Implications for Social Work Because of my culture, it has allowed for me to be more understanding of those that are different from me. The recognition of what it is to be different from what normal American culture may look like has brought forth a new and deeper level of empathy without even realizing. Growing up in a diverse area where my group of friends came from a wide variety of backgrounds has helped me to see the similarities we share as well as getting more acquainted and understanding of why certain groups do the things that they do. With that being said, I recognize that though I may be more equipped to related with people from different backgrounds a bit more than someone else, I know that I may still face some challenges (especially with how this nation is when it comes to race and cultural relations). As a social worker, a bit part of my profession is to create societal change. …show more content…
Though we are to listen to the dis-empowered, it is also pivotal for us to be aware of our own biases. This is because we are in place to address prejudice such as sexism and racism. The goal at the end of everything is to be culturally competent. This will come when we continue to address prejudice and become genuine as we gain more insight of different culture as well as our thoughts. Ultimately we need to show respect to any and every one we come in contact
The basis of this assignment was to create a further and more in depth understanding of my chosen field, social work. Social workers aid and support individuals, groups, and communities through difficult times and ensure that vulnerable people are safeguarded from harm. Without them our nation would not have the proper support to establish order and relations in society. I explored the numerous types of social working jobs, ranging from Child, Family, and School social workers, Mental Health and Substance Abuse social workers, to social workers in Administration, Policy, and Research. I provided all of the educational requirements necessary to become a social worker, along with the benefits of acquiring a higher degree. In addition, I included the average salary of an entry level social worker and the average salary for a social worker with a Master’s degree or other professional licensure. I provided all essential information one would need to know before entering the field of social work. For example, what the job requires beyond what you can learn in a classroom. Patience, understanding and empathy are a few of the many imperative personality traits a social work must possess. Along with the facts and statistics I incorporated into my paper, I also included a personal section explaining why I chose to enter this field.
In modern world, social work is one of the professional areas that gained vast and rapid development. Due to the complications of human society today and the nature of social work, its relevance will not diminish in the closest future. With this in mind, it is important to research the implications of a career in social work in order to understand the basics of its functioning and its fundamental principles. This paper aims to research critical issues of social work career by indicating ethical and personal values, importance of self-awareness and personal experiences, as well as areas of difficulty for a professional helper.
There are a few reasons why people select a certain profession. One possibility in choosing a particular career based on a personal experience, personal values, or significant relationships with people. These factors play an influential role when guiding one to decide what profession will best fit him or her. For instance, one who has dealt with a rare disorder such as Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a rare condition that weakens the and affects the nervous system, may desire to be a doctor or a physical therapist and provide assistance for those with rare disorders. Regarding social work, there have been factors which guided me into choosing this field as my future profession.
Through previous work experience and time spent as an undergraduate student, I have developed various strengths, skills, and knowledge concerning social work. I have strengths in my readiness to learn and my eagerness to be in field. I have direct practice skills through participating in SOWK 4425 – Practice III (Wright, 2016), and I have acquired ample knowledge on theories, policies, and social work practice through other social work and supplemental classes at Texas State. Furthermore, I have experienced self-discovery to find that I have a set of values that correlate with the core values found in the National Association Code of Ethics (2008). Going forward, I want to further develop direct practice skills, as well as expand my knowledge and skills concerning more macro social work. I also would like to push my comfort zone in order to
I started working as a Social Work Assistant in a Welsh child protection team in August 2014 until I gained my social work qualification in October 2014 and started practicing as a Social Worker. The team that I work in gains a lot of its staff intake from newly qualified Social Workers and it appears to be well geared to developing and supporting people who may be unexperienced in social work, but have a wide and varied set of skills from other arenas.
Working as a social worker although challenging, is a rewarding career. Social workers assist people and families to cope with problems they are facing in their lives. To understand more about social workers, I caught up with Margaret Jones, who is on a charitable mission in the country. Margaret, as she prefers to be called, was born in Haiti but after the devastating earthquake, which saw her lose four close relatives, decided to relocate to the United Kingdom where she got her current job.
