Reflection: The Master Of Social Work Degree

Improved Essays
Reflection is, “serious thought or consideration” (Google, 2015). When looking-up the definition to reflection there were several synonyms referenced; thought, thinking, consideration, mediation, and pondering. A self-definition of reflection is to give thought of past incidents, situations, and/or problems. Reflection gives an individual the ability to give thought to situations he or she has already encountered, how it was encountered, and question if there should be a change. By reflecting on the past an individual can grow into the future. “As wise old Rafiki said in The Lion King, The past can hurt” (Your Past, 2015). “But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or learn from it” (Your Past, 2015). The purpose of this …show more content…
I would be lying if I said this journal has been an easy one. However, I know it will be rewarding and well worth it in the end. There have been several times over the last year, I have reflected back to determine if there is something I can do better. I feel there is no better way to learn then to learn from the past. I first started the master’s program as a foundation student. Coming into the program as a foundation student had me reflecting back to my bachelor’s program. Since my bachelor’s degree is not social work, I did not have a lot of social work specific information, especially information pertaining to ethics. This reflection point made me realize the importance of becoming aware and understanding the Code of Ethics. No matter how it is googled there is no doubt there is a consensus about how important the Code of Ethics is. During some research on this topic I found this, “An example of the importance of ethics in social work can be found in a recent North Carolina incidence that saw two social service workers being charged with criminal activity in relation to a child’s death” (Achen, 2013). “According to the article by the Huffington Post, Child Protective Services (CPS) was aware of the reports of child abuse in the child’s home, but after the child’s death, two CPS workers falsified records to appear as though they did a competent job investigating the case” (Achen, 2013). I knew to be a better practicing social worker it was crucial I use the Code of Ethics as a guide to my practice. Although the reflecting process was successful in determining an area for growth, this was not enough. It is even more important for me to take what I have learned through the reflection process and act on it or reflection has no real

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    This class has been a great experience for me and the most important thing that I learned in class came from the young adulthood, middle adulthood, and late adulthood interviews. Linking the interviews with the person I interviewed with the theories related to that age had help me become aware of how I will use these theories in practicing social work in all areas. Now that I am aware of the theories I seek out the person I am working with the past history of their life from childhood to now. Each human experience is different and important to know when working with an individual. For example, in the middle adulthood interview, Shawn had a good relationship with his children that were very important to him.…

    • 451 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    It is paramount that the author is able to recognize her personal values and ensure that they can be incorporated professional utilizing the National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics. This will be accomplished by completing self-assessments, attending workshops to educate on communities served, and anonymous evaluations of services received. When ethical dilemmas take place that conflict with the author’s personal values the author will refer to the NASW Code of Ethics to assist in recognizing the basis for the conflict. As the author plans for her future, she will use the awareness gained from these tools to focus on her strengths, value her own uniqueness, and use these assessments to improve her…

    • 1579 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Decent Essays

    When I started working as a CAN, as well as volunteering in the health care field, I understood that the work involved included helping residents in activities of daily living. What I found out after I started working was how much of an impact the job makes on people. When I was volunteering to help a woman go grocery shopping I did not think much of it. However, when I came into her home and started putting her groceries away she started tearing up. I found out that she and her husband used to always go grocery shopping together and would later play a game that involved putting the groceries away.…

    • 181 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    b. Personally, I think the way social workers providing services should depend on the types of clients we are working with. Working with children is different with working with elderly. Even though both groups demand special care, elderly do not like to be treated as children. Before I started my field placemen at the ELC, I believe that in order to work with children, one should be patient and really love kids. The working experience proved my views were correct.…

    • 363 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this essay, I am going to discuss how reflective practice leads to learning and improved patient care. I will also discuss the Gibbs and Johns reflective cycles and justify their use in continued learning. Reflection is something that many of us do on a daily basis without even realising it. It is a process you go through where you recapture your experiences, analyse and evaluate them, to make sense of them.…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The chapters were detailed explaining the most critical process that a social worker could encounter during their practice. I believe the most significant reading assignment for this week is ethics and legal aspects of working with groups. Ethics is one of the most critical terms that any helping professionals…

