I have always perceived social work as an opportunity to help various people in many different situations, including improving people’s lives by helping them cope and solve issues in their everyday lives. As a social worker, I had the mindset of becoming a therapist eventually, although I did not specifically know what that would entail or the type of therapist I would become. When I first started my career in social work and case management, I had the notion that therapists were like doctors or healers – the client has a problem, and visits the therapist or “healer” to seek enlightenment and healing.. I thought that the role of the client would just be to state the problems or the reason for seeking the healer, and the healer has a special book that he or she consults, and just like that, he presents a lasting solution to the client’s problems or issues. I also used to think that when clients see therapists or “healers” their lives change for the better, the therapist feels accomplished, and the world is a beautiful place all over again. However, based on the different therapeutic approaches learned last semester and this semester, I have come to know that the relationship between the therapist and the client goes far beyond the “patient –healer relationship.” In the course of my study, I have now come to realize that there are no hard and fast rules to structuring and guiding therapy. I think that in the real world, the techniques used would depend on the client and vary with each client’s situation. I am learning to be flexible with my approaches when dealing with clients. I also learned that therapy should be resource and client-focused, giving client the opportunity to be an active participant in the therapeutic process, i... ... middle of paper ... ...individual therapy, “maybe a narrative therapist, since it resonates more with me. And maybe I can include some elements of motivational interviewing, and CBT in my approaches with my clients.” (Reflective Essay, 12/4/13). Ultimately, as a social worker, I believe that I have to realize my power to help someone transform their lives and become stronger and healthier people, as a result, I know that it my responsibility to obtain the skills I need and maintain the passion for my work so that I am invested in helping each and every client I serve. I know that it will take time and experience to become more comfortable in working with clients and doing clinical type work, but hopefully through my internship experience as well as fulltime work experience that I started about a week ago, I will get lots of real world experience that will serve my clients effectively.
Identify and explain the three major sources of conflict and misinterpretations in social work practice: culture-bound values, class bound values, and language variables.
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
As this book points out, and what I found interesting, the therapeutic relationship between therapist and client, can be even more important than how the therapy sessions are conducted. A therapists needs to be congruent. This is important because a client needs a sense of stability. To know what is expected from him or her while being in this transitional period of change. In some cases this congruency may be the only stability in his life, and without it, there is no way of him trusting in his t...
As a social worker, I have been able to use my skills I have learned in the field and my college education. I have values, beliefs, and ethics that I have used to center my social work career around. I also acknowledge as a social worker, I cannot push my values, beliefs, and ethics onto others. Every person does not share the same values, beliefs and ethics.
Although, this session ended with amazing results, I feel as though I need more practice with this type of therapy. I have to continue to practice on allowing the patient to come up with their own solutions. I found it hard not giving advice to my client, because I already knew the situation. However, in the end I found myself very proud, because even though this was not a real therapy session, but the client was able to find a real solution to her problem. This experience is one that teaches the therapist restraint, it allows one to step back and listen. It also gives the client the opportunity to reach a solution themselves without someone giving them the answer to their
The counselor accomplishes the above by expressing empathy, developing discrepancies, going along with resistance and supporting self-efficacy. Moreover, the counselor guides the client toward a solution that will lead to permanent posi...
Working with others and improving own learning and performance are highly essential skills in social work. In this essay I will reflect on how well I have developed these two skills and what I need to do to improve them.
Among an array of Values from The Code of Ethics (TCE) of social work Value 1 dictates that as social workers we must respect the dignity of our clients and refrain from passing judgement onto them (Canadian Association of Social Work, 2005, pg.7). As a social worker, it is important to follow this value as it prevents the distancing of the client from the worker as the client will have a better chance of opening up to someone who does not instantly tell them what to do or reprimand them for their actions or non-action in their lives. Oppression relates to the TCE in that it says the social work profession’s main purpose is to raise their clients who are vulnerable, oppressed and/or living in poverty (CASW, 2005, pg.7). Taking this into account
...ential impediment to postmodern and CBT interventions is practitioner incompetence. Psychological harm to clients is a potential danger of interventions implemented by untrained or inexperienced therapists. Likewise, the attitude and professional maturity of the practitioner are crucial to the value of the therapeutic process. In both approaches, whether taking on the role of teacher or collaborator, the therapist’s stance is one of positive regard, caring, and being with the client. While techniques and therapeutic styles may vary between and within the postmodern and CBT counseling approaches, they both enlist the client’s diligent participation and collaboration throughout the stages of therapy to accomplish positive therapeutic outcomes.
As someone involved in the field of Social Work, I am regularly challenged to assist individuals and families to cope through, work on. and deal with internal and external issues that can affect their ability to feel empowered. These factors can undermine their personal sense of well-being and their self-esteem. Therefore, it is important that I am aware of the available ways to effectively assist my client, while at the same time maintaining boundaries and professionalism.
Research is a necessity when it comes to providing services. Social Workers need it to be able to determine their clients ' needs, to see what resources/services they have access to and if their client doesn 't have much access where can they get it. Research is also used to see how effective an intervention is and whether it would be a right fit for their clients. It provides social service agents with ways to identify problems within their clients, communities, organizations, and the government. Also it helps them to create ways to aid in effective change. It is very beneficial when a social worker needs to "assess the needs and resources of people in their environments, evaluate the effectiveness of social work services in meeting people
As a student, I will study and practice techniques, beyond a generalist perspective, that will allow me to give clients hope and the ability to see something greater than what they are facing. Upon completion of a Master of Social Work direct practice degree and certificate in gerontology and mental health programs, I intend to become a licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW). As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I will competently incorporate specialized skills in different professional settings while developing my knowledge of a wide range of social issues and professional standards. With commitment, I wish to develop skills that will enable me to create or find hidden resources and services for my future clients, create platforms through consoling for victims of
Over the course of the semester, I have learned a variety of many things regarding social work. These things vary from learning how to help oneself to understanding how to help others. Not only were the textbooks very useful, but also the materials that furthered this textbook learning. The in class presentation, activities, and guest speakers gave us insight and a different perspective on the material we were learning. I feel like this course has given me a good foundation and prepared me as a future social worker (1).
The social work profession is defined as “a practice-based profession and an academic discipline that promotes social change and development, social cohesion, and the empowerment and liberation of people (ISFW, ‘Global Definition of Social Work’, 2016).” The definition may be true about the profession but it is more in depth than just that. To me, the profession’s primary focus is to help others through life as much as we can while letting them make their own choices and guiding them. In society, social workers are utilized in many different nonprofit and government roles. They serve the community in many different ways from monitoring parent visits to helping people through mental illnesses. Human beings are so complex and things that happen
families, and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers are change agents and because of that, they aim to help people develop their skills and abilities to use resources provided to them to strengthen and improve their lives and communities to resolve problems. One of the main goal of social workers is to improve the well-being and lives of the most vulnerable populations, fight against poverty, unemployment, domestic violence and the underserviced population by emphasizing on the person-in-environment and social justice model. The social work profession, considerers the individuals’ internal and external struggles, while working with the individuals to examine their relationships, family, work environment, community, and other things that might impact them and identify ways to help address problems and challenges.