This week I asked my field instructor what skills, knowledge, and values are most needed by social work students in my practicum setting? My supervisor responded, “ You should have a high compassion level for people along with a mutual respect for them, a wider range of community services that are available in the area, and be well versed and rounded in crisis intervention theory along with cultural diversity. Everything that my field supervisor suggested coincides with the generalist competencies described in table 3.1, there is nothing that contrasts with this table. I agree with my supervisor one hundred percent if I do not have at least a basic knowledge and at least some compassion and respect then social work number one would not be the …show more content…
With each individual, family, or agency I come into contact with I need a high level of compassion, a mutual respect along with at least a basic knowledge of their culture, and I need to be able to refer them to the correct resource in order to gain a higher level of success. This insight will also help me with my All-in-One Education Plan in the form of practice …show more content…
Both of these theories will be used when I am conducting client intakes, assessments, and interventions. “Although human behavior is shaped by society and its structures, those very structures are recursively constructed, maintained, and reproduced by the social actions of human agents over time” (Kondrat, 2002, p.440). During a client’s intake, assessment, and interventions their ecosystem needs to be taken into consideration, as there may be an underlying issue dealing with the client’s mezzo or macro atmosphere that can be bleeding into their individual problems which if unknown or identified can continue even after treatment if not properly
This paper is about a reflection on a class interview for a senior social worker. The teacher gave every student ten minutes for this interview. The students did not have an idea of what their situation was about until couple minutes before the interview. This paper will focus on the limits of confidentiality for the client, potential assessment for the client, engagement with the client, and evaluation of the social worker.
Becoming a social worker is dependent on numerous factors, one of which being education. “A bachelor’s degree in social work (BSW) degree is the most common minimum requirement to qualify for a job as a social worker, however, majors in psychology, sociology, and related fields may be sufficient to qualify for some entry-level job” (Chao & Orr, 162). Many people when pursuing the goals of being a social worker, however, are most interested in jobs in public agencies and/or having their own practices. “A master’s degree in social work (MSW) is necessary for positions in health and mental health settings and typically is required for certification for clinical work” (Chao & Orr, 162). One’s level of school is not the only thing employers are focusing on when looking to hire social workers. Along with one’s education, a social worker must have “a broad liberal arts base which includes a knowledge of the social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology, history, political science, and economics) to provide explanations about the nature of human society and the human condition” (Johnson, 48). There are many more skills that are just as essential, if not more beneficial, to the employer as well as client.
In the National Association for Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, there are many standards a social worker should uphold in order to promote a healthy and helpful relationship with the client. One such aptitude is Cultural Competence and Social Diversity, which is in section 1.05 of the NASW code of ethics (National Association of Social Workers, 2008). There are three sections associated with this competency “Social workers should understand culture and its function in human behavior and society, recognizing the strengths in all cultures”. It is assumed that “social workers should have a knowledge base of their clients’ cultures and be able to demonstrate competence in the provision of services that are sensitive to clients”. As a final point “Social workers should obtain education” in order to understand cultural diversity and oppression in people (NASW, 2008, p. 9).
The NASW Code of Ethics is the premier source of social work values, especially for students. It “is relevant to all social workers and social work students, regardless of their professional functions, the settings in which they work, or the populations they serve” (Code of Ethics - NASW, n.d.). These teachings are especially applicable in direct practice, no matter which client is being treated. Throughout the CSUB Social Work program, this worker is constantly reminded to “treat each person in a caring and respectful fashion, mindful of individual differences” (Code of Ethics - NASW,
The intention of this written essay is to demonstrate an understanding of my views on reflection and the issues surrounding reflective practice. It is based on nursing skills that I used during my practice placement, most importantly reflecting on the professional value of privacy and dignity.
In this essay I will be describing reflection, the methods of reflecting and the benefits of reflection in clinical practise. Everyone from doctors and lawyers to shop assistants and builders reflect upon their work. Reflection can be used to learn and develop as a clinician, professional and also as a person.
Overall this semester, I believe my writing in this course has been one of my strongest areas and I am excited to keep getting better at this skill. With my mother’s help during middle and high school, my papers have improved significantly and now I think I have a firm grasp on writing for various disciplines, but particularly professional settings like social work. I picked up on APA format quickly after doing MLA for several years and it now feels like second nature to me. There are certainly still formatting areas to improve upon and learn more about, but at this stage, I think I am progressing steadily. Thirdly, I am able to find appropriate sources easily to reference in my activity analyses, which is crucial as I advance in the program.
Therapy Analysis The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of my work as a co-therapist during the fifth session with the simulated couple Katy and Michelle. I will discuss our therapy agenda and the goals we hope to attain during the session. It is prudent to begin by giving a brief outline of the couple’s present problem and the patterns of dysfunction that I have identified within their relationship. In my opinion, it is the therapist’s job to recognize patterns and behaviors that disrupt the intimate bond between the partners.
Assessment Assessment is a basic skill of generalist social workers. As my current place of employment does not employ any defined assessment, I will utilize information from a generalist text and a sample assessment. The parameters of a generalist assessment are often defined by the specific practice agency (Birkenmaier, Berg-Weger, & Dewees, 2011). The assessment is utilized to identify relevant information such as demographics and the major areas of work such as the client’s goals (Birkenmaier et al., 2011). Many theories, such as psychoanalytic or strengths perspective, can influence a generalist assessment based on the assessment of a social worker’s theoretical preference (Birkenmaier et al., 2011).
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.
Competence- The last value of the Code of Ethics outlines competence. “Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise” (NASW, 2008, p.6). Social workers ought to increase their knowledge and expertise in order to apply them in practice.
The term reflection means the examination of personal thoughts and actions. For nurses this means focusing on how they interact with their colleagues and with the environment to obtain a clearer picture of their own behaviour. This means it is a process in which a nurse can better understand themselves in order to be able to build on existing strengths and take appropriate future action (Somerville, 2004). Reflection is a way to bring your own intuition along with empirical knowledge together. Reflective practice in nursing is guided by models of reflection. Reflective practice model serves as a framework within which nursing or other management professions can work. Reflective practice model is also a structural framework or learning model that serves the purposes of a profession and is particularly applicable to health related professions. Reflective practice enables practitioners to learn to value themselves as significant people with values and feelings that are important factors in giving care. Whilst reflective practice allows the nurse to recognise the value of their experiences, they may also need support to work through a difficult situation. This is where reflection aids nurses in dealing with these challenging experiences (Johns, 1995). Reflection on experience offers nurses the opportunity to reflect on caring in practice in ways that its nature can be understood, where the skills necessary for effective caring can be developed and most significantly, where the values of caring for people can be highlighted, both to the individual nurse and the world in general (Johns 1996)
One of the most important values I have learned in this course were these specific core values in social work. Social work seeks to provide service and have social justice. They understand the importance of individuals and their worth. In whatever they do, they do their work with complete integrity and competence (4). These values can be applied onto other things
Prior to having the class of Professional Values and Ethics, I assumed I understood the basic concepts of what defines a professional who has competence of values and ethics. Nevertheless, by being enrolled in this course, I have gained great knowledge of which professional values and ethical principles must be held by a social worker, which I did not know before. Progressively in this class, by learning professional values and ethics, my motivation to succeed as an upcoming social worker has gotten stronger.
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.