Garcia, Blanca Professor Moore, Ivy SOCW 3311-Urban Practice October 1, 2017 Personal Statement on Empathy, Authenticity and Assertiveness Autobiographical Sketch In life people value things differently. Values are significantly derived from cultural settings and experiences found within individuals, as well as demographic upbringing. Values are defined to be the principles and standards of behavior that are formed by life experiences, our family rules, our beliefs and the admiration we have towards something we strongly believe in. In search of opportunities, change, and stability, my parents immigrated to the United States with my two siblings and me from Michoacán, Mexico. I am now the second oldest of six siblings, a challenge that pushes …show more content…
This search, combined with the challenges and opportunities I have experienced, have led me to pursue becoming a social worker. A weakness of mine consists of taking on multiple projects. For example, during the Harvey volunteer opportunities I felt the need to address the needs of those tragically affected, and doing this I became one with them. While actively helping them, it made me sad. At the end of the day I felt emotionally exhausted. This experience taught me that as a social worker, I need to learn to separate time for myself, so I can recharge. The ability to communicate “no” to anyone is also a weakness of mine that I am slowly working on. Most of the time I feel the need of carrying on tasks that would ultimately leave me exhausted because I do not want to perceive myself as …show more content…
Authenticity is defined as “the sharing of self by relating in a natural, sincere, spontaneous, open and genuine manner” (Rooney pg. 113). The portrayal of authenticity is important to show that social workers understand boundaries and how much personal information they can share with their clients. Therefore, social workers thoughts, behaviors, and words should be taken into consideration in order to provide a comfortable environment for clients. The things that I have endured in my life will enable me to be open and honest with my clients. I will be able to be authentic with them and I will do all I can to make them as comfortable as possible during our engagements. One of the skills that I highly believe I want to make sure I accomplish thoroughly consist of providing authenticity regarding how much information can one provide to the clients, in certain time we feel that we can relate to the client’s case to where I may feel the need of providing guidance and solutions that I ultimately took upon in search of helping my clients. Which it may not be the case because every client is unique and I cannot base them on my personal
In this article, the author, Esther Urdang, shows the readers how self-awareness is a necessity in the field of social work. She notes that being more self-aware protects social workers from things such as inappropriate relationships, burnout and not following necessary ethics. Urdang explains how specific casework, similarities between the client and worker, mental disability, involvement in a client’s personal life and self-disclosure can aid in developing inappropriate relationships. Towards the end of her article, she further emphasizes how social work education should focus on helping students become more secure in themselves and their experiences so they know how this affects their work (Urdang, 2010).
Also, I enjoy challenges that have helped me develop as a human being. For example, chairing committees in Model Congress provided me with opportunities to work with students of different ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Similarly, my volunteer activitiesworking on Thanksgiving Food Drives for the homeless, the Interact Food Drives, and Hurricane Relief effortsenabled me to improve my ability to collaborate with a variety of people.
I knew I loved to help others but it was not until I was an emerging adult that I knew what my calling was. My devotion to improve the quality of life for those who are disadvantaged is one of the reasons I have chosen to pursue a Master’s in Social Work. After obtaining my masters, I plan on diversifying my masters by getting licensed and becoming a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. I would like to study social work because I feel it will lead me directly to one of the most emotionally fulfilling careers available, as well as giving me the chance to combine helping people 's mental well being with their physical
Without the results of studies done on the birth order, by people like Jeffery Kluger, the power of birth order would remain a mystery to us and we would not have as deep of an understanding of siblings. While there is still much about the workings of oldest, youngest, and middle children that we have not yet discovered, the studies conducted on birth order so far have enlightened many parents on how their children’s relationships work. However, while scientists have unraveled many mysteries about the birth order, the constant variables presented to scientists as they study the birth order does hinder the progress of their research, but there is always a hope that someday scientists will be able to completely understand the impact and function of the birth order in sibling’s
Professionalism in the social work field goes beyond licensure and expertise (Cournoyer, 2014). According to Cournoyer (2014), social work professionalism encompasses the concepts of integrity, self-efficacy and knowledge, self-understanding and self-control, and social support (Cournoyer, 2014). Embedded in social work professionalism is the person-environment perspective, which posits that our personal attributes, interactions and relationships with others, and environment influence a social worker’s practice. Cournoyer stresses that it is a social worker’s responsibility to acknowledge and regulate his or her personal biases, ideologies, and beliefs when working with clients in order to prevent them from negatively impacting the therapeutic
My life’s experience influenced my decision to become a social worker. Without getting to far in detail I have experienced both sides of the pendulum. The negative experiences are what made me a stronger person. I have a profound understanding of the destruction of a...
