Define Critical Reflection, including its theoretical foundations Within the field of social work, the professionals have to recognize and evaluate their own personal values, thoughts and beliefs. A social worker must be able to recognize how their personal preferences may or may not affect their behaviors and decisions in their daily practice. For this reason, critical reflection is a very important concept to be knowledgeable of within the social work profession. Critical reflection can be defined as a process that an individual has that allows them to identify their behaviors, which are then questioned and evaluated in order to create different ways of reacting (Savaya & Gardner, 2012).…
Understanding intersectionality is something that is important in the practice of social work. One must be able to understand and deal with one’s clients and their specific positions in life and understand how all of their different identities and places in society interact with each other. However, before one can understand intersectionality in others, one must examine the different areas of one’s own life and how they interact to form a unique identity. I will examine my specific roles in life and how they interact with each other going forward, specifically regarding gender, ethnicity and nationality, race, sexual orientation, abilities and disabilities, class, and religion.…
Have you ever had a child that resisted bedtime? Perhaps your child was afraid of the dark, was sensitive to every noise he heard, or simply couldn't relax himself enough to fall asleep. Well, that is our son Ian, and he has had challenges with bedtime from an early age. To help him feel comfortable at night, my husband and I would lie down with him until he fell asleep. Now we are trying to change this bedtime routine because not only is it unhealthy for Ian, it is becoming challenging for us.…
There are many elements that make up Social Work. The three elements of advocacy are to change, purposive, and targets for change (Ezell, 2001). Social workers need to understand that advocacy evokes change. So if you are not advocating for or against something then you are not promoting change. Ezell (2001) notes that social workers “must engage in advocacy to maintain their progress and to fight an effort” (p.24).…
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.…
This way you escape Aristotle and Plato's advise on how Life works and the Laws of nature on the division of property between the amount of people on earth. This way you escape the possible negative force when having to much, and you use Marx his theory on how to fully exploit your workers for your own advantage, meantime you give those workers loans so you don't brake the Natural Laws Ancient Philosophers talk about. And above all, these loans even give you more money because of the interest. As if Marx his exploitation of workers isn't enough. They also have to pay interest on loans.…
As a social worker, working with teenagers who are dealing with coming out as a gay or lesbian and utilizing the empowerment theory, which primarily focuses on the oppressed teenager on a one-on-one form of micro level or focal system, does not exclude or count out the larger levels on a macro scale, which can be individuals within a large group of teenagers coming out as a gay or lesbian, their family members within their subsystem and or suprasystems environment. “The empowerment theory does not go to a great extent when it comes to the importance of biological factors in human development, since it is based on structural conditions of oppression, and focusing on the client’s strengths” (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2012). However, there is a more in-depth insight when it comes to the teenagers who are dealing with coming out as a gay or lesbian when it comes to their psychological, spiritual, family and group dynamic needs. This brings relevance and application to…
Social Work Burnout and Its Effects on the Social Worker Name Institutional Affiliation Social Work Burnout and Its Effects on the Social Worker Introduction Social work burnout is has effects on the productivity of the worker; however, it is important to understand if and how the burnout affects a social worker. In the pursuit to understand the reality, there must be logical and empirical support (Babbie 2010, pg, 4). Like in epistemology, a science of knowing, which may rely on either agreement reality without personal experience of the situation or methodology which invokes set procedures for scientific inquiry, social research on social work burnout and its effects on the social worker may employ appropriate methodology, use…
The purpose of paper is to inform the reader process of family counseling and resistance. I will discuss why it is so important that resistance be dealt with in order for treatment to move forward positively. Then, I will discuss ways; which resistance might impact each stage of the family therapy process. In addition, I will discuss how to deal with resistant in each stage of the family therapy process. Lastly, I will reflect on the problems beginning family counselors face and how to avoid those problems.…
The importance of empowerment in Social Work practice is essential to effectively helping the client. The client and the social worker have to both feel empowered because everyone should feel worthy of using their voice to get a point across or to help some else in need, and not feel any lack of power. Empowerment is the process of knowing one self and using families, organization and communities around them to increase their personal and political power to improve them self so they can accomplish their goals. In the social work field there will be all different types of clients and it is our job to search for the client’s strength and weakness and understand the community in which they live in when providing them with resources. Empowerment…
Within social work practice various capabilities need to be demonstrated. According to the Professional Capabilities Framework (BASW, 2012), social workers must have the capacity to “use judgement and authority to individuals and families to promote independence and provide support” (PCF 7: Intervention and Skills), and within the Knowledge and Skills Statement, it is vital for social workers “to promote optimal child development and be alert to signs that may indicate otherwise”. An intervention’s success therefore relies on having the knowledge, skills and methods to do so. I will discuss these three important competences in relation to a particular intervention, and how such contributed to, and informed my practice. Child development theories…
The change process based on Prochaska’s theory, is a model that social workers use to help their clients during changes in their life that they may be going through. A client may be battling an addiction that they are trying to stop, or they may be having self-defeating thoughts about themselves that they cannot control. It is usually a process in which someone is trying to change some part of their lifestyle. Not everyone is successful in changing their unhealthy behaviors, and this model helps social workers to determine what stage of the cycle a person may be in. It also helps them to see how some people are able to change positively without the help of anyone else.…
Social work research can be important in many ways. When conducted correctly, people are able to begin to understand various individuals, groups, causes and effects surrounding various social issues. Research is the beginning of breaking down walls, which brings about improvement in the lives of others. However, Engel & Schutt notes that, “social work research is important because the nature of our social world is the starting point for our profession, because much of what we do is in response to social, political, and economic conditions” (Engel & Schutt, 2010). So as seen, social work research directs us, and allows for us to provide the best treatment plans for our clients.…
In working with this client it is important to understand her resistance. Her underlying cause that are driving her maladaptive behaviors. The client is pushing her husband away by her need to watch his every move and wondering if he is constantly cheating on her. In the client’s case, resistance is serving a purpose of impeding the uncovering of the problem and “once a conflict is reactivated in psychotherapy, they interfere with the renunciation of unconscious wishes and fantasies associated with the conflict” (Manetta, Gentille, & Gillig, 2011). The client is scared to move forward in her relationship because he could cheat again and any kind of good that was done during the time he was cheating would be a lie.…
What should social workers do? Empower and Advocate for Vulnerable People. According to the Code of Practice for Registered Social Workers in Hong Kong (Social workers registration board, 2013), social worker should “empower people to act on their own behalves” (Basic Values and Beliefs, para 6) as well as “advocate changes in the formulation of policies and legislation to improve social conditions, to promote social justice and general welfare of society” (Principles and Practices, para 50)*. The National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics (2008) also states that social workers should pay particular attention to the needs of and empowerment of vulnerable people (Preamble, para 1)*. Definitions of Empowerment and Advocacy Empowerment…