Social work can be very rewarding in a number of ways, but challenges do exist before the reward. One challenge I may encounter if I was to become a social worker is becoming attached to the victim. I think I would feel emotionally connected and want to save them. Before taking the class, I had the mentality that it would be easy to help people and guide them to a better life, but this class has made me realize that it is not always that easy. When speaking to victims, I could see myself feeling sorry for them and wanted to give them everything to make themselves feel better. I feel like I would allow my personal life to interfere with my work life, where I would constantly be thinking about the clients and their health instead of focusing
Mr. James has arrived for his assessment at the Gadsden County Human Services office. His demeanor is somewhat different from the last meeting. He is more reserved today and seems to be open to effective communication. The case manager, Tameka Footman enters the room and greets Mr. James. Mrs. Footman asks Mr. James, how he’s feeling about the session today. Mr. James responds and says that he’s feeling good about it. Mrs. Footman reviews the events that took place last session and asked if there were any questions from the previous meeting. Mr. James says that he doesn’t have any questions are is eager to get started.
As a social worker, I consider it an honor when people walk through my office door and even more so when they do it continuously I know it is hard to reach out when you are struggling. I have had the struggle many times in my life. As with me, I know there needs to be a sense of feeling safe in order to start the process of dealing with. why my office threshold was broken. I think Courtois and Ford (2014) hit the head on the nail when it comes to personal safety and safe relationship being critical to the process to begin working with traumatized individuals. One of the first priorities when working with someone who has experienced trauma is to make sure safety outside of the office isn’t endurance to healing. If the person is dealing with domestic violence, parents abusing them or suicidal thoughts they won’t be in learning mode but survival mode. Another consideration is creating an atmosphere in the office that the person feels safe to discussing these issues in the first place.
Social work practice requires many skills, which need much practice themselves. This needs social work students to be open to trying within safe environments and scenario’s for mistake, such as with their peers and with emotional safe scenarios such as stress at University. This begins with a requirement to do 5 minutes of interviewing with a peer which includes many social work skills such as active listening, encouraging, paraphrasing, being/creating a welcoming and safe environment and other such basic and beginning skills.
I will do this through self-evaluation and reflection, as well as consulting my peers and supervisors if I begin to struggle in this area. Through my social work studies, I have been emerged in situations where studying culture and diversity is required; this has provided me with comfort in my knowledge on other cultures. After graduation, I may not be required to study diversity and culture, and as a professional, I will have to make time to educate myself on diversity issues, attend continuing education courses concerning culture, and be unafraid to ask questions to further understand differences. I do not feel uncomfortable about any of the inventory items, but I feel I can always do more to be educated about my own culture and the culture of others. In the future, I may interact with clients completely different than I, and to best serve these clients it will be important to learn more about their culture through research and asking questions. Furthermore, I must remember not to make assumptions about any individuals, even if I know a great deal about their culture, rather I should ask individuals questions and understand their personal perception of their
I always received great satisfaction from helping others. I remember at a young age, helping my grandmother with chores that she was no longer able to do for herself. As I got older, my grandmother became more dependent on me. I helped her cook, clean, administer medication and made sure she kept her doctor appointments. I now see myself doing these same things for my mother and father as they get older.
Strengths and Limitations of Social Work Practice in Colombia: A View from Canadian Social Work
The National Association of social workers (2008) defines the unifying primary mission or purpose of social work as “enhancing human well-being and helping meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” (Dubois & Miley, 2014).
This approach has much future promise particularly in the context of economic challenges and resource constraints. Since the African continent has problems with lack of resources it is wise that countries adopt this approach and move away from the remedial one which is costly. The developmental approach is highly friendly with social work’s historical values and commitment to achieving social justice and human rights (Midgley & Conley, 2010). However, there are limitations facing the developmental approach in social work.