The National Association of Social Workers, NASW, considers the following as its six most core values; service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity, and competence. The value of service is considered to be a core value because offering help to those in need is a crucial goal for all of those looking to practice in the field of Social Work. These services can include, but are not limited to, addressing social problems, helping those in need, and volunteering their knowledge to those who cannot otherwise afford such help. Social Justice is also an important core value for a Social Worker to develop. As a Social Worker one will encounter many people from several different walks of life, no two cases will ever be exactly the same. Some of these walks of life can leave a client vulnerable, defenseless, exploited, oppressed, and troubled. Therefore it is important to learn what Social Justice is, and how to help people from falling victim to injustice. Dignity and Worth of the Person is one of the most important values that one should uphold. People who need the help of a Social Worker many, but not all, times feel powerless, embarrassed, and worthless because they feel as though they cannot control aspects of their life an...
I first have to ask myself, “By sharing this information, am I helping the client or myself?” My primary obligation is to the client and I need to make sure that the client’s needs are being met.
I have chosen social work as a profession because of my passion to help others. I want to make a difference in someone’s life and help them through the problems they are having. Whether the client needs counseling, guidance, or advocacy I want to be the person to help them. My drive for helping others and motivation to change social policies for the better is why I have chosen social work as my future profession.
A part of a social worker’s task is to enhance the life of an individual through advocacy, educating, and engagement. Positive influence is benefited through the engagement of the client such as building rapport with the individual. By doing this, the social worker develops trusting ground for the individual delivering the message. Engagement is reported to be an establishment of a professional relationship with a client (Langer & Lietz, 2014). If the process of engagement is not established through security of the client, then therapy cannot begin (Bowlby, 1988). This process is the first encounter you have with the social worker.
In the end the social worker left and I thought, if I was in that hostile situation what would I have done? Like we were told at the start of the session, for social workers to develop interviewing skills they require constant practice and building up the skills and it comes naturally eventually. This is similar to mastering the skills to drive a car.
My interest persisted and grew as I began to see how my efforts had the ability to improve the lives of people around me. I first noticed this on a personal level as friends would come to me for advice or for me to listen to their struggles and provide comfort. No matter how mundane, horrific, unique, or common the story was, I listened to them in a genuine and non-judgmental manner. I truly enjoyed hearing people’s stories and providing comfort and advice when needed. These moments helped me realize the power of simply being there for someone, and it increased my interest of pursuing a career where I can support those who need it most. I want to become a social worker so I can provide direction to those who may not be able to get it from other sources, just like I have done for various people throughout my life.
Engagement is considered one of the most important parts of working with a client. Coady and Lehmann (2008) consider engagement the first of four steps in the problem solving model of social work. Engagement can begin as early as the first over the phone contact or referral notification with the client. To become aware of the client’s background (ecology and life circumstances) is crucial part of this stage. It is also important for the social worker to become in tune with their own thoughts and beliefs when coming into contact with this client for the first time. After tuning into the client it is key for any social worker to make a client feel welcomed with a sense of warmth, empathy and respect. Too much empathy and warm, however, can be detrimental to the course of service provision. Coady and Lehmann (2008) note that the engagement process is never ending and can continue well into counseling.
My reasoning behind deciding to pursue a career in social work stems from my seemingly innate desire to see others succeed in fulfilling their potential. Although it feels somewhat of a cliché, my passion and desire for the field of social work originates from a genuine wish to make a positive difference in people’s lives.
Social workers must have a certain level of integrity in their field of practice. This characteristic is important because it helps a person be true to their own beliefs and allows them to set their own boundaries. Integrity can show a social worker what types of clients they are comfortable working with and what types of professions they should not be in. Social workers who have integrity are able to put their energy into cases that they are capable of handling and will have less opportunities of harming the client in any way. When a person is able to show integrity, they stay true in what they believe in and work