Reflective Social Work

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’,

Today’s session was conducted by second year placement social work students and service users. The issue they covered was about the relevance of working in partnership within the social care profession.

The process of running a group therapy session is a unique time to tests a person’s skills abilities when it comes to facilitating that group. This paper will mainly look at ways when it comes to my learning's of this class that I took ways; I will also show examples and skills to run a good group therapy session. This whole paper is a reflection of the many things that I took was on being an active group counselor facilitator.

I find reflective practice useful both personally and professionally. When I step back, observe and reflect helps me become more self-aware and understand my own and others’ emotions. I would be able to see things from different angles. When working with families, it will help to learn how to empathize and develop a better understanding of other people. I learn to better communicate through a better understanding of behavior which will help me build better relationships with families. To support children's continuous learning, I begin to ponder and question about children’s engagement in learning and what/how we can do to improve our teaching methods to meet the needs of all the children. In the see/think/wonder thinking has changed the way

Reflection at its most basic principle "provides us with an opportunity to review our decisions and decision-making processes" however, in practice, reflection is a far broader and contextual concept, it is about understanding a person’s life and the actions they have taken throughout their lives. (Nussbaum 1997).Reflective practice first emerged from the work of a man called Donald Schon, having found that there appeared to be a gap between theory and putting it into practice (Fook 2006a: 441). He went on to state that reflective practice is a way of improving professional practice, through critically evaluating how we respond to practice situations and being self-aware (Mezirow 1991). Whereas reflection is applicable in all aspects of living (Fook 2006a).

The profession I am going to base this essay on is Social Work. The standards that this line of work follows are set by the Health and Care Professional Council (HCPC). Social workers have to follow these standards so they can provide the best possible care and enable the HCPC to see where improvements are needed to prevent serious issues from arising. Social workers have to follow a number of different acts as part of their job, these are learnt when they complete the initial training. It is compulsory for social workers to complete a certain amount of hours of training each year; this is to ensure they are kept up to date on all the standards and changed in procedures and also to make sure they can provide the best possible care to the

Interventions for clients with SC abuse are generally similar to that of natural cannabis. Effective treatments include the following strategies (Lee, Freeburn, Ella, Miller, Perry and Conigrave 2012):

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

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.

During this week I met with the social worker at Cherry Health. We participated in role plays where I played as therapist while she played as a patient who had a husband that cheated on her and she contracted a sexually transmitted disease. I think this interaction was insightful because I learned about the proper ways to communicate with clients in this particular situation. What the social worker suggested is that I valid the clients' feelings and be more genuine with the client. I think I was more focused on asking what she was going to do about the situation rather than validating her feelings. In addition, she told me that it was okay to express to the client how I would feel in that same situation. Also, she stated that I can use phrases such as “that sucks”. I am still learning how to effectively communicate with patients. I know every client is different, therefore I have to learn more about how to read people.

D-The patient arrived on time for her counseling session. The patient immediately requested to decrease her dose by 5mgs from her current dose as she wishes to be stabilized on a lower dose. This writer completed the HCRC form. This writer informed the patient that her reinstatement of her take home bottles were denied due to her AWOl on the 27th of January as the patient reports of not feeling well. In addition, this writer updated the patient about the clinic's new policy of take home bottles of which the patient will have to attend the take home bottle group. The patient then reported that she cannot attend the take home bottle group any time soon due to her work schedule, but will keep this writer posted about her availability to attend

My strength as a social worker is keeping eye contact with the client. Next is my actively listing skills and comprehending of what the client is transmitting. Lastly, I possess excellent communication skills and giving reflective cues. In the interview, my daughter uses I-statement, which I have taught her in early age (thank goodness for the Internet and Public library) to communicate more efficiently with peers, parents, and families. As of today, we use in our family the I-statement to reflect on how we feel. In this interview, I found that the I-statement

Self-awareness and the use of self is a key component in social work practice. Depending upon how one integrates their personal being and accompanying thoughts, experiences, emotions, and consciousness into the helping profession has a profound impact on whether that integration is positive or negative, particularly when it comes to that of one’s relationships with their clients. While remaining impartial is often critical to effective social work practice, the complete separation of self from one’s professional practice is not only impossible to realize, but would arguably have less of a meaningful impact with one’s relations with clients as well as self. Understanding the use of self and the importance of self-awareness in the social work profession is the first step in establishing a healthy means of practicing and the impact that our own individuality has when interacting with clients. In this paper I will analyze, and further critically reflect upon, four academic journals on the topic of the use of self in social work; later applying this learning to an experience from my field placement.

When one thinks about the 'economy', we typically consider a capitalistic system with individual self-interested consumers in the pursuit of profit maximisation (Tufts, 2015). We commonly regard production and exchange of goods and services in order to meet supply and demand in a market as the foundations of the modern economy. This neoliberal concept can be illustrated in Ken Byrne’s iceberg model, which depicts how mainstream capitalistic activities are visually distinctive at the surface and emblematic waterline. However, it important to consider that as individuals, we are more than just consumers. This enables us to rethink our definition of the 'economy' and elaborate on its characteristics as a diverse

Social Work’s core philosophy and values are centered around social justice and social well-being. Oppression, injustice, discrimination, and violence are antithetical to the social work profession. Social Work believes in strength-based approaches and the person-in-environment perspective to cater the needs and welfare of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society at large. Generally, the target populations for social work are vulnerable, marginalized, and oppressed people; however, social workers provide services to people with a wide range of problems, such as poverty, addiction, mental illness, etc. to empower them to meet their own needs. Historically, the social work profession started its operation by providing neighborhood