available as evidence about the referrer without the document adopting it as its own.
The two versions in my case material barely differ. Is that a problem?
No, and saying so plainly is the answer. Where the person and the referrer describe much the same thing, the summary records the agreement, notes the small places they part, and says what that agreement is worth given that both may have heard it from one source. An invented conflict costs more than a thin one.
Where can I find a free MSW 544 Week 2 sample paper?
The full MSW 544 Week 2 presenting problem summary, referral and V.'s own account set side by side, appears lower down.
What did V. think the agency wanted in the MSW 544 Week 2 sample?
A promise to take the medication, because V. expected the agency to enforce the clinic's instruction rather than ask what V. needed.