Reflection On Social Work

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.

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)

PER REPORTER: Kathy said one of her students by the name of (Shadavious) went to visit her father (David Lee) this weekend when she was told some disturbing information. According to Shandavious, there are four children living in the home with David Lee and one of them by the name of Staciera told her that David Lee makes her do things they should not be doing. Shandavious said Staciera told her David Lee threatened to taker her phone and tell her mother on her if she did not do what he told her to do. She also told her that at night David Lee comes and gets in the bed with her and makes her do unknown things to him. Shandavious said one of the other children (Kishona) living in the home told her that she sleeps on the top bump bed above Staciera,

When the therapist checked in regards the client's symptoms and behaviors during the last week, the client reported that she felt happy because she is almost done with her assignments and homework for this year as well as her grades are As, Bs, and has one C- which she is happy that she achieved comparing to last year. Client reported that she is excited that she is going to Six Flags as a prize for the school party that she helped her colleagues and teacher to get it done. The client reported that she feels proud as she finished most of her assignments and projects for this semester as well as most of her tests as she has a goal to get straights As for this semester and she does not feel tired and overwhelmed anymore. When the therapist asked the client about her plans during the summer, the client reported that she will be in the summer program at school to finish as much as she can during the summer to be able to graduate next year, the client added that she is motivated to achieve more progress to build her future career, the client also mentioned that she will go to Florida on a trip with her grandfather because of the 18th birthday present.

My social work foundation practicum is located at the Salvation Army: Red Shield in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. In comparing the differences between learning from my field placement and in a classroom setting, they are vastly different. For example, in a classroom, I’m learning about theories and evidence based practices of the social work profession. At my field placement, I’m actual experiencing a “hands-on” perspective of social work. The classroom can provide examples of situations with clients. My placement on the other hand, will give me a “real in-person” experience with clients as they occur. In the classroom, I’m learning from a professor and other students’ perspectives from working in the field. With my field placement, I’m learning from the perspectives of clients, caseworkers, Veteran Affairs (VA) representatives, field instructor, and the program director.

This assignment afforded me an opportunity to view myself in action in a social worker position. It clearly revealed where I correctly inserted and omitted implementing many of the skills that were introduced and reiterated during this course. As a result, I was able to identify some of my current strengths and weaknesses in the context of a helping relationship. Because I am critical of myself, I easily discovered my mistakes before realizing my competencies. Overall, I was pleased to see myself applying some the skills that professional social workers currently use, and I believe with more practice, I will develop into a proficient social worker.

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.

I think that some of the classes that I have taken have prepared me to enter into the Social Work field. When I first came to Chadron State College I was undeclared and had no idea what I really wanted to get a degree in. I ended up taking a few general classes that I am now thankful I took because it had prepared me for Social Work.

I observed many things from the interview with Ms. Pressley, such as body language, eye contact, organization, and the general love for her job and role as a supervisor. I was observing her facial expressions throughout the interview. I have never seen so much excitement from a person in a supervisory role. She truly enjoys being the person others can come to and learn from. One of the specifics that stood out to me was when she said, “Really get to know your people.” (C. Pressley, personal communication. October 23, 2017). I believe this is something all supervisors should do. Along with observing her expressions, I noticed her demeanor. She made me feel welcomed and comfortable by meeting me upon arrival and being present during our

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.

When working in an internship capacity in a local organization to help people with alcohol and drug addiction, I was assigned to work with a 28-year-old male from an African American community. Since it was my third involvement in a direct practice, I was confident of providing the best care possible to help the client by addressing the internal and external factors contributing to the behavior. However, our first encounter was not only devastating but also discouraging. The program supervisor called me to meet the client that I would be working with for the next three months of my internship. After the introduction, the client asked strategic questions that questioned my abilities, the reputation of the agency, and expressed his doubt in the success of the intervention. The meeting left me distressed and wondering about the best approach to handle the client and ensure a productive intervention. Accordingly, I sought counsel from a friend who is a social worker in the medical field who has practiced for five years.

As a white, middle-class, able bodied woman living in the United States, I recognize my privilege and wish to use it to the advantage of helping those who are marginalized and oppressed within our society. While being a woman helps me to understand the struggles of other women, growing up white middle class also brings forth the challenge of being able to empathize with certain clientele. For example, I have never experienced marginalization, exploitation, or oppression the way a young Black woman has. When applying for a job, I have never been concerned with being offered or denied the position because of the color of my skin. I have never been in fear for my life if I am pulled over by a police officer. Privilege as a white person means I don’t necessarily need to worry about job discrimination, policy brutality, or judgement because of my skin color. Even the ignorance of not recognizing that you have privilege is oppressive.

My expectations of the field of social work, are the ability to work with communities and individuals through change. As defined by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics, social work is a profession “to enhance human well-being and help meet the basic human needs of all people, with particular attention to the needs and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed, and living in poverty.” The Social work core values as defined in the NASW Code of Ethics are service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. In this essay, I will critically analyze core social work values in relation to my own. I will highlight my terminal and instrumental values and compare and contrast these with the field. As well as highlight my values as these pertain to Latino immigration as a social justice issue.