Social Work Reflective Essay

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’,

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

Currently, I am not in a profession where it can be considered as a social work job. However, I do have the privilege in working in a place where I am able to help certain population; this population is individuals who are in school and/or who are starting/returning back to school. My current job position is at Fresno Pacific University in the Regional Enrollment Office as an admissions coordinator assistant; this position includes working alongside and serving a diverse population. Whether it may be a listener to students and their stories on their reason to coming back to school or being able to give them emotional support and academic guidance, this position allows me to use some social work skills. With having an experience as a customer care specialist in the same office, my duties as an admissions coordinator assistant includes duties of both positions.

Writer will thank students for participating and give them gift baskets which will include a rose, a monthly planner, and the resources discussed above, mood changing nail polish and bracelets with their initial and flower pendant.

This semester has been an eye-opener for me to understand more of the social work professional practices in the society, which involves knowing how to address clients and to be conscious on the kind of respond provided, because it can either affect the interaction in a negative or positive way. Also, I have learnt to appreciate other people ideas that may be different from mine and to recognize that we all have our own unique pattern of approach to issues of life. Personally I have come to acknowledge some of my strength and weakness in trying to develop a better way to handle issues that may affect me in my career path.

I am applying for the School of Social Work Graduate program at Boise State, beginning in the summer of 2017. In the spring of 2017, I will graduate from Warner Pacific College in Portland Oregon with my BSSW and a minor in sociology

Throughout my progression through the social work curriculum, I have become interested in working in two different settings, hospitals or schools. I decided to pursue a service learning opportunity that would allow me to work with a population in one of these settings. Dream Outside the Box gives me this opportunity. Dream Outside the Box is an organization founded on the premise of going into “dream deserts”, schools where students are not likely to pursue higher education, to teach them about future careers in the hopes of sparking a desire to attend a four-year college or a technical college. Every Friday my role at Bells Hill Elementary School is to teach these students about different potential careers that they could pursue such as physics, chemistry, etc. This is an important program that I will continue to work with even after this assignment is completed.

In conclusion, the discussion succeeding the untold story post was exceedingly educational. It was a very rewarding experiencing to bring forth a story related to social work which did not fit into our perceived notions of social work. Not only was I able to change the perception on homelessness for my classmates but their comments and our discussions changed my perceptions on frameworks such as intersectionality and anti-oppressive practice. In turn, this has developed and revised my use of these lenses.

1.) Ever since I was a child, I enjoyed helping people. It gives me a sense of fulfillment. I 've worked in the medical field and I know it has prepared me for this profession. The key life experiences that have led me to choose social work as my major was because I enjoy making a difference in the lives of others.

After taking to the student who lives on campus, I became aware that she was pregnant. She had a strict parents and was afraid to tell them of her present situation. She stated that her parents were going to kill her if they found out that she was pregnant. During the interview, the student said she went out with some friends to have some few drinks and one thing led to another. She ended up sleeping with a guy she didn’t even know of. She was contemplating on aborting the pregnancy and looked depressed and anxious.

I’ve almost completed a full semester at my internship. There is so much I have learned and many tasks that I feel I’m beginning to feel comfortable with. There is also so much that I have yet to learn and hope to become competent in during the next semester. I’m feeling comfortable administering cognitive/mood assessments, charting notes, understanding the company’s policies and model, and gathering social history information. These tasks are small parts of the larger picture. I think I’ve been learning these so that I put together the small parts so that I will understand the big picture next semester. Social workers in my practice sector have so many responsibilities and must be so organized. There may only be a few social workers to the ratio of residents, but everyone, including staff relies on them so heavily.

Everyone is entitled to legal aid regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. This project will expand access to CrescentCare’s legal services and fill the gap in legal services for the LBGT community and build on CrescentCare’s service model of holistic care. The Gillis Long Poverty Law Center provides the opportunity for law students to intern with deserving nonprofits in the New Orleans Area. As the Gillis Long intern with CrescentCare, I became familiar with the community this project will serve. Even though I never considered myself prejudiced, I realized that I hadn’t reached a full acceptance and understanding either. My summers with Gulf Coast Center for Law and Policy and CrescentCare, were eye opening to the connection of access to legal services and individual health outcomes. What’s evident is that every person is complex and has complex needs which require specialized expertise

When I asked five people what social work was, I got a variety of responses ranging from family to financial helpers. As Ira Colby says (2010), “the profession is a diverse one, and diversity means that the roles and tasks that social workers perform are varied and often poorly defined” (p. 8). This certain reflects when most people are asked, for example a friend of mine named Raven said at first that she “did not know,” then added after pausing for a minute “they go to people's houses to make sure their kids aren’t abused. They make sure kids are in a safe environment.” She was confused by the question at first and took several moments to put together a response. When I asked my mother she said that social work means “serving families that

The “practice session” for the skills demonstration assignment consisted of six individuals (3 couples) who are all close friends of the facilitator. These individuals imitated their ideals of a “serious relationship” between two people experiencing problems between one another, and seeking help from couples’ therapy in order to overcome these problems. The Social Learning Theory was the theoretical framework used during this practice session along with the Current Social Work Practice Model. The Social Learning Theory, according to Theories, Models, and Perspectives (2016), suggests, “Human behavior is learned as individuals interact with their environment” and that “Problem behavior is maintained by positive or negative reinforcement.” The