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Sexuality, sexual identity and sexual orientation
Sexuality, sexual identity and sexual orientation
Sexuality, sexual identity and sexual orientation
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Introduction As we have learned, social work is a helping profession as a result, it is vital that we as social workers are well adverse. Social workers most often are the first response team to clients. As a result, if we as social workers do not make a good impression by being empathetic, understanding, and supportive to our client’s needs; they are not going to return for services in the future. As social worker’s we are taught a set of skills (in which align to the NASW core values) that allow us to be successful and significant while provide assistance to our clients. This allows us to provide the appropriate treatment, resources, and have them readily available for the clients. It is our job as social workers to engage with clients …show more content…
Assistant this client would remind me of the challenges my child-hood best friend faced in regard to his sexual orientation and gender. Through junior high he was teased, bullied, and often made to feel as if he was not worthy. He attempted suicide multiple times and participated in self-harm activities such as, cutting. Many individuals often ignored him including local school staff and failed to seek professional help for him. His sexual orientation was not welcomed in our community and they believed in the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” phrase. As a result, supporting this client across their journey I would see many attributes relating to my friend, that could possibly trigger my own emotions. This could cause me to become over empathetic, take on a “sisterly” role vs. a therapist role, and cause a state of …show more content…
Researcher Milford suggest, when working with members of the LBGT community, as social workers we need to acknowledge the vast discrimination this group of individuals has faced as well as, how it has impacted and shaped their life. (2015). As social worker’s it is vital we have an understanding of – aging, sexual orientation, and gender identity. According to an article written by a group of professional social workers, incoming helpers need to understand the client system and how a firm understanding can only be understood through its environment (Goldsen, Ellis, Goldsen, Emlet, & Hooyman, 2014). These professionals suggest this population of individuals receive treatment within their own families, groups, and
There are many issues that interfere with the health and happiness of those within the Gay and Lesbian community. The National Association Position Statement on Gays and Lesbians is as attempt to abolish such issues within the social work practice. One place that individuals of any sexual orientation practice should feel safe is with those who have chosen the field of social work as a means to helping the oppressed. Social workers must be aware of their own personal beliefs and values when it comes to the fear of and the misrepresentation of working with this divers group. The consequences of not dealing with such issues and may have a latent manifest in dealing with the Gay and Lesbian population, and if not addressed prior to working in this field, maybe devastating to a client.
Being given the opportunity to intern with the staff at the Family Resource Center in the Children’s Advocacy Center (CAC) has been a tremendous learning experience thus far. The opportunity has truly surpassed my expectation of what I imagined the journey of internship would be like and how it would help me to evolve into the professional arena as a social worker. I see myself transforming and viewing the community in which I live, the clients served, those deprived, and the tremendous job that we as social workers are tasked with to advocate for those in need from a more open-minded perspective. By enhancing and developing my personal and professional skills, such as active listening, observation, and professional comportment, I will be
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...
Mercer, L. R. & Berger, R. M. (1989). Social service needs of lesbian and gay adolescents. Adolescent Sexuality: New Challenges for Social Workers. Haworth Press.
Much like occupational therapy, social workers incorporate theory in their field to increase the understanding of human behavior and the delivery of exceptional service. The profession of social work follows the code of ethics, core values, and guiding principles of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). Fultz described how the principles of service, social justice, dignity and worth of a person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence guide her clinical practice by strengthening her commitment to her client centered services. Although Fultz incorporates theory into her clinical experience, she addressed the challenges that occur when trying to apply theory. She believes that since each client is unique to themselves, not all theories may be helpful to all individuals. However, she continues to use theory due to the fact that it is evidence based and ensures that health professionals are using the most efficient and up to date treatment
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.
