Reflection On Social Work

There are several goals that I hope to achieve by pursuing a graduate degree in Social Work. Pursuing a MSW will provide me with the knowledge, tools, and skills-set that will be fundamental to the achievement my career goals outlined below.

Before beginning the Master of Social Work program at Laurier I figured I had a strong understanding of what social work was. However, I quickly learned that I had only scratched the surface. I knew oppression existed, but I never understood the depth of it. I now know that I was afraid of it. It was easy for me to stay silent, because it was such a comfortable position to be in. Doing nothing meant I had nothing to lose and everything to gain. This was influenced by the privilege I had.

This was a very eye opening class for me. Coming from a mental health counselling background I have to admit it is a major difference in how social workers operate versus therapist. In this essay I will reflected on how this social work class has genuinely affected me, my strengths and weaknesses, and what I have taken away from this class. I always gain a great deal of satisfaction from helping others. I remember from middle school on through adulthood I was the go to person. If a person had an issue or needed to talk. I was the voice of reasoning. I was the one able to grab hold of certain resources if someone was in need

The class SW 6030 Human Development and the Social Environment has brought new insights and makes me see some topics in a different perspective. The critical reflection paper number one will integrate different concepts that I learned so far in this class.

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.

Social work is a profession that promotes social change, assisting individuals to reach their full potential by connecting them to resources to meet their basic needs and advocating for the vulnerable and those that are oppressed. (Miley, Omelia, DuBois, 2017) As a practitioner in the social work field, it is important to engage in 5 different steps such as engage with a specific population to assess challenges, connect individuals with services, advocate for the needs of your client, participate in social policy, engage and contribute to evidence-based practice. (Miley, Omelia, DuBois, 2017) In the profession of social work the core values that are stated by the National Association of Social work to consume are Service, Social justice, Dignity and worth of the persons, Importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Subscribing to the specific core values will help with the client and practitioner relationship with the process of successfully helping our clients to reach their full potential and empower themselves to overcome their struggles. (CSWE, 2014)

Cornerstone Youth Center is where I am currently placed for my DFS, and it is an after-school drop-in center that caters to grade 6 to 9. Most of my clients are a mixture of at-risk and non-risk youth from the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, refugees and youth that have mental illnesses. On a daily basis, we served approximately 20-30 youth during programs; however, upon the completion of the program, this where I interact with my clients by implementing a less formal one-on-one with the youth. During my one-on-one interaction with my client, I continue to build rapport by asking what positive or negative situations occurred in their day; what they enjoyed at school or what they needed help with. Although many of my clients face difficulties in their life, my agency also emphasizes on the positive outcomes to promote balance.

Upon graduation from the University at Buffalo, there were several pictures painted in my mind about how hands on Social Work was carried out in the “real” world. Several family members warned me about high burnout and nearly discouraged the challenging journey I had worked so hard to begin. Fast forward several years and there has not been a more rewarding yet challenging experience in my life as waking up and going to work with those who sometimes are unable to help themselves or are in crisis. My experience in Social Work has been some of the most rewarding (and challenging) times in my life, and I wouldn’t change it for the world.

PS/MS 96 ACT, School of the Arts, Collaboration and Technology is a Pre K - 8 Community School located in East Harlem. The school offers counseling services for all students through designated Department of Education funding. The school social worker and school counselor split the caseload. The school social worker focuses on the middle school students and the school counselor focuses on the elementary school students. Each conducts group and individual sessions, with both mandated and at-risk students. Additionally, their teachers refer some students. When a teacher becomes aware of a possible need for counseling, that teacher refers the student to either the school social worker or counselor. The social worker can also refer students to outside agencies. The school social worker is also involved in the Individual Educational Plan (IEP) team, the school’s wellness team, and the attendance team. Generally, the social worker, in connection with the school psychologist, determines the needs of the students and which services will be provided. As a social work intern, I work with the school social worker to provide counseling, crisis intervention, conduct group sessions, and, connect students and families to community resources. As a social worker intern I am responsible for managing a student caseload, preparing case notes, making classroom observations, assisting with the high school admissions process, and sitting in on the various teams the school social worker is apart of.

