To be an effective and competitive social worker, you will have to advocate for people with no voice, focus on their strengths and abilities instead of problems, serve and uphold the population but at the same time take care of well-being. During introduction to social welfare, we heard from numerous social workers and the areas of social work they practice. They each gave us feedback of skills we should either have or need to obtain. That includes developing time-management, communication and writing skills, relationship building with our peers, and enhancing our cultural competence. The most important skills for social workers in this field are having interpersonal skills so you can appropriately interact with a wide range of people, be patient with clients because …show more content…
I consider myself an active listener because I can engage myself in a conversation with people knowing that I understand where they are coming from. I’m known to be a trustworthy person who wants to make you feel comfortable when you talk to me. Engagement is important and if you don’t engage the importance of the conversation will decrease. When you don’t understand the importance of what is being said your response will not be clear and concise. So make sure you understand the body language they are sending out because people send out signals with their bodies by facial expressions, fidgeting and posture so beware of the signals your body language is sending out. Also being non-judgmental helps the client feel more comfortable, making the communication between the both of you more open and honest. Setting boundaries is another skill I have obtained while I was in high school. Although it took courage, patience and practice I’ve learned to not feel guilty by speaking up and stating my opinion. I begin by setting small boundaries that weren’t as challenging and intimidating to me
These competencies allow beginning social workers to gain a better understanding of what the profession entails, and how to best practice ethically and efficiently. These competencies are laid out to ensure a basic framework for the profession, and allow us to have a focus on certain aspects which are most important. It is clear these competencies interact with one another, and with the other six competencies not mentioned in this
In order to work effectively and appropriately with vulnerable and marginalised groups in society such as individuals with mental illnesses, it is fundamental for a social worker to have a comprehensive knowledge base and proficient skills.
Social work professions need to understand the importance of how individuals interact both with other people and their environment, to have an understanding how individuals are affected by these interactions (Rogers, p. 2). According to Rogers (2016), “Social workers are knowledgeable about human behavior across the life course; the range of social systems in which people live; and the ways social systems promote or deter people in maintaining or achieving health and well-being. Social workers apply theories and knowledge from the liberal arts to understand biological, social, cultural, psychological, and spiritual development (p. 2). Their work with clients begins with assessments to evaluations of intervention and is based in and supports of the core value system of the profession.
What does it take to be a social worker? As a social worker there are all kinds of peolle that you will be working with and different settings. Depending on the setting, you are working with all different kinds of people who are all going through their own crisis and dilemmas. The population that social workers work with is a very vulnerable population.
The skills a competent social worker need are active listening, empathy, leadership, communication skills, assessment, engagement, policy practice, etc.
Every piece is important ranging from how they got here to what they know about their conditions and the resources they have available to them. The social worker must be culturally competent and understand at least the basics of their background, cultural, beliefs, values, and religion. This will greatly help the worker find the right interventions and resources to solve problems they are facing. The next step is to accurately assess the individual they are working with, there are many assessment tools that can be used it depends on the clients needs of what kind will be
The human-services field is a demanding environment. Social workers need to possess variety of skills that would help their proffession, and the people that seek their advice. It’s important for them to be aware of what qualities they need to possess. They’ll be working with diverse people as their job
Born May 18, 1915, Elman Rodgers Service is an American anthropologist theorist who created the typology now used to categorize Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States as societies. Elman Services’ classifications displays the social evolution of societies and are now the four levels of political organization. Service created seven characteristics in part with his four classifications of societies. Three of his characteristics are social structure, political system, and subsistence strategy.
One must also be able to adapt themselves to their public. “Social workers have a comprehensive knowledge of community resources and are able to tap them to meet the needs of their clients” (Skidmore, Thackeray & Farley, 8). Becoming a social worker does not mean that you work with just one type of person with just one type of disability. “Some communities need more practitioners with expertise in working with small children or with clients diagnosed with both mental disorders and developmental disabilities. Clinical social workers should target those areas and develop effective practices and directly market themselves in experts in these areas” (Roberts and Greene, 7). It is very important to be able to utilize the community resources to help solve problems. According to Holly Hill Children’s Services in Cincinnati, Ohio, (2002) one must be “flexible and capable of setting firm limits and boundaries...must be able to function in a leadership capacity while working as part of a team.”
In order to be a social worker you have to be able to communicate, be nonjudgmental, respectful of others beliefs, and be a good listener. My friends always came to me for advice. I honestly grew up to fast, therefore, I experienced things at in early
COMPUTER SKILLS! All documentation is done electronically. Also in being any form of social worker you must be an ADVOCATE for your patients and their decisions. Many times social workers are the only person that is on the patient’s side. Treating
Social workers should have an understanding of how to conduct an assessment using fundamental interventions and strategies specific to children and adolescents. As a social worker you should be familiarized with risk and protective factors that contribute to specific life problems experienced in childhood. Therefore, one must be able to conduct a psychosocial evaluation that includes youth behaviors and environmental influences.
Ms. Rodriguez illustrated that the skills needed are to be very well informed on the nature of their disease to understand the impact it has on their physical and emotional health (Personal communication, July 7, 2015) . She also explained that social workers need to be compassionate and empathic to view their reality from their perspective not mine and to truly understand their world view (G. Rodriguez, personal communication, July 7, 2015). She stated that social workers need to remain client centered to develop a care plan that responds to their needs and wished and not to what I think should happen (G. personal communication, July 7, 2015). Also, social workers need to also be knowledgeable on Community Resources for the elderly to be able to link them to needed supports (G. Rodriguez, personal communication, July 7,
I have experience with young girls as a mentor at Southside Middle School last year for a semester. I met with them once a week and we would discuss emotions and how to deal with them by using interactive and engaging activities used to make discussions with girls more exciting and less intimidating. Another experience with social work was with Catholic Charities at their Genesis House facility. Genesis House is a program that provides long term treatment for homeless men and women suffering from mental illness and addiction. I helped patients receive comprehensive, and holistic treatment approach includes medical, psychological, vocational, and educational services. With the services given, residents are provided with the tools necessary to
These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the profession’s history, are the foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective: services, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence.” (p. 1) In addition to; being in the social work profession you will work with three general practice skills, which are Micro skills, Mezzo skills and Macro skills. According to Ashman &