Exploring Skills Social Work

Front 1

Asking open and closed-ended questions

Back 1

Exploring the Issue, the Person, and the Situation

Front 2

Exploring the Issue

Back 2

Examine the present status of the problem or issues of concern – its intensity, frequency, and duration – and the context in which it tends to happen. What happened before, during, and after its occurrence.

Front 3

Exploring the Person

Back 3

The thinking, feeling, and doing aspects of the client’s experience. Seek information about the client’s strengths and resources as well as problems and needs.

Front 4

Exploring the Situation

Back 4

Examining current and, when applicable, past circumstances. Social, cultural, economic, environmental, spiritual factors. Significant other persons, family systems, communities, ethnic affiliations, religious involvement, housing, education, employment, and finances.

Front 5

Seeking Clarification

Back 5

You attempt to elicit a more comprehensive expression of the meaning of client’s previous words or gestures. May be particularly helpful in situations where there are cultural differences between social worker and client. Purpose is to gain further understanding of specific aspects of client’s previous message. May be an open or closed ended question or a directive. Useful throughout entire helping process.

Front 6

Reflecting Content

Back 6

Communicating your understanding of the factual or informational part of the client’s message – where you accurately paraphrase or restate the client’s words. By using this skill, you demonstrate that you have heard and understand what the client is trying to convey.

Front 7

Reflecting Feelings

Back 7

Involves the use empathic, active listening skills – where you provide a brief response that communicates your understanding of the feeling expressed by a client. Strive to identify the primary emotion experienced by the client and mirror it back so that the client feels your empathic understanding.

Front 8

Reflecting Feeling and Meaning

Back 8

Involves reflecting both emotional and informational or ideational elements of a client’s message. Mirrors the client’s emotions along with the facts or beliefs associated with them.
Ex. So, what you are saying is that you feel _____ because ____________.

Front 9

Partializing

Back 9

Used to help clients break down several aspects and dimensions of the person-issue-situation into more manageable units. Helps you and the clients break down the complexity by exploring smaller, more manageable units of information one at a time.

Front 10

Going Beyond What Is Said (Additive Empathy)

Back 10

Involves using your knowledge, experience, and intuition to add modestly to the feelings or meaning actually communicated by the client. Sometimes involves combining what the client says verbally with what they express non-verbally. This advanced skill should be used with caution because “over-reaching” or misinterpretation on the worker’s part could impede the working relationship.