Social Work Direct Practice Skills - Term Paper Example

Social Work Direct Practice Skills Name Date Social Work Direct Practice Skills Effective communication is at the heart of social work, and thereof leads to misunderstanding and conflicts. Poor communication could also prevent collaborative relationship between a social worker and client. It is crucial to engage in periodic reflection in order to understand one’s personal communication style, strengths, and weaknesses. A reflection of an argument with Kerri, a sales person for Avon, shows that my primary communication style is submissive. Although I try to listen to what others say, I take too much time before responding. In addition, I am weak in controlling my emotions and failing to convey them respectfully. Active listening is a core element of communication, which ensures that each party understands each other. I realise I need to improve on this element to avoid conflicts and resolve conflicts quickly. Social workers are guided by values and ethics, which help them to exhibit appropriate behaviourss when dealing with clients. Values are usually outlined in Codes of Conduct. Ethics deal with what is right, good, and correct. Although social workers are often required to follow distinct rules, they are required to demonstrate critical thinking and wisdom when dealing with ethical dilemmas. Codes of Conduct act to guide social workers when making such decisions, some of which are about power balance during their relationships with clients. Some of the ways to balance power dynamics in order to maintain collaborative relationships required to achieve goals include being aware of possible biases and explaining to clients issues about power balances. Part A: Communication Description of My Personal Communication Style from this Conversation Communