These skills were on display during the practice sessions as Micole displayed a remarkable understanding of my situation. She made me comfortable by emphasizing that my feelings were valid and that my emotions could not be dismissed. The empathy displayed was essential in promoting my ability to speak more about my situation. This enabled me to release an immense deal of trauma and pain I had inside from the loss of my spouse and siblings. Empathy is an essential part of care professions such as social work (Shulman, 2016). Social workers must make deliberate efforts to understand the needs of their clients and demonstrate comprehension of their feelings. This is one of the founding skills of the profession and is vital in the achievement of the purpose of the job.
Pointing out Obstacles
Another essential skill for the social work profession is the ability to identify obstacles to the care process and invent mechanisms of overcoming the barriers. The obstacles may be identified before the process of client assessment and communication commences or long after it has begun. These obstacles include noise that may hamper communication and impend hearing. Micole identified the need for a quiet environment before our session commenced and recommended that we find a quiet room.
The quiet room made it easier for her to hear my case and for me to minimize worry over distractions. The environment was ideal for me to express my needs, experiences, and desires. During the sessions, obstacles such as fear can be identified by a social worker and eliminated through encouragement (Shulman, 2016). Micole encouraged me to speak about my situation by constantly reminding me that the environment was a safe space where I could share anything.
Identifying Content and Process Connections
This is a vital skill for social workers and was at display during the practice session as it was vital for effectiveness. During sessions, social workers play the role of moderator in addition to helping their clients. Moderating the conversation involves identifying the important aspects of a client’s sharing and deliberately leading the conversation in a direction that amplifies the main issues (Shulman, 2016). The pertinent topics for me were the losses incurred and the divorce. I constantly deviated from these issues but Micole did a remarkable job redirecting me and ensuring that my sharing revealed everything relevant to that topic. Deanna was also great in this respect as she constantly reminded her clients of the main topic through paraphrasing. Chelsea embodied this skill by asking relevant questions on the main topic of conversation, preventing deviation.
Social Work Values
Confidentiality and Privacy
These entail ensuring that clients feel secure when sharing their stories with a social worker. Confidentiality means that a social worker is trustworthy to keep the information gained from the client to themselves. Privacy means that private data is protected and not publicized for any intention (Beckett et al., 2017). Confidentiality is a crucial aspect of the social worker profession given the immense information social workers assemble about their clients. Micole encouraged confidentiality by reminding me that there was no need to worry as everything that was said would be between the two of us. When she took notes, she reminded me that they were for professional use and that no additional person would access them. Confidentiality and privacy encourage confidence in social workers and guarantee the effectiveness of practice.
Informed Consent
This entails ensuring the clients understand the process occurring and accept to undergo the procedures prescribed by the social worker. Informed consent means the client waives certain rights to a social worker over their wellbeing. Chelsea was particularly thorough about ensuring her clients signed the consent forms and understood the various therapy practices she prescribed. This ensures that a social worker is protected from any legal repercussions that may stem from complications in practice (Beckett et al., 2017). These ensure that the welfare of patients is safeguarded. Micole also ensured that I consented to her aid and therapy session that involved immense sharing of my situation and various traumas. This enabled me to unpack effectively and achieve respite from my emotional aches.
Boundary Issues
Boundaries are a vital part of the social worker profession. There is a need to ensure that the person is a separate entity from the professional social worker. This ensures that the views of clients on the social worker are purely work-related and ensure recovery (Shulman, 2016). Boundaries should be reinforced by ensuring that minimal persona contact is maintained. This means that interactions between the client and social worker must always occur within the formal environment whenever these sessions are scheduled. Micole ensured this value was adhered to by asking questions that were relevant to the care session. Deanna also restrained from asking irrelevant questions, hence the reinforcement of boundaries. The reinforcement of boundaries enhances the view of a client towards a social worker as a responsible expert in their field.
Role of Assessment
Understanding Clients’ Situations
The assessment is essential for a social worker to comprehend the history and needs of their client. This understanding is from sufficient sharing of their situation and an analysis of their scenario without bias. The root of social work is the care of clients in need through an investigation of events leading to their current state (Milner, 2019). The dependence on knowledge rather than assumptions is vital in ensuring that decisions made by a social worker embody sufficient evidence and strength.
Formulation of a Care Plan and Intervention
The information collected from a client is vital for the formulation of an intervention centered towards meeting the needs of clients. The assessment provides this information that enables a social worker to decide the best approach. The process also provides a basis for an intervention plan with information such as personal plans and daily activities playing a vital role in informing care timings (Milner, 2019). Micole, Deanna, and Chelsea achieved this benefit by asking their clients to make additional visits to them. This decision was borne from all the information collected and efficient analysis of the same. The assessment enables a social worker to identify the priorities for a certain client and make decisions on the appropriate approaches for them.
Client Participation
Assessments are instrumental in enabling clients to understand their situations better and make contributions effectively. The social worker emphasizes certain aspects of a client’s sharing by making references and repeating certain parts (Shulman, 2016). This ensures that clients understand their needs and emotions. The intervention plan that is chosen by a social worker to help a client through a certain situation inevitably requires the contribution of a customer (Milner, 2019).
Micole guaranteed that I understood the cause of my trauma was my inability to process my emotions. I had never taken sufficient time to understand the pain I had felt through the loss of my spouse and family members. This decision had hampered various aspects of my life such as my ability to make meaningful connections with other people. The recommended intervention measures would require me to acquire a better understanding of my emotions, and the assessment was vital for this realization.
References
Beckett, C., Maynard, A., & Jordan, P. (2017). Values & ethics in social work. Sage Publications Ltd.
Milner, J. (2019). Assessment in social work. Red Globe Pr.
Shulman, L. (2016). The skills of helping individuals, families, groups, and communities (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.