Field Practicum Reflection

Today was my first day of field practicum at St. Bernards Behavioral Health. Upon arrival I was introduced to my field supervisor Keri. I had heard from other students who did and intern here that once you arrived the expectation of being able to jump right in was high. I accepted the challenge and was immediately taken to the group therapy room. Today's topic of group was S.T.R.O.N.G. This is an acronym used within the group the identify: sleep, taking medications, resistance, one thing you can do, nutrition, and getting exercise. At first I was a little overwhelmed with the new atmosphere and the idea of applying my social work knowledge to a practical event. My field supervisor asked me if I would keep good notes during the group so that …show more content…
According to the NASW code of ethics providers have an obligation to provide ethical responsibility of competence. Section 1.04 Competence(c) states that "When generally recognized standards do not exist with respect to an emerging area of practice, social workers should exercise careful judgment and take responsible steps (including appropriate education, research, training, consultation, and supervision) to ensure the competence of their work and to protect clients from harm". I say this in regards to a client who was discharged today. I felt that this client was not mentally nor morally competent to understand discharge procedures and the expectation of him post discharge. This young gentleman's chart stated he had suffered a serious head trauma as a child during a car wreck. This patient's speech was incoherent and his thought process was very abstract. I later learned that he was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. I think the ethical dilemma is that the patient is not getting the necessary treatment and possibly a premature diagnosis before proper examination. He appeared to be out of place compared to the other patients seen today. If I had to gage his education level based on conversation, I would place it at a 2nd grade education. I personally felt that this patient could need further examination and possibly a referral for occupational therapy based on both …show more content…
She provided me with all of the necessary tools to complete group notes, and then expected me to do them on my own. Once I completed the notes she went over them and instead of telling me something was wrong, she told me how I could make my notes better. I enjoy learning through making mistakes. I feel like if I make a mistake now as an intern, I will be less likely to make it once I become a Social Worker. My supervisor was open to answer all of my questions and never once replied in a condescending tone. Having a supervisor who has been in my shoes and understands best practices for learning will pay dividends for the amount of knowledge I will gain from this