I feel that my education at the University of North Texas has prepared me for a career in social work because it gave me opportunities to branch out of my comfort zone and become familiar with multiple populations of people. Before entering the BSW Program at UNT I was set on working with the geriatric population. I had worked with geriatrics before and was very comfortable with them, forming connections was easy, and I felt this was the population I was meant to be working with. Once I was accepted into the program though I learned that just because I had experience and was comfortable working with this specific population, it didn’t mean I had to continue working with them. My professors provided us with many opportunities to learn about and become familiar with many different populations. Learning to work with more than one population has helped me build my patience and tolerance levels, it has even helped me become more flexible …show more content…
Offending a client could not only prevent them from seeking your assistance, but other people’s services too. Being surrounded by social and cultural diversity also helps how you work with clients. If you understand a client’s culture it could help you build rapport with them quicker than if you hadn’t. Also, this understanding provides you with some help in finding resources and solutions for your client, in some cultures it may be inappropriate for you connect certain clients with certain resources. So being aware of that helps you determine what solution is best fit for that client. When there’s a chance for me to work with a culture I haven’t interacted with before, I try to do a little research before our initial meeting. Being exposed to different cultures creates a well-rounded social worker, who will take more into consideration when working with
Patient is a 51 year old Caucasian female living alone in her own home. The patient has a history and current syntoms of geralized anxity disorder, social phoina and panic attacks, which she takes madications for and sees a psychrist 2-3 times per month in Havasu. Patinets lives with six cats and the house environment is somewhat cluttered. The patinet is orinally from Glendale, CA., has a brother in Palmdale, CA, who is stays in contact with sometimes. Pt has a daughter in Big River, who is not supportive of her, but has three grandchildren who visit her.
As soon as you understand more about a person, you can be more empathetic and understanding of different cultures. I come from a Hispanic and German background so I have had the chance to enjoy multiple cultures already. Yet, experiencing and learning about new cultures is important to create better more understanding
This makes it easier for me to not only manage the work process but also to protect the clients from any harm. Chambers (2010) actually suggests that this kind of experience helps to build trust among the users receiving care and hence this helps these users recover faster and better from their health issues. My cultural experience helps me to treat every user in a fair and equal manner. It dictates that I will not discriminate at the workplace and I will strive to achieve equality for everyone as I extend my
Within the profession of occupational therapy, practitioners come across many individuals from varying backgrounds as clients or as teammates. For this purpose it is important to be culturally competent because it helps in treatment of individuals we may be working with regularly. In addition, being culturally competent helps prepare the OT practitioner for how mental health or other conditions are viewed in an individual's culture which will also impact the approach to treatment. One of the main obstacles I may see if the language barrier which may limit the amount of information the practitioner can receive from the client.
In consideration of cultural counseling, social workers will provide interventions to help identify clients’ barriers and identify their family expectations and cultural assumptions that influence their life choices. This tie into helping the client identify ways and solutions when they want to go against their family or cultural expectations, but at the same time be respectful of the client’s overall cultural values and bring awareness to the client that their cultural values and racism may influence their aspirations. Afterwards, the social workers must counsel the client to encourage and promote
These cultural expectations could affect relationships with clients and co-workers in the form of their families involvement, body language, gender preferences and so on. It is very important that health workers learn to be innovative and flexible when working with people from other cultural backgrounds. PROJECT 1
In this paper, I will assess my identity and my personal history and how it relates to social work professions. I first address my personal history and cultural background, where I came from, as well as my experience in working in the community. I then talk about my overall strengths, both in personal and professional lives. My strengths are listening skills, open-mindedness, respect for diversity and eagerness to learn and improve my weaknesses. Afterward, I discuss my weaknesses, such as nonassertive communication skill and low self-esteem problems, and how I plan to address these issues.
I think that as social workers we should be aware and respect the different cultures that we will be in contact and work together. with. I suggest including on the intake forms there
One of the advice she constantly was recommending me was to get my master degree because she though it would help me get more opportunities in the field of social work. A similar connection I thought about while hearing her speak was that as well as me she wanted to be in a field where she could help people, but she though nursing was not for her, so she decide to go into social work. At the end of the interview I thought that I did learn more about social workers who work in a nursing
How you, as a social worker, might interpret the needs of Paula Cortez, the client, through the two cultural lenses you selected. How you, as a social specialist, may decipher the requirements of Paula Cortez, the customer, through the two social focal points you chose. Cultural competence in social work is the primary guideline of social work education and practice. According to Carpenter (2016) As the population in the United States continues to diversify rapidly, the requirement for culturally competent social work administrations is similarly as essential as it ever has been.
Portfolio Part B: Reflection on the overall learning within the module Prior to starting this course the MA Social Work course and the PPSWP module I felt very confident in the aspects of communicating effectively and working with a diverse range of people, and after the reading the professional capabilities framework I believe that I hold the same personal values which is expected of a social worker. The PCF6 talks about the importance of critical reflection and reflective practice explaining that it helps improve accountability, professional development and helps to you understand your own tacit knowledge and gain new knowledge, which improves outcomes and experiences for social workers. (Capabilities within the PCF, 2016) For this reflection
From time to time, social work practitioners face different challenges and one of such example is being confronted with ethical dilemmas. An ethical dilemma is defined as “when the social worker sees himself or herself as facing a choice between two equally unwelcoming alternatives, which may involve a conflict of moral values, and it is not clear which choice will be the right one” (Banks, 2012). Ethical dilemmas can occur in the context of either client or organisational-related conflict situations at work. The first ethical dilemma is when the patient refuses medical treatment and services because he or she would not accept that there is any problem.
In the program, we have initiated to what I consider the “second phase” of 2nd year field placement. The process came by really quick, in which to a moment I felt unprepared. It is amazing to think how quick time is flying. It is simultaneously exciting but nerve-racking. This semester has been a really tough one.
Interning at DFCS has most certainly impacted my personal, professional, and academic goals. Before my internship, I knew I wanted to pursue my Master of Social Work after graduation and had some ideas about potential careers within the social work realm. My internship with DFCS has truly solidified my desire to pursue an MSW. While I have enjoyed my placement at DFCS, the internship has shown me that I don’t think DFCS is necessarily the agency I would like to work with after graduating with my masters. My work with DFCS (and seeing how many of our clients struggle with substance abuse) has solidified my thoughts that I would like to one day work as a substance abuse and mental health counselor.
Over the semester I have learned many new aspects of social work that have helped deepen my understanding of what social work is really about. This course has taught me things that will help me become a better person and will also help me with my future working with children. Self reflection is a key skill to have when working in social work. We need to understand how we are, and our social location, influence everything we do with social work. My beliefs and values would be beneficial for being a social worker because I have a caring no judgment, personality that allows me to be a neutral and to listen to people.