During my junior year of college, I secured an internship at a juvenile re-entry organization, A Better Way, Inc., located in Trenton, New Jersey, the town where I was born and raised. A Better Way, Inc. provides a range of resources to the surrounding community, such as support groups, community service opportunities, specialized job training, and referrals to other programs and resources. Clients varied in age and gender, but the majority were people of color. As an intern, I was supervised by a Licensed Social Worker and specialized in counseling and outreach. My position entailed assisting the organization with intake interviews and also co-facilitating several of their men’s discussion groups. While reflecting on this experience, I realized how much I valued the work I was doing because it positively impacted my community. These feelings confirmed that social work would be a fulfilling career path for me.

When admission acceptance was offered by Concord University’s Masters of Social Work (MSW) Program, the main goal from that honorary point was to learn how to serve at-risk populations, micro and macro specifically, enhancing well-being and restoring empowerment within others. Mezzo practice also incorporates both micro and macro levels to address issues of clients but on a larger scale. Micro and macro levels of practice can also be executed concurrently. The motives behind enrolling in the HBSE course was to acquire knowledge on how to interpret in-depth analysis about human behavior on all practice levels, evaluate archetypes of culture & environments, examine different theoretical approaches, and assess and adopt various assessment models to incorporate in individualized practice. Field practicum experience in community organization, treatment counseling, or working with socially disadvantaged individuals and/or families is preferred. Specific skills and knowledge on diversity, individual & (intra-/inter-) group dynamics, and determining clinical treatment for psychological factors are skills that are wanting to be gained from this course.

What does it mean to believe? As I begin reflecting on those things that I believe in, or those things that I have come to know to be true, I feel that I must take a step back and explain where I come from and how my way of thinking is possible. In social work, one of the first steps in getting to know a client is using the person in environment perspective. This is where we get to know clients and their case by getting to know the individual, their problems, strengths, and supports, as well as getting to know the environment they are surrounded by. Likewise, if I am to accurately articulate my faith, I must first start with where I come from and how that has allowed me to be where I am today.

Every worthwhile journey begins with one step. My social work journey began when I received my undergraduate degree from the University of Utah in 2003. I thought my next step would be to immediately pursue a graduate degree. In my undergraduate career I had taken numerous classes from the College of Social and Behavioral Science and had done well in those classes. In my Social Work as a Profession course I had an assignment to shadow a social worker and write a paper about my experience. I chose to shadow my father-in-law, a social worker with over 30 years of experience, and in my paper I expressed my desire to go into the social work field. I knew I liked helping people. I knew I liked problem solving and critical thinking. I thought my 22 year-old self was ready to embark on that journey, but I wasn’t. I realize now that what I lacked at graduation was one crucial step… perspective. Over the past twelve years I have gained that much needed perspective and have taken many steps forward in my journey, and with those steps and that increased perspective, I now feel more fully prepared to begin my social work career.

In this reflection essay, I will demonstrate my learning experience in this counseling session. I will talk about my strength, weakness, verbal, nonverbal expression, including improvements needed to become more efficient in the social work profession. I will also speak about a learning tool called process recording in Social work profession. This process recording was done with the help, with my fantastic Daughter Kendra Shelton as the client and my incredible husband Michael McVay as Video Recorder /producer.

In the classroom, I have had the opportunity of being in both the social worker role and the client role. These experiences have provided me with great knowledge on how to go about certain situations that may arise, as well as interventions that may be beneficial to the clients. During the in-class exercises, I have noticed that in the role of a social worker I get thrown off if the client responds too strong or responds in a way that is unexpected. I become speechless because I am completely caught off guard and it seems like I no longer have control over the conversation. During one of the role plays, I received feedback from the instructor and my peers on how to combat this issue. The instructor communicated the benefits of using playfulness, acceptance, curiosity, and empathy (PACE), during those times when I am stuck. The instructor showed me exactly what PACE looked like in this situation where the client was not wanting to go to school. She showed me what it means to accept what the client may be saying or feeling in the moment, being able to empathize and understand the client, as well as being curious rather than making assumptions about the client. The instructor also helped me to address the client in a positive way when I felt that the client was being disrespectful. Prior to this class exercise, I had never heard about PACE, yet when I look back on the social workers that I have shadowed, I have seen them use it numerous times but did not know it was an