Reflective Essay On Social Work

From the course, I was surprised to learn how many social workers throughout history have been part of oppressive practices that negatively impacted different groups of the population, which could explain why there are people who have a strong dislike to social workers. This was surprising because as social workers we are bound to advocate for social justice for everyone including those who are living in poverty. Also, respecting different beliefs and lifestyles of individuals, families, groups, communities and nations without discrimination as emphasized in the Social Work Code of Ethics (Canadian Association of Social Workers [CASW], 2005). Some examples mentioned in lectures include social workers playing a role in the deportation of people

This section of the paper will discuss the definition of social work, values associated with social work and arguments for and against the use of systems theory in social work practice. Social work can be described as a field of study that encompasses individuals and their environment. Social work can be defined as work trained professionals do to elevate stressors of individuals so they may become more self-sufficient and empowered to live to their fullest potential.

The journey towards the attainment of the Bachelor of the social work degree has been an enlightening and educational experience, as the individual is exposed to the realities of many social and political issues in the society. As a student, I ventured into the degree, with minimal insight as to how the degree can influence and shape the way I perceive the social world, and the way I relate these matters to myself. However, throughout my endeavour, which encompasses years of theoretical studies, and two intensive placements at two drastically different organisations, I believe I have accumulated the bare minimal knowledge to possess a solid foundation about the unfairness and inequality that people in disadvantaged conditions face. Social workers are predominantly found in welfare organisations which Howe (as cited in Limber, 2015) suggested largely influences the practice, direction and values of the social worker, and impacts on their ability to act autonomously (Lymbery, 2015). During my placements, there was a dominant theme that frequently stood out and enticed my attention. This was the accepted practice of focusing on the individual’s problem, as opposed to the social problems that existed and the lack of acknowledgement about the social restrictions of the human agency that limited self-determination. The realization that organisations were managed this way was important in ensuring that I made a proactive effort to understand and untangle the reasons behind such

In this essay I will discuss what learning from K216 materials has been useful to me whilst working with vulnerable and/or disadvantaged service users in my student placement, and what learning I have applied to my practice. Throughout I will look at how my learning informed what I decided to do, how I went about doing this and my understanding of the practice. I will discuss learning in respect of two areas of social work, which are ‘Communication’ and ‘Working collaboratively’. For ‘Communication’ I will focus on communication with service users with disabilities and/ or additional needs and I will explore a case of a mother who I had a telephone call with who was in crisis and in a highly emotional state. With ‘Working collaboratively’,

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.

One of the key things that stood out for me while doing this course and before has made me realize that social work is harder than I thought it would be. There are many critical aspects of social work that help us work with clients. One of the biggest things that have stood out for me was that helping people is more complicated than I thought there are so many critical things in the process that work to help others. Therefore it is not as easy as I expected it would be. The main reasons that I wanted to do this course was because I ultimately wanted to do to help people. I have learned that many factors come into play in the field of social work, including levels of practice, ethics and critical reflection and self-care.

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.

Being placed in an all Hispanic setting made me appreciate the diversity the community has to offer. I plan to continue to help diverse populations throughout my career and this was a great stepping stone to help prepare me. Far too often, teachers only teach in specific school district and experience no diversity. They are then sent into culture shock when/if they need to move districts. I want to be prepared to teach any type of student I may encounter. An article on them importance of student diversity states, “…you cannot teach what you do not know, and too often we expect teachers to be ‘multicultural competent people’ without helping them learn how” (Bates). I find this statement to be very accurate. Teachers will encounter students with all types of learning levels, races, religions and personalities. Teachers cannot be prepared for everything, but by participating in programs like this one they can gain more knowledge and experience more

While there are many facets of Social Work I have yet to explore, the ability to be flexible in working in this field has allowed me the insight to higher education. With higher education comes greater responsibility while simultaneously allowing for greater opportunities to help others beginning in the field learn the same lessons learned early in my career, whether it be with adolescents in a school setting or those who have been recently diagnosed with HIV in a health clinic. There is a different level of flexibility that comes with being a Social Worker, and I’d like to ultimately share that with not only coworkers, but one day my team of workers and even greater the leaders and organizations that dictate our practice. Additional graduate level education and experience will allow me to advance my abilities to help those in need as well as help those working alongside me.

Two summers ago, I was standing in a dust storm about 80 miles away from the nearest sign of shelter. Fortunately, I wasn’t alone. With me were three of my coworkers: Dan, Joe, and Katie. Together, along with our supervisor Nathan, we comprised the on-set visual effects team for a feature length movie. We had only been working together for three months, but over this short course of time we had become a dynamic, cohesive team. Our job was to collect data from the film set that could be used by effects artists at their offices in Singapore and London. For example, I would take pictures of a prop from 20 different angles. The effects artists would then reconstruct the prop in 3D animation using my photos. However, with about six feet of visibility

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.

1). In the face of social justice issues, I show up not only as the activist social worker but as an ally to those who face such injustices. I show up ready to support those who need to be heard and held up so that their voices may be heard. I show up ready to echo the needs of the oppressed and marginalized. While I too feel excluded from various communities and often feel that I have little privilege to support those in need, I utilize what privileges I do have such as social position, and gender. In representing the issues of social justice in my professional life I turn to these privileges and seek the support of other allies with greater privilege and knowledge to enhance our strengths and efforts, while supporting and echoing the needs of the oppressed and marginalized. I attempt to educate others on the topics of

Lying on a school assignment is something I’ve never done until now. My thought process that lead me to lie on my field exercise assignment was the pressure of being a student who complete all work assignment on time and the pressure of dealing with family issues at the time when finals were approaching. I didn’t think about the outcome of my actions I just wanted to finish my work and be done with class work, so I could focus on my finals. When I received my paper back from Dr. Nsonwu I thought I was in the clear; when I flipped to the back page to see what grade I was given my heart sank when I saw a note that read “please see me”. Walking down to Dr. Nsonwu’s office my heart was racing and I feared the worst.

Studies have shown that this type of care brings about the best results. The use of

I graduated from college with a degree in philosophy and psychology with no idea where I was headed in life. I moved back home and found a job working at Mendota Mental Health Institute (MMHI). After almost two years I was beginning to feel stagnant and restless. I believed that there was more I could be doing with my life. Despite my pessimistic outlook on life, I truly believed (still do) that I could accomplish something meaningful that would leave a lasting impact on another life. The driving force behind this desire for change was the idea of one day being a therapist, but I was unsure how to accomplish this goal.