Today’s skills session on social work interviewing skills covered the uniqueness of social work interviewing in comparison to interviews conducted in professions such as the police, doctors, employers, etc. It covered also different types of questioning and how to paraphrase. Another area covered was, what to avoid when interviewing a service user and the use of silence. I leant that interview skills are fundamental in social work and social work interviewing is unique. Social workers empathize with clients because of their knowledge of the client group and the need of help to alleviate their problems. Empathy however does not equate accepting that the client is right in what they have done or that the social worker is condoning their actions. Empathy relates to the issue of ‘trusting’ and ‘believing’ the client. In as much as a social worker should seek to establish trust in the relationship, this does not necessarily mean they should believe
One of the cornerstones of sustainable and successful practice within social work is use of self (Dewane, 2006). The social work profession uniquely employs the person of the therapist and his or her experience to create a successful helping relationship and is integral to the experience of seeing a social worker. However, it is also important for professionals to give thoughtful consideration to how they will use and disclose themselves (Henretty, J. R., & Levitt, H. M., 2010). Henretty encourages intentionality in the therapist’s use of self, articulating that nondisclosure cannot be the copout and that intentional ways of self-disclosure must be thought through now. This intentionality that Henretty encourages is effective when therapist
Though it is a widely held axiom that, “longevity is not legality”. However, after spending up to ten years in the human services sector, I will say that I am now familiar with the sector. And again, learnings from HSRV 311, HSRV 322 and HSRV 306 will help boost my familiarity and understanding of the human services sector, as a study in the courses will open me new vistas of opportunities to learn some new things regarding the human services sector. As I complete the course activities, I will be more familiar and will gain more understanding of the sector. Consequently, be able to demonstrate an appreciable knowledge in the use of human services tools. This new learning with help me professionally, intellectually and in my personal life. In
Social work practitioners should establish a therapeutic relationship with their client’s in the most empathic manner. With such empathy, the agent shall understand the client’s life course and transactional issues. Notably, transactional issues such as impoverishment, lack of socialization abilities, lack of an attachment, and/or no access to health care could severely disempower and impact an individual reality and future endeavors. Through engagement and collaboration of a therapeutic alliance, the practitioner and the client can analyze and reconstruct any discourses. With the above mentioned, the expansion of this document will disclose a client’s relevant information along with two clinical formulation’s, which correlate to evidence-based
This week I asked my field instructor what skills, knowledge, and values are most needed by social work students in my practicum setting? My supervisor responded, “ You should have a high compassion level for people along with a mutual respect for them, a wider range of community services that are available in the area, and be well versed and rounded in crisis intervention theory along with cultural diversity. Everything that my field supervisor suggested coincides with the generalist competencies described in table 3.1, there is nothing that contrasts with this table. I agree with my supervisor one hundred percent if I do not have at least a basic knowledge and at least some compassion and respect then social work number one would not be the
Working with others and improving own learning and performance are highly essential skills in social work. In this essay I will reflect on how well I have developed these two skills and what I need to do to improve them.
Over the course of the semester, I have learned a variety of many things regarding social work. These things vary from learning how to help oneself to understanding how to help others. Not only were the textbooks very useful, but also the materials that furthered this textbook learning. The in class presentation, activities, and guest speakers gave us insight and a different perspective on the material we were learning. I feel like this course has given me a good foundation and prepared me as a future social worker (1).
As a social work student, I have studied child and youth and Indigenous Peoples. I have taken courses in criminology, human rights, social policy, as well as social and child welfare. If there has been one message repeated over and over throughout these courses, it has been that a persons behaviour is affected by the environments they encounter. This explains why children in the welfare and justice system are often youths who have experienced some sort of trauma during their childhood, whether it be neglect, financial difficulties, physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse. It is evident oppression and trauma have a strong influence on criminal behaviour. Therefore, it is important professionals take a restorative justice approach when working
When I came into my office this morning, I had a new client waiting for me. This client, Kaitlyn, has been an anorexic for a couple of years now. She showed a few pictures of her in the past, and she was so outgoing. She had no trouble talking to people, and had a positive attitude. She used to be on the dance team growing up and still enjoys it. She always dreamed big and wanted bigger and better things for herself. She feels uncomfortable with herself currently sometimes, and wants to stop feeling that way. She feels “ugly” as she put it. She wants to be able to hold her head up high and not feel embarrassed about her body. It has not has been as bad as it is now. Just recently, she has started using laxatives to help her lose the