    • 512 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reflection is to revise, to rethink and to take a step back and make sure something is at your best preference. This term is one that I always knew existed, but didn’t apply it to my own work or to my own life. However, now that I know exactly where to apply it, I realize it doesn’t have to be only in education. It could be used in education, in one’s career and life says Sandra L. Giles. It’s interesting because I know exactly what it is, yet I never found the urge to actually apply it.…

    • 744 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    As a targeted support worker for Barnardo's the last 5 years has given me such a breadth of experience working with families and young people with complex needs. To this end, the opportunities for professional development while working for Barnardos has been extraordinary and I have been privileged to undertake training and use the training throughout my working practice. By example I use motivational interviewing, NLP and solution focussed brief therapy to support families and vulnerable you people to make positive change.…

    • 678 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    There were articles on critical reflective practices in different populations, such as youth services and hospice care. Another area of social work that critical reflection seemed to be very dominate was education. There were multiple articles found in the Journal of Teaching in Social work, Social Work Education, and Social Work. The five articles found within these three journals discussed the current gaps and challenges within social work academic programs and within the daily practice of social workers (Bay & Macfarlane, 2011; Jensen-Hart & Williams, 2010; Morley & Dunstan, 2013; Savaya & Gardner, 2012; Wiener, 2012). One important aspect that all of the articles has in common was how important critical reflection is for not only social worker, but also the clients.…

    • 542 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    My desire to pursue a master’s degree in social work was fueled by the outcome of my experiences of learning about domestic violence in my undergraduate course. It was also influenced by my active role different organizations where I was able to provide care for child victims of domestic violence. The desire of furthering my studies started way back when I was volunteering at a non-profit organization with an objective of becoming more familiar in working with children that were coming from a less advantaged families. Initially, the organization I was working for did not give me information about the children I was taking care of; they did not tell me that the children were victims of domestic violence. Upon entry, I observed all the children…

    • 1396 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    SWB100 Orientation to Social Work and Human Services Self Reflection Name: Jake Kristensen Student Number: 10286624 Due Date: Tuesday 13th March 2018 Word Count: 829 The aim of this paper is to express my motivations for becoming a human services worker focussing on the educational and academic levels within the juvenile justice system. While simultaneously advocating for the LGBT community within the juvenile justice system and the wider community.…

    • 953 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The road to become a social worker has not been easy. I did not expect this degree to fall out of the sky, but I did know about the added work during the internship. I learned early in the program that it takes patience and perseverance to stay in this program. I will reflect on the courses that has opened my eyes to the diversity in this society. The Intro to Social Work course was wonderful at displaying how the social work foundation got started and the people who stumbled upon social work through the act of kindness by looking beyond themselves to help others.…

    • 1348 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    introduction My self-reflection paper will give you an in depth idea about my first placement in January. I will go into details about my interests, readiness, learning goals and placement search process. I have created five learning goals that I would like to accomplish at my first placement. That is to learn how to be a social service worker through my experiences with my first placement.…

    • 2821 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Values are a set of beliefs and ideals that are meaningful to an individual, group or organization. They signify what is most important in our lives and often gives reasoning for our particular actions. Each set of values differs from on individual to the next because they are built off of our own personal experiences, social environments and family backgrounds. Values play a major role in how we go about living our daily lives. My set of personal values consists of the importance of family, true happiness, knowledge and spiritualty.…

    • 1131 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    First day of my social work practicum – Today I arrived at the agency as early as 7:40 in the morning. Upon entering I am already looking in speaking with my supervisor and talk about what I will do on my first day. My supervisor is very accommodating, we started our conversation by discussing some matters such as: attendance, tasks, requirements, cases and other personal information. I also assumed that I would get my first case today however, I did not receive any as I still have to learn and familiarize myself to the agency’s protocols and procedures. My supervisor provided me reading material, manual of operation and forms that I would for the case management.…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays

Related Topics