Social Work Reflective Essay

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Recommended: Cultural competency strength and weakness

The population I work with and will continue to work with are school aged children and their families. It is important to be aware of the families cultures while working with them. While being aware of the different cultures, it is also important to look at the client as an individual first because everyone thinks differently (Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr., 2018). A client might be part of a culture, but not identify with all the ideas and values of that culture. Some clients might associate with two or more cultures. Communication, attending, and critical thinking skills are important for attaining cultural competence.

Social work begins with having good communication skills (Richards, S., Ruch, G., & Trevithick, P., 2005). Everyone communicates in their own way whether it is verbal or non verbal. As social workers we need to model and provide appropriate communication skills, but also take into consideration that clients might take word meanings differently. We must show the client through communication that we are understanding.

The client needs to know that you care about what they are saying, by doing so you should be conveying appropriate non verbal language while they speak. By doing this you are showing good attending behavior.
Social workers must be aware of …show more content…

R., & Coufal, K. L., 2009). It is important to be aware of your own prejudices and be able to think about all the facts before making a final decision (Goldberg, L. R., & Coufal, K. L., 2009). It is important to let the client be open and communicate about their culture and what they believe. The client is an individual first and might only believe in certain values and not follow others. Utilizing these three skills; communication, attending, and critical thinking, will help make the social worker culturally

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