Social Worker Engagement

When assessing clients a specific skill that I identify with is empathy. Empathy is the ability to understand and share feelings of others. To effectively display empathy requires certain characteristics. Some of the characteristics of empathy that I employ are; having the innate ability to put myself in the other people’s shoes. This allows for a better understand toward the experiences the family has gone through. For empathy to be displayed accurately, effective communication is essential. Effective communication is asking the right questions and providing reflective listening so the family knows the professional truly understands their circumstances. Effective communication allows for an accurate assessment of the family. Effective communication is a vitally important component of empathy. Empathy can be displayed though effective communication, such as, effectively

Social workers must strive “for a full understanding of the complex interactions between the client and all levels of the social and physical system as well as meaning that the client assigns to each of these interactions” (Andreae, 1996, p. 605).

As social workers, it is our responsibility to use the most effective method of practice to engage our clients, assess their situation, and help them create goals that will produce positive outcomes. Every client will present a unique set of challenges; therefore, the social worker must be careful in choosing an approach that will meet the client’s needs, compliment the skills of the therapist and are in line with the agency’s mission. According to Robert and Watkins (2009), psychotherapy is a therapeutic interaction between a trained therapist and a client that is

There are many different personal relationships that we have within our lives and we act differently to each of those it may be from a family relationship or a work friendship. It is the same with our working relationship with the individuals that we meet, some over step boundaries and turn into friendships. In a working relationship you are in a relationship with someone because it is your job, where as a family or friend relationship is built upon a different reason. In our job we may also have relations between other professionals or

The importance of empathy in any helping profession, medical or social, cannot be overstated. The workers that exemplified it in their practice did the best that they could with their limited resources.

Social Work is a career defined as “work carried out by trained personal with the aim of alleviating the conditions of those in need of help or welfare”. Social work varies in several fields, social workers work as part of multi-disciplinary teams with child welfare organizations, adoption and foster care agencies, hospitals, schools, prisons, mental health institutions, and more. Social work may leave the impression that it’s an easy field because it is assumed that all social workers do is serve others and manage paperwork but that is only a small chunk of the job. Social workers must deal with the ethical and emotional aspect of helping others. As a social worker, it is critical to comply with the National Association of Social Workers

In order to address the client’s problems and strengths Birkenmaier suggest using a “two compartment model”. “In this approach, the assessment includes a two component model in which the social worker first explores a series of questions with the client to define the problem situation (Component 1). The questions will not only help to identify the client’s strengths, but also their life experiences (both positive and challenging), and strategies for coping with adversity. Gathering this comprehensive perspective on the client’s identity can aid both the social worker and the client in formulating a perception of the client in terms of strengths, versus deficits. (Birkenmaier, 2014, pg.110)”

Engagement is a vital component to the therapeutic process and the framework to which a social worker establishes trust with the individual receiving services (Berg-Weger, 2013). This interaction is suggested as paramount to achieving a collaborative therapeutic relationship (Easter, Pollock, Pope, Wisdom, & Smith, 2016). Methods of engagement are considered as continuing throughout mental health services beginning with the initial contact.

A social worker can transfer attitudes to a service user, for example, they may be able to hold hope in a seemingly hopeless situation, alternatively they may communicate worthlessness to the service user causing them to capitulate and not expect any progress in their time of need. Therefore, it is important to communicate well and be aware that more than simply the words used communicate held opinions; body language and tone often tell the listener more than words do (Hargie and Dickson, 2004). Furthermore, actions such as keeping appointments and offering a drink in a meeting may also communicate that the service user is valued, this – along with many others – is a reason for me to develop strong organisational skills.

Working in the field of human services is a unique, yet rewarding career. Human services workers engage with diverse populations and carry different titles to include counselors, case managers, milieu therapists, social workers, etc. Regardless of what title a human service worker may hold, communication between a client and professional is vital. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a client from a particular background and address his presenting issues. It will review how I would interview my client to include specific communication techniques, ways I would establish a working relationship, discuss possible boundary issues, and recommendations or referrals to certain groups for this client.

The social work profession’s Standards of Practice outlines the boundaries in the relationship between social workers and their clients and sets a mandate of their responsibilities as a social worker (Alberta College of Social Workers, 2013, p. 30). In the Code of Ethics, boundaries are also set at a high standard as we must draw metaphysical lines between personal roles or interests and professional (Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2005, p. 7) to prevent forming a dual relationship with clients. Another boundary is to halt the possibility of the social worker from using the time they have to help themselves rather than helping their clients (CASW, 2005, p. 6). In addition to these boundaries, it is crucial for social workers to not share too much of their personal life with clients by placing mental boundaries of how much they feel they can share of their personal life with their clients.

Prior to engaging with Ms X for the commencement of work, it is necessary to 'tune in ' to the case circumstances applying a holistic approach to gain as much insight to the service user(s) as possible before contact is made. Douglas (2008) states that "the pre-contact phase which helps to prepare the social work student for face-to face intervention, is a prerequisite for effective practice". With this in mind, I took the opportunity to contact the designated social worker assigned to this family to arrange a one-to-one meeting to allow for more information sharing. This meeting proved to be positive and it allowed me to gather more insight to this case from the observations and findings from another individual. However I must be sceptic in these circumstances and not take all information as face value. Referring to the conceptual model (...), each

After reviewing the article written by Lisa Moore, I began to reflect upon how I would incorporate empathy in my interactions with a client during the assessment phase of therapy. Empathy in a nutshell is attempting to match your feelings or current state of mind with that of another individual. In our field, empathy is of the utmost importance. It allows the speech-language pathologist (SLP) to meet clients where they are, to enter their world, and truly understand what it feels like to be them. SLP’s must not only view the client from an external frame of reference, but they must attempt to extract the client’s thoughts, feelings, ideas, beliefs, and values before and whilst administering an assessment protocol. There are several ways in

People should feel comfortable when expressing their feelings to the interviewer, for a decent relationship to begin. The human service professional do not have to agree with the client, in order to show empathy but understanding. Counselors must recognize important nonverbal clues when speaking with clients. According to the “Mental Health Facilitator” people should start with self-alertness and advancement of empathetic abilities (MHF, Empathy: An MHF Feeling).

Social Work is a discipline that can be a very rewarding experience for both the worker and the client. The practice involves working with individuals, families, or groups who are struggling to cope with life`s challenges. The social worker must combine his or her personal qualities, creative abilities, and social concerns with the professional knowledge in order to help client’s social functioning or prevent social problems from developing (Bradford W. Sheafor, 2008, p. 34). Social work practice seeks to promote human well-being, while addressing the processes by which individuals and groups are marginalized or diminished in their capacity to participate as citizens (Ian O'Connor, 2006, p. 1).