socw week 8

 
Week 8: Use of Self
Important Note: Please use the media player below to hear an audio course introduction that will give you more background information about the course topic. Also provided is a transcript for you to download and print out.
Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013). Use of self [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

Accessible player –Downloads–Download AudioDownload Transcript
Learning Objectives
Students will:

Analyze use of self in field education experience
Identify potential boundary challenges in field education experience
Analyze community context in relation to social work practice
Apply social work practice skills

Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Chapter 11, “Professional Social Work” (pp. 125-135)
Ganzer, C. (2007). The use of self from a relational perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(2), 117–123.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Osteen, P. J. (2011). Motivations, values, and conflict resolution: Students’ integration of personal and professional identities. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(3), 423–444.
Note: Retrieved from Walden Library databases.
Required Media
Laureate Education. (Producer). (2013). Use of self [Audio file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Note:  This audio introduction is located in the “Introduction and Objectives” section. The approximate length of this media piece is 1 minute.

Optional Resources
Click the following link to access the MSW home page, which provides resources for your social work program.
MSW home page
Assignment 1: Week 8 Blog
Refer to the topics covered in this week’s resources and incorporate them into your blog.
By Day 3
Post a blog post that includes:

An explanation of the use of self during your field education experience that you may have encountered or that you might encounter
A description of potential boundary challenges in your field education experience

By Day 4
Respond to the blog post of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

Validate an idea in your colleague’s post with your own experience.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.

Be sure to support your blog posts with specific references to this week’s resources and provide full APA citations for your references. For more information about posting your blog assignment, click on the Field Education Blogs link on the course navigation menu.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 8 Assignment 1 Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 4
To participate in this Assignment:
Week 8 Assignment 1
Assignment 2: Process Recordings
A process recording is a written tool used by field education experience students, field instructors, and faculty to examine the dynamics of social work interactions in time. Process recordings can help in developing and refining interviewing and intervention skills. By conceptualizing and organizing ongoing activities with social work clients, you are able to clarify the purpose of interviews and interventions, identify personal and professional strengths and weaknesses, and improve self-awareness. The process recording is also a useful tool in exploring the interpersonal dynamics and values operating between you and the client system through an analysis of filtering the process used in recording a session.
For this Assignment, you will submit a process recording of your field education experiences specific to this week.
The Assignment (2–4 pages):

Provide a transcript of what happened during your field education experience, including a dialogue of interaction with a client.
Explain your interpretation of what occurred in the dialogue, including social work practice theories, and explain how it might relate to diversity or cultural competence covered this week.
Describe your reactions and/or any issues related to your interaction with a client during your field education experience.
Explain how you applied social work practice skills when performing the activities during your process recording.

Response 1
 Emily Worley  at Tuesday, October 15, 2019 8:53:07 AM
Use of Self
Self-disclosure has been a hot topic within the helping profession, what to share, when to share and the purpose of the disclosure has been debated for years. Ganzer (2007), reports that the use of self should aid the social worker to value their personal characteristics, their self awareness, and their use of self as instruments or tools to effect change. All individuals bring certain things to the table when in engaging in a helping relationship, Within my field I am mostly working with teens, and I currently have a teenage daughter, I find myself relating most of my interactions with the clients as I would with my daughter. Garthwait (2017), stated the role of self as instrument or tool and assumes that the therapist has some degree of knowledge of what the patient may need. By utilizing what works when communicating with daughter, has helped me to better connect with the clients at my field.
Challenges
But with having a daughter the same age as most of the clients served also brings challenges to my field experience and the use of self. I cannot allow myself to transfer my feelings or emotions from my relationship with my daughter over to the clients and vise versa. The use of self is an art, it is a combination of knowledge, experience and professionalism that can aid or hinder the therapeutic relationship. I think that it is important to remember that all of our clients are separate individuals and such are social worker, their past experiences, personal values, and characteristics make them unique. It is vital that social workers learn a healthy balance of self and professionalism. It is also important for the social worker to identify when they need less of self and assume more of a professional approach, at the end of the day it is the client who is at most concern. 
Reference
Ganzer, C. (2007). The use of self from a relational perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(2), 117–123.
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Response 2
 Noelia Antonio  at Tuesday, October 15, 2019 1:35:44 PM
In social work, one must carry themselves in a way that is representative of the profession (Garthwait, 2017). Social workers have a code of ethics that they must adhere to, despite personal opinions. As social workers, the concept of one’s self can have a positive or negative impact on our work with clients and influence on our practice (Ganzer, 2007). In my field education experience, the use of self that I have encountered is while working with a 12-year old girl. I attempt to try to remember what it felt like being a 12-year old child, although not having been in the same situation as her, but trying to remember what it felt like to feel like you know everything when in reality, you don’t. 
A potential boundary challenge may arise from my own personal self-concept of being an independent and kind person. Although I follow direction, there may come a time when I feel taking a certain approach with a client is not appropriate. For example, I may be told to be more assertive, although I believe that a more passive approach can be more beneficial and build a better rapport with the client I am working with. 
References:
Ganzer, C. (2007). The use of self from a relational perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(2), 117–123.
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.

Response 3
 Surnita Warner  at Tuesday, October 15, 2019 9:08:46 PM
An explanation of the use of self during your field education experience that you may have encountered or that you might encounter
Use of self is an interaction with diverse clientele, which can introduce new challenges and strengths. Among interacting with clients in the field placement, a strength I’ve identified of the use of self is the ability to recognize when to access a resource or defer to a supervisor. Garthwait (2017) references that social work students defer to others in decision making  verses a Social Worker who takes initiative in developing and implementing intervention. (p. 127) On the other hand, a weakness that I’ve recognized, is that I can not help the client to my full potential and I sometimes take on the clients problems. For example, it is difficult to hear the suffering of clients that are undergoing burdens. It becomes difficult to have to only listen as an intern. 
A description of potential boundary challenges in your field education experience
Osteen (2011) asserts that MSW students experience intersectionality between personal and professional values within the educational process (p.432).The intersection that I’ve experienced is focusing on using the NASW code of ethics as an MSW intern but also reframing from personal spirituality, so there are no potential boundary challenges. For instance, within the field I can not speak about God or less the client initiates the topic and I can not present personal opinions. Personally, I feel that God can help in many of our needs and desires. However, NASW (2017) references “Social workers should not take unfair advantage of any professional relationship or exploit others to further their personal, religious, political, or business interests.” Professionally, the NASW views this as a conflict of interest. 
References
Osteen, P. J. (2011). Motivations, Values, and Conflict Resolution: Students’ Integration of Personal and Professional Identities. Journal of Social Work Education, 47(3), 423–444. https://doi-org.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/10.5175/JSWE.2011.200900131
Garthwait, C. L. (2017). The social work practicum: A guide and workbook for students 
(7th ed.)pp.112. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
NASW. (2017)“Read the Code of Ethics: Ethical Principles.” 
www.socialworkers.org, 2019, 
www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.