Social Work Reflection Paper

In order to work effectively and appropriately with vulnerable and marginalised groups in society such as individuals with mental illnesses, it is fundamental for a social worker to have a comprehensive knowledge base and proficient skills.

Applying Theory to Generalist Social Work Practice states that theories are a set of ideas that explain a phenomenon and typically formulated when there is no empirical evidence and observed through senses to draw a conclusion (Langer & Lietz, 2015). Langer & Lietz quote Gilgun (2005), "Over the past two decades, the field of social work has become increasingly concerned that professional decision making is not just grounded in theory but also supported by empirical evidence" (Langer & Lietz, 2015, p. 13). Furthermore, theory and evidence based practice research inform our professional knowledge base. Theory is the guide to treatment approach and is the essential knowledge for practice. Theoretical knowledge guides the clinician in a deeper

Ethical dilemmas happen frequently in the social work and how one handles them could be the difference on how a clinician keeps their license or not. The problem is there is no way to prepare a person from knowing what situations will arise. Scenarios arise all the time and new ways to handle them is constantly changing. The ethical dilemma can happen anywhere and at any time with anyone, it could be a client, co-worker, and even supervisors. No social worker is safe from them. One however can practice with scenarios and be aware of personal biases. A social worker needs to evaluate each dilemma with the different frameworks and principals to determine which one applies best, anticipate what possible outcomes could happen, and what interventions a social worker would implement.

According to NASW standards, advanced clinical practice competency in depression care for social workers requires that clinicians demonstrate knowledge and skill in assessing and managing symptoms, communicating with patients and families, and providing evidence-based interventions (NASW Standards for Clinical Social Work in Social Work Practice, 2005; NASW Standards for Social Work Practice in Health Care Settings, 2005).

Born May 18, 1915, Elman Rodgers Service is an American anthropologist theorist who created the typology now used to categorize Bands, Tribes, Chiefdoms, and States as societies. Elman Services’ classifications displays the social evolution of societies and are now the four levels of political organization. Service created seven characteristics in part with his four classifications of societies. Three of his characteristics are social structure, political system, and subsistence strategy.

In the state of Florida, according to the Florida Mental Health Law manual, the counselor has to try to assess the probability that his or her client will commit suicide and decide how to act . (p.177). The important thing here the counselor’s documentation of actions in case there are any liability suit filed against

Social work practice and advocacy has expanded from a community effort to an international undertaking. With a global perspective the need to make change happen is contingent on the work completed. Advocacy as a social work principle is intended to be action against a societal injustice and technology has provided the ability to do so. As a social work professional in child welfare there are many needs that have to be advocated for to including funding and reform of system misalignments in order to change towards a more empowering intervention. In circumstances such as this, technological advocacy can play a critical role in rectifying the social injustices. By understanding the evolution of social work advocacy, current practice, and prospective

The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog by Dr. Bruce D. Perry is an insightful memoir about a physiatrist’s experiences while working with children who are ridden with psychological disorders due to long term and sever trauma. Each child disused in the reading is unique in their experiences and the consequences of long term neglect and abuse that the children were subjected to at an early age. Throughout the course of the book, the author unravels these traumatic experiences and relates to how they have influence on the child’s current mental state. Dr. Perry uses unconventional and insightful techniques to work with these children, and help them to adapt to social enviornments, florish in an educational

A social service that is needed in my community is a need for more shelters for homeless individuals. The community I reside in there seems to be a great number of individuals without a home that are living on the streets. There are many homeless individuals I see and when traveling in my community/neighborhood that does not have a safe place to rest their head at night. It is sad to see when out at night going home or having a night out with friends, there are individuals that have to rest their head in areas known and unknown to get a good nights rest. This population is putting their safety at risk during the night hours just to wake up to see the next day without any harm done unto them. This is an issue, because as human beings, we are

The article has two authors, Peter De Jong a director of social work in Calvin college and and Scott D. Miller a therapist and trainer. The publication is Social work, volume 40, number 6, November of 1995. The author’s main point is to help social workers in their cases, by focusing on including the “miracle question” coping question, expectation questions and emerging strengthen towards their clients. By asking them questions that pertain to their life crisis and struggles they face. The therapist must allow their client to actually be convinced that their problems will actually be solved. Those miracles do come true, only if you imagine. “Suppose” sets a stage for the client to imagine their problem will be solved. Also, the therapist must mention the outcome of their imagination. For example, by asking them if it does happen, what will you do? Ask them who would be the first person to notice something is different about you the next day. Say what else; how can you do

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.

I got the chance to talk and observe a working as a member for York/ Poquoson Social Service it is been said is the pleasant job. The best part of this job is helping ones in need. The main goal of the delightful company that she works for is to help in the York County public to become self-sufficient and get them they needed, helpful resources available that help with people with jobs, housing, medical, bills and of anything else they might need in the society. The member of this company that I observed is the person that help decides if a person in the community is suitable for these resources such as, the Benefits Specialist.

To successfully engage a client system the social worker must be able to establish rapport. I started off on the right foot by introducing myself in a warm and friendly manner. I smiled, leaned in towards the client and initiated a handshake. Unfortunately, I quickly wound up on the wrong foot. While I knew the client’s name, I neglected to ask the client how she would like to be addressed and I never used her name throughout the whole interview. Respect is an important component to establishing rapport and my client may have found my actions to be disrespectful. Also, I should have engaged in a brief warm-up period with some small talk but instead, I sat back in my chair and jumped right into finding out what brought her in to see me. I continued by saying, “but before we do that, I just have to set some ground rules.” I don’t like my choice of words. Ground rules are usually set to avoid potential conflict. Using this phrase may make a client feel uncomfortable. Instead, I should have engaged in some small talk and then went right to the topic of confidentiality starting with, “Before we begin, I want you to know that everything we talk about during our sessions is confidential…” A good time to ask, “What brings you here today?” would be immediately after the discussion of confidentiality.

The social work profession is guided by ethical principles and values that help to ensure that social workers promote social justice and social change. Though I am not officially a social worker, I can attest that many of the work experiences I have gained over the years provided exposure to social work core values whether directly or indirectly. These work experiences prepared me to work with individuals from diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds. I have also worked with individuals who have struggled with disabilities, financial hardship, and mental health issues. As a live-in support at Jay Nolan Community Services (JNCS), I worked directly with individuals who struggle with Autism and other developmental disabilities. In supporting JNCS’s mission of enabling individuals with developmental disabilities to lead fulfilling lives as members of the community, I worked as part of a multidisciplinary team to ensure that the dignity and worth of each client is respected. This job opportunity allowed me to develop individualized case plans and behavioral programs based on each client’s unique needs. Each day, I helped clients identify triggers, address past trauma, and develop positive coping skills to deal with limitations. My ability to communicate in American Sign Language (ASL) was beneficial in this role as it enabled me to work with clients who were deemed non-verbal. Using ASL, I helped these clients to identify healthy coping skills to reduce escalated behaviors and was

A helping profession is one that nurtures the growth of or addresses the problems of a person's physical, psychological, intellectual, emotional or spiritual well-being.