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Effective Communication And An Involuntary Context

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Effective Communication in an Involuntary Context Communication is a process involving both verbal and non-verbal gestures between at least two people (Geldard, 1989). It is considered a process because it is important to constantly monitor and adapt responses depending on the context and how the other person reacts (Harms, 2007). In relation to social service work, a social worker needs to be able to effectively communicate with clients in order to form positive working relationships and justify interventions (O’Conner, Wilson, Setterlund, & Hughes, 2008). Effective communication occurs when the intended message is not distorted or misinterpreted (Geldard, 1989). This is particularly relevant for social workers, as they need to correctly identify the problems that a client is experiencing before appropriate actions can be implemented (O’Conner et al., 2008). This paper will explore how effective communication skills are operationalized when a client is involuntary (i.e., legally mandated to receive services). It will achieve this by focusing on a case study that involves a mental health social worker conducting a risk assessment on a client who has been referred by the courts. The paper will then go onto analyse how the context of the client and the social workers agency of employment shapes the way communication is established and maintained. Consequently, it will then discuss the inherent tensions that a social worker needs to be aware of and manage when dealing with

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