Summary
During this session four service users came into our lecture to talk openly about their thoughts, feelings and experiences of the social work profession. The service users spoke honestly and openly about these experiences, some of them negative but many positive. I found that many of the underlying feelings of the service users where in regard to social workers as individuals, such as their approachability, professionalism empathy and the ability to engage with them to meet their needs. It is with this in mind that I have decided to reflect upon these issues, I will do this from a personal perspective whilst also laying reference of these personal feelings to social work values and ethics, such as the Health and Care Professions Council (HSPC) Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics and the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), Whilst addressing how a person centered approach to practice such as Carl Rogers ‘Core Conditions’ could help me in practice in the future.
Initial Response
I found the session to be engaging, interesting and at some points rather eye opening, especially in regards to the potential scrutiny I may face as a social worker in the future. I feel however that what I gained of importance from the session is the humanistic values it made me consider in the profession of social work. Up until this point, my study has mainly consisted of the reading of standards, laws, guidelines and theories, that although are very important, you are
Interventions for clients with SC abuse are generally similar to that of natural cannabis. Effective treatments include the following strategies (Lee, Freeburn, Ella, Miller, Perry and Conigrave 2012):
There is no doubt that person-centred care values must influence all aspects of health and social care work. Health and social care should be based on person-centred values, and should be individualised as this is a law requirement (Human Rights Act 1998, Health and Social care Act 2012, Codes of practice for Social Care Workers, etc). If person-centre values that underpin all work in the health and social care sector are followed as they should be then all individuals should feel that and health and social workers ensure that:
This particular client was very withdrawn, quiet, fearful of telling the truth, fearful of mother reactions to services and not familiar with working with lighter skinned people. This client was hesitant initially with treatment and services and seemed to not be aware of the unhealthy situation she was in. She did not have ambitions, plans, or hopes for the future. The client was compliant to the mother’s requests, and did not stand up for herself when being attacked verbally or physically. This all presented a challenge for me as her social worker to make connections outside of the obvious fact that we were from completely different worlds. Building trust with this client seemed impossible at first.
Setting a boundary is an important core value in the field of social work. According to the Social Work Code of Ethics, “social workers should provide and represent themselves as competent only within the boundaries of their education, training, license, certification, consultation received, supervised experience, or other relevant professional experience” (Code of Ethics of the NASW). Professional helpers are generally compassionate people, but they also need to recognize the value of setting limits. This was the case when I worked as an adjunct instructor, which included providing individual tutoring. Sara Towns (name changed), a student and distant cousin, evoked the possible clouding of boundaries. For new social workers, this kind of reflection may be helpful as they define their roles. Through a series of professional and personal experiences with Sara, I learned that boundaries must be maintained to foster a positive relationship and prevent potential conflicts.
The decision to pursue my education in social work at Dalhousie University was not an easy one. While I was growing up, my career choice changed all of them time, but I always knew that I wanted to do something fulfilling, in which I could “help” and support people. My mom was a nurse and always loved helping people; I always figured I would follow in her footsteps, however I learned at an early age that sciences do not come easy to me. Unfortunately, my mom lost her battle to breast cancer when I was eight years old, so I hope that by me helping people socially, rather than medically like she did, will continue her legacy.
The Code of Ethics of National Association of Social Workers (NASW) outlines ethics and standards that social work professionals are to uphold in their work. These ethics and standards guide decisions and actions within the social work field. Social workers must work to ensure that all work done falls into line with the NASW Code of Ethics. It is here that one can find the most important values in working with clients. Namely, the National Association of Social Workers (2008) mentions the use of “[c]ultural competence and [s]ocial diversity.” As America is made up of various cultures and customs, it is important for workers to respect these
I am interested in the field of social work because l have the confidence to be able to work alongside individuals who are in need of assistance and guidance. It is important that we, as a community, are able to work alongside one another to offer resources to those who need it. With my knowledge of psychology and my experience in the health care field, l hope to have the opportunity to become a social worker who can help people cope with problems in their everyday lives.
The focus of this paper will address my personal beliefs, how I manage to make this value important factors in my life, and how these values relate to who I am as a person and the social worker I am going to become. I will also discuss how my personal values may condratict with the core values in social work practice, and the steps I will used to utilize resolution if issues occur.
Compared to this time last year, I have more self-confidence when identifying as a social worker. Even though I had previous work experience in the field, I internally referred to myself as a student. Since completing my foundation year of field, I have embraced the term social worker professionally and personally. Professionally, I am constantly aware of the core values my title encompasses while assisting the clients whom I serve. These core values have developed in my own personal beliefs and moral systems. Recognizing people’s strengths and systems that incorporate their lives that reflect avenues to which may rely on the assist of a social worker. Compared to this time last year, I am able to assist clients with identifying their strengths, systems, assessments, and interventions to a presenting problem.
The overall review of the introduction enlightened my dedication to the social work field. Social workers face many clients that differ based on their diversity, opinions, and background. The introduction gave a lot of insight on the meaning and dedication in order to become a social worker. Also, you have to take the time to understand and communicate with your clients so that they feel safe and respected. The value and understanding of a person or environment helps the situation resolve. In the first couple of pages from the workbook, they explain that we must have values, beliefs, ethics, and essential qualities. The idea of becoming a social worker is to show and become a vision of a professionalism. The act of being a professional had been always a key element that I have appreciated.
Working in the world of Social Work can be many things; educating, adventurous, and at times emotional fulfilling and or draining. Every person brings their own contributions as well as their own strategies and problem solving techniques that are set by the social work guidelines. Getting into the world of social work can be intimidating, stressful and many questions are often internally asked. As an aspiring social worker I have had the opportunity to meet up with Tracey Hodgins; a micro social worker who has been in the industry for 15 years, and has had a Bachelor of Social Work Degree for 13 years. She is the mother of a friend of mine who agreed to let me interview her. Currently she is Adult probation officer; she deals with managing
My interest in the social work profession became apparent during the fall semester of my junior year when I was enrolled in Social Work 205 and sociology. I had finally found subjects that I thoroughly enjoyed and academically excelled in. The events and experiences in my past and the current activities in which I am involved, have helped me narrow my studies to solely social work and has took part in shaping my hopes and plans for my first entry-level position in my chosen career after receiving my degree from WKU.
In the profession of social work, a worker comes to realization that there are many areas of human rights and legal concerns that are troubling and painful for the people in our care. Yet, as workers provide these services it requires them to advocate, protect, and provide the highest level of service as the worker explore the concept of the person and the environment. Also, it is imperative for all social workers to understand the theory behind how people change from conception to death in order to provide the necessary services intended for the clients in which we served such as loss, success, betrayal, and death. When a worker fully understand the theory then this will governed the type of services that will be offer and be professional.
Social Workers (SWs) come across different issues affecting the society and are required to play their role and reduce the adverse effects of the problem. The social work profession is faced with challenges and must keep themselves up to date with the necessary information and practice ethics. (Asquith, Clark, and Waterhouse, 2005). They work with individuals to make sure that the issues that are keeping them down are solved, and the community becomes a better place to live in.
My vision of the social work field is being able to help people in need and being the person that people can look back on and remember as a huge help in time of need. I think my core values and beliefs will help me be an effective social worker and help me succeed in this field. It is in my belief that a person should never be knocked down when they are going through hardships, and rather empowering them. I also believe that not everyone could be a social worker because it takes a certain kind of empathetic and self-aware person. I truly believe that my upbringing has humbled me to understand and not be judgmental of people’s issues since I’ve seen a lot in my short twenty-one years.