Encouraging Bea

To provide competent care to a client, the therapist has to be culturally prepared to work with the client. To be culturally competent as a therapist I have to be aware of my own bias, my identity, and my values in regards of my culture. I also need to be aware of the judgments that I have about the client’s cultural identity. In order to know the client’s culture, I would inquire about the identity during the intake. I would use the Addressing model by Pamela Hays to inquire the cultural identity of my clients. The addressing model helps to consider the various social categories that a client belongs to. Also, providing culturally competent services is to be aware of the population surrounding the therapist’s office or agency in order to

1. There are a few boundary issues that need to be addressed. The social worker developed a personal relationship with Bea. Bea was in need of additional income, she wanted to find a female to rent her spare room to. The social worker had a friend, “a woman who might be interested” renting the room (Hoffman, & St. Clair, 2003, p. 46). She asked for permission to let her friend know of the room, asking to releasing Bea’s information was appropriate. The boundary issue is that the social worker should have not even offered her friend as an option to rent the room. This situation becomes a conflict of interest and cross the boundaries of social worker and client (NASW, 2008, p. 7). In addition to this situation the social worker admitted to having

All social workers can attest that at some point in their career they’ve had a situation that was an ethical dilemma. They work with people who are experiencing some very difficult and sensitive situations, and there are instances where issues arise that put social workers in a difficult position in regards to ethics. Whether it be from conflicting responsibilities of a social worker or an issue that lies in an ethical gray area. Fortunately, the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) has a code of ethics for social workers that lays out what is expected and required of a social worker when dealing with a variety of issues. Also, since social workers are considered covered entities under the Health Insurance Portability and Affordability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), they are also held responsible for protecting their clients’ health information. When faced with an ethical dilemma, if a social worker chooses to not follow the standards laid out by the NASW and HIPAA then they could face professional, and potentially legal, disciplinary actions.

Claireece “Precious” Jones came into the social welfare office for assistance. A psychosocial assessment was conducted that consist of information such as reason for referral, history of mental, medical, school, family, child abuse and any drug/alcohol information.

The ethical principle set forth by the NASW states “social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person (NASW, 2008).” The social worker in this case has a duty to treat the clients respectfully and be mindful of individual differences, culture, and ethnic diversity. As the social worker, it was imperative that I work with Stephanie to build upon her capacities and seek ways to guide her to be capable to address her own needs.

The social work profession’s Standards of Practice outlines the boundaries in the relationship between social workers and their clients and sets a mandate of their responsibilities as a social worker (Alberta College of Social Workers, 2013, p. 30). In the Code of Ethics, boundaries are also set at a high standard as we must draw metaphysical lines between personal roles or interests and professional (Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2005, p. 7) to prevent forming a dual relationship with clients. Another boundary is to halt the possibility of the social worker from using the time they have to help themselves rather than helping their clients (CASW, 2005, p. 6). In addition to these boundaries, it is crucial for social workers to not share too much of their personal life with clients by placing mental boundaries of how much they feel they can share of their personal life with their clients.

In sum, social workers are required to apply ethical principles in practice. As a result, through my experience, ethics have played a significant role in my professional and personal roles. I will continue to strive to learn and gain skills in ethical principles. I plan to strive, grow and explore my own values and beliefs. In addition, I will continue to follow and employ the ethical guidelines for my clients and for myself as I progress in my role as a social

competence is an imperative aspect that practicing social workers need to employ when providing treatment to clients. Daniel’s treatment provider has to maintain cultural sensitivity when assisting him with obtaining a higher quality of life. Daniel’s ethnicity, age, sex, class, and veteran status require that the treatment provider have knowledge regarding Daniel’s diverse cultural background. Treatment providers that are working with specific populations such as the military must acquire knowledge surrounding the experiences of military personnel, families and children (Cederbaum et al., 2014).

According to the National Association of Social Work (NASW) Code of Ethics the goal that the social worker provided for his client was against the values, ethical principles, and ethical standards that guide all social workers. First, 1.02 Self determination states: Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to

While gender and ethnicity may be the more apparent cultural features other things are important also, which include sexual orientation, spiritual or religious practices, political aspects, and general philosophy of life are all cultural elements that need to be incorporated into interventions and treatment options” (Cummins et al., 2012, p.237). In addition, it is important for the social worker to have cultural knowledge because it is necessary for selecting the appropriate intervention and treatment methods for that client. Furthermore, the appropriate multidimensional assessment provides the social worker with the internal culture of the client such as cognitive abilities or limitations, emotional health, and emotional responses and

Moreover, this case should be analyzed based on the information provided by the NASW Code of Ethics. The ethical principle included in the NASW Code of Ethics (2008) states that “social worker’s primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems…Social workers seek to resolve conflicts between clients’ interests and the broader society’s interests in a socially responsible manner” (p.5). Suzanne’s social worker would only have to seek for Suzanne’s well-being because if Suzanne and Cindy get separated, they can lose contact, which would affect Suzanne 's emotions.

To begin, social work is a profession concerned with helping individuals, families, groups and communities to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social workers engage themselves in solving problems for individuals or relationships they may have in order to have a better lifestyle. Social workers work in various areas/institutions such as children’s aid agencies, school boards, hospitals and many more.These workers perform different duties depending on their workplace. Social work has four key concepts which include, social change, problem solving, person-in-the-environment and empowerment. These elements help the social workers find a conclusion with who they are working with. Just like any other work environment, there are policies in which they must follow. The CASW code of ethics. (Canadian Association of Social Workers). In some cases, social workers tend to ‘bend’ the code in order to make the right decision based on their experiences, beliefs and values. When they are stuck in a situation where they don’t quite know what to do, this is called an ethical dilemma.

It is important to understand “cultural accessibility” which includes “understanding, appreciation, and affirmation of values and beliefs that are held by the communit (Delgado, 1999, p. 34). Nonverbal communication is also an aspect of cultural associability due to the communication to the client in a way they understand (Delgado, 1999,). This is an important aspect because it allows the social worker to be available to learn from the client in order to build competence at the time of face-to-face contact. Each client is an individual and is more than just the cultural norm’s they can be stereotyped by.

I, of course, told my client the situation and I also told him I was able to place him with a different social worker. I also informed Sal that if I remained as his social worker I would follow the confidentiality form and I would not be able to tell just anyone about what goes on in this case. It was explained several times that confidentiality is very important to me, therefore, I would go by that. After my client was informed about this situation he did not mind keeping me as his social worker. He stated that he too knows many people in town and it was okay if I knew one of his daughter's friends. Sal was completely fine and we then disregarded this

It is imperative that social workers become knowledgeable about their clients’ cultures and are culturally sensitive. In learning about their clients’ cultures, social workers need to be aware of how powerful and significant culture is in relating to clients’ behavior, values, and beliefs. Becoming culturally competent requires the ability to integrate awareness, knowledge, and skills while maintaining a positive working relationship with the client (Sue and Zane, 1987). Today, the concerns regarding cultural competency continue to accentuate the importance of preparing social workers for a diversified society.