Evaluation Of The Field Supervisor 's Role

Social Care Supervision refers to the strategies and body of service done within a social care plant in order to improve on the level of performance of the social care workers. Supervision is a critical idea in any social or structured society in which services of high quality and demand are being offered. Many social health care centers in the world are in need of equitable service delivery programs that will oversee a fruitful service reception by the clients. As such, Social Care Supervision refers to this body of knowledge and strategies used to support and instill hard work, quality delivery of products and services, together with a continuum of good delivery of goods and services to the clients (Gray & Brown 2010, p. 45-85).

Shared values are essential in the creating a successful relationship between the client and social worker. Social workers operate within society, not only to assist the individual but to create a more cohesive society. Values and ethics permeate the whole of social work practice and the society within which it practices (Shardlow 1989). Values are afforded a high position within social work, this is highlighted in: “Social work is a professional activity. Implicit in its practice are ethical principles which prescribe the professional responsibility of the social worker” (British Association of Social Workers (BASW) Code of Ethics). However, there is a danger that any list of values will become something which is quoted

This gives the implication that values can differ from person to person, so it is therefore important to identify and understand one’s own values in order to work effectively in the field.

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.

Values, Morals, and Beliefs are components that play a role in an individual’s self-identity. The establishment of these components shape human nature, behavior, and the development of an individual’s purpose. The basis of these fundamentals has contributed to my desire to become a counselor. This paper will discuss my views of human nature, factors of behavior changes, goals of therapy, the roles of a therapist, and the counseling approaches that I chose to incorporate in a practice.

Discuss your identity as a professional social worker. How have you worked to recognize and manage your own personal biases and values to practice ethical social work in service of a client/client system’s interests?

Thanks Vanessa, you did a great job defining the role and use of supervision. I did not know if you noticed that Our Lady of the Lake mission’s statement is in perfect line with the social worker code of ethics. I would like to share what I found in similarity with our mission statement. According to the National Association of Social Work (2010), the mission of the social work profession is rooted in a set of core values. These core values, embraced by social workers throughout the professions’ history, are foundation of social work’s unique purpose and perspective. Service, Social justice, Dignity, Dignity and worth of the person, Importance of human relationships, Integrity, and Competence. This constellation of core values reflects what is unique to the social work profession. According to Kiser (2012) the field supervisor is key to student learning in any human services internship. Ideally, supervisory relationships are based on trust and mutual understanding. Great job and good luck.

A social worker’s field placement and internship experience are the uttermost integral component of his or her social work education. This experience can vary in both quantity and quality depending on the type of leadership and guidance the social worker is receiving. Supervisors play a fundamental role in the guidance and training of a new social worker during his or her internship. Having similar work styles as your supervisor can lead to a satisfying field placement experience.

I had the opportunity to interview Rebekah Bohannon, NCC, LPC- MHSP, Regional Clinical Director of East Tennessee for The Next Door. This facility functions as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for currently incarcerated women. Services such as work force development, medical treatment, drug and alcohol treatment, clinical mental health services and a family enrichment program are just some of the services this facility provides. Rebekah currently provides clinical supervision to me, both at the graduate student internship level and at an employment level. In describing her role as a supervisor, she state, “working as a clinician is a wild ride, but working as a supervisor is an even wilder ride” (Bohannon, 2016). This provides an accurate description of the picture of clinical supervision I acquired from this personal interview, as well as, my experience with Rebekah operating as my supervisor.

The “Models of Supervision: Parallel Processes and Honest Relationships” by Dr. Lawrence Shulman was very helpful, informative and challenging. It was an important podcast that covers the importance of supervision in the social work profession. It was enlightening for me to pay attention to various aspects of the supervision process. Dr. Shulman stated the need for establishing a good relationship between the supervisor and the social worker or clients. This relationship should be built on trust, respect, honesty and caring to obtain successful result and outcome in the field of social work. Also, in the supervision process is very important to set clear and appropriate boundaries between the supervisor and social worker. The supervision is also about that the supervisor cares about the social worker as much as he/she cares about the clients. Dr. illustrated also in this

-A.4.b. – Personal values (counselors are aware of own values and do not impose their values onto a client)

Maurice William’s understands that social workers get tired because of their relentless job responsibilities, therefore, she makes sure they don’t experience burn out since it is her responsibility to keep the families intact (Laureate Education, Inc., 2011). Since she is not out in the field visiting the homes, she puts her faith in her upper management team to be able to listen and pay attention to any problems or potential future problems (Laureate Education, Inc. 2011). Since she is unable to be out in the field, Williams uses her supervisory skills to train her staff to be able to identify potential problems and also to report back to her what the problems are. If there were problems out in the field (i.e., foster parents, foster children), she shoulders the full responsibility to make sure that the problems are addressed and resolved, or modify changes that are in the best interest of the children.

• encourage you to develop self awareness of your own personal values through critical reflection.

Traditionally, social worker are expected to not impose their own values on their clients, and suspended judgment about client behaviors, even when their own values or society values demand a judgement (Dolgroff, Harrington & Loewenberg, 2012). This can often pose difficult ethical decisions for social workers and clients, as personal value systems are inevitable. Social worker value gap, value neutrality and value imposition are important to consider when analyzing any ethical situation with our clients. Consideration needs to be given to both the social worker and the client as they interact together, although it is the social worker’s role to not impose their own values onto the client. The social worker must uphold the value of self

Another beneficial theme of the book is values and the helping profession. A therapists’ values are part of who they are and it is difficult to ignore them. A complicated issue counselors have is keeping their values from influencing the client and realizing that their task is to help clients identify their beliefs and apply their values to solving problems (Corey et al., 2010). A good point made in this book was for a therapist and client to clarify their values. This way they both have an understanding of each other’s values and could be able to recognize when value imposition is occurring. If value conflicts are occurring during therapy it would be a good idea to refer the client to someone who can better understand where the client is coming from. If referral is the only way, then perhaps the counselor should explore their values and involvement in therapy.