Post a description of the reward network of the brain, including the brain regions and neurotransmitters involved. Provide at least one example of how this reward network is beneficial to the survival of the individual or the species. Next, describe how this reward network is misappropriated by addictive substances or behaviors. Then, specifically, describe how at least one addictive substance or behavior makes use of this reward network. Finally, describe pharmaceutical treatment of addiction and at least one other form of treatment. Consider the success or relapse rates of each form of treatment (pharmaceutical and your chosen treatment form) and include in your argument references to the advantages and disadvantages of the different forms of therapy to treat addiction.

Social work administrators can use their roles as leaders to increase cultural competency within their organizations and, thus, help to create positive social change. As social work administrators critically assess situations in which social injustice or inequality has taken place, they may discover an organizational need for increased cultural competency. However, changing the culture of an organization is not an easy task since administrators must address personal and organizational assumptions about diversity and cultural competency simultaneously.
For this Discussion, consider how social work administrators might apply their leadership roles to increase cultural competency within their organizations.
Post at least two( 2 to 3 pages) strategies social workers may use to become advocates for social change through cultural competence. In addition, identify at least two challenges administrators may face in developing cultural competency within their organizations.
Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.
 

Required Readings

Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). Los Angeles: Sage Publications
Reprinted by permission of Sage Publications via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Chapter 15, “Culture and Leadership” (pp. 383–421)

Chun-Chung Chow, J., & Austin, M. J. (2008). The culturally responsive social service agency: The application of an evolving definition to a case study. Administration in Social Work, 32(4), 39–64.

Required Media

Laureate Education (Producer). (2014a). Cortez case study [Multimedia]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Optional Resources

Walden University. (2014). Master of Social Work home page. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu
Visit the Master of Social Work interactive home page to explore resources available to students in the program.

Just because you thought of an interesting research question and have a desire to conduct research does not mean that your research will automatically be supported by faculty or funded by an organization. In order to gain stakeholder approval, you must submit a research proposal. Much like an outline of a paper or a treatment of a movie script, the research proposal contains several parts that begin with a research question and end with a literature review. For this Assignment, you compile a research proposal that includes a research problem, research question, and a literature review.
For this Assignment, choose between the case studies entitled “Social Work Research: Couple Counseling” and “Social Work Research: Using Multiple Assessments.” Consider how you might select among the issues presented to formulate a research proposal.
Be sure to consult the outline in Chapter 14 the Yegidis et al. text for content suggestions for the sections of a research proposal. As you review existing research studies, notice how the authors identify a problem, focus the research question, and summarize relevant literature. These can provide you with a model for your research proposal.

Submit a 5- to 6-page research proposal stating both a research problem and a broad research question (may be either qualitative or quantitative). Use 6–10 of the most relevant literature resources to support the need for the study, define concepts, and define variables relevant to the question. Include a literature review explaining what previous research has found in relation to your problem and question. The literature review should also include a description of methods used by previous researchers. Finally, be sure to explain how your proposed study addresses a gap in existing knowledge.