Reflection On Social Work

I have many strengths, which keep me going. Some of these strengths are my family, which I get a lot of support from, my persistence, and most importantly, my hard work. Although I have amazing strengths, I also have weaknesses. One of them is that I am very shy , sometimes. The other one is that I can be a bit of a perfectionist. I'll just try to fix all of my flaws and focus on the things I'd like to accomplish.

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.

Last strength, I want to mention is my desire to serve and help. This skill implies sensitivity to the needs of others, their problems, interests, joys, sufferings, hopes and illusions; I am able to accept even the deepest and painfully human problems, misfortune, and loneliness. I try to deliver to the task and above with the people whom I work. I try to provide a warm welcome to everyone, so there is no opening of misinterpretation of discrimination.

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.

When I was eighteen I worked for the Williams Lake Association for Community Living and a social worker visited my worksite. I was very curious about her profession and asked her questions about the field. At that moment I wanted to go to school to become a social worker. At twenty-one, I began my journey to get my Bachelors of Social Work; but I was diverted and started a family. As time went by and I matured, my wish to work in an area that allowed me to make an impact on people’s lives and help the vulnerable through a range of different approaches never diminished; social work was an obvious field through which I could develop these skills and passions. When my girls became teenagers, I felt it was time to finish my education and pursued

I have almost 18 years of full time experience as a Youth Outreach Worker I and working with at-risk high impacted gang-intentional youth in proving intervention services starting in 1998 with the City of San Jose Mayor’s Intervention Project PRIDE Programs. I provided mobile street Outreach and provided citywide gang mediation and intervention services to all the City of San Jose schools and gang impacted neighborhoods citywide. My service target was at risk gang impacted /intentional youth to try to deter them from taking part in delinquent/gang behavior and lifestyles. I also facilitated gang awareness presentations to Community groups, parent groups and service provider programs. Attended school safety meetings and receive individual referrals from law enforcement, schools, and community-based organizations.

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.

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.

With this paper, I am to identify the specific area(s) and/or settings of social work I foresee myself working in using a process of critical reflection. To do this, I begin by discussing social location with regards my immigrant background and socioeconomic status. Hence, how such identities will influence my particular approach to work in a clinical setting such as that of a hospital. Additionally, I delve into the ways in which my lived experiences of constant hospital visits have also influenced my interest in future mental health work. Following this, I will further address, considering the above, among other intersections, the challenges I expect to encounter in a future practice such as a hospital. I will identify and describe how I will develop and incorporate practice skills such as, the micro skills of interviewing, effective communication, and so on. Lastly, I will briefly outline the three additional areas aside from mental health: working with individuals with disabilities, youth services, etc. that I will consider working in.

Each of us has a story to tell. All of our experiences, accomplishments, and hardships help shape us into the individuals we are in this very moment. I have learned more than I could have ever imagined while receiving my bachelors of social work from New Mexico State University. My work as an undergrad has educated me in the realm of generalist social work practice. I have learned the value of the strengths perspective and the power of empowerment to promote the health and well-being of an individual. I have joined the battle to fight for social justice to help prevent oppression and discrimination. I have seen the importance to always be willing and committed to continuing my professional development as a social worker by

LaRocque (2017) stated that there is a knowledge gap in the use of group work theories, research, and skills to guide practice which places an impact on the ability of students to perform group work. Before the

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