Practicum Interview

Social work exists to provide effective social services to individuals, families, groups, communities and society so that social functioning may be enhanced and the quality of life improved. (Zastrow, 2013) Assessing my strengths and weaknesses as a social worker helps me see what I must maintain, and what I must improve on to become the kind of social worker that educates and inspires. The skills I identify with in my practice are; empathy, identifying strengths, and respect. These skill sets are vitally important to ensure clients receive the best possible outcome.

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.

1. After completing a semester of field education, what are three reasons you would like to pursue a career in social work: a. One reason I learned that I want to became a social worker after our first semester is that it is a diverse career. My background and passion in life has always been working with the elderly population however, I accepted a position at DHHS working with foster care and child protective services. Knowing that this would make me more diverse and knowledge in different ways to future employers and for me. b. Another reason why I would like to pursue a career in social work is that it is challenging.

Social Worker’s must undertake “relevant training to maintain and improve your knowledge and skills and contributing to the learning and development of others” (SSSC, 2009 section 6.8). The requirement of continued learning is fifteen days which can consist of courses, reading

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.

For example, clinical social psychologists must have "thick skin" (Lassiter, "Careers in Social Work"). This means that a social psychologist must be able to cope with stressful times when "happy endings seem unlikely" (Lassiter, "Careers in Social Work"). In addition, social psychologists must have good critical thinking skills (Lassiter, "Careers in Social Work"), which includes being able to assess problems and find a solution (Berzoff). According to Chad D. Lassiter, "having a knowledge of human development" benefits a social worker because it allows him to know when someone is exhibiting symptoms of "depression and post-traumatic disorders". Lassiter also says that possessing a "social work background" is also helpful for social workers because it allows social workers to aid people who are vulnerable to certain situations. But where could a social psychologist get all this experience? Experience is mainly earned from practicing communicating with a person who is filled with intolerable emotions and a state of bewilderment (Berzoff). It could also be practiced through relationships with professionals. Not only do social psychologists have to obtain communication skills, they must also be able to create relationships, instead of making the client having to make that relationship for their social psychologist (Berzoff). According to Reamer, social workers must

Generalist Social Work Practice Methods has been an informative course and highly addresses a lot of skills that we will use during our social work careers. Through learning different assessment models, identifying different crisis situations, and discussing several different populations that we will work with in the future, I was able to self-reflect on my own personal values and ethics that will allow me to grow as a Social Worker. Within the 7 weeks of this course, completing journals that address the topics that were discussed in class was helpful to reflect on my experiences and identify my strengths, as well as weaknesses, that I can continue to work on to better myself.

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

The main roles of social workers is to work with vulnerable people and their families to offer support during difficult times, with the goal of improving their lives and keeping them safe from further harm. To do this they create a professional relationship with people and offer them guidance and advice, at times using their professional judgement and ensuring it is acted on in making tough decisions which the clients may not favour at the time. All social workers in the UK are recognised by their registered qualifications with the Health and Care Professions Council, many holding certificates showing their competency and training within the field. Other qualifications social workers hold include nursing,

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,

There are many skills a social workers needs in order to be succesful and effective. Skills included problem solving, intervention tecqniques, and being able

I learned to work in collaboration with colleagues and organization leaders of different ways of leading. Also, I acquire a knowledge of taking care of my time and organizing in order to finish the job required relevant of all. I learn the importance of flexibility and creativity when things are not going the way they should be as planned. The skills I master will help me and facilitate my work as a social worker, not only for the senior year of field internship but also through the future of social work

Social workers need to have many skills and qualifications, which I think they are getting those skills during their jobs experiencing and handling different cases. Social workers

Working as a social worker will require you to be educated, trained and in some states be license. Applicants are subject to employment verification, as well as background and criminal record investigations. Working as a social worker will require to have a bachelor or a master degree. However, very few agencies will hire applicants with an associated degree working toward their bachelor with at lease with some related work experience.

Being a social worker is a challenging, yet rewarding career. Throughout my college courses I have realized one major aspect is teaching skills and developing mechanisms for patients to rely on to better their lives and experiences. I understand that as a social worker I will be dealing with a multitude of problems and I must be able to employ a variety of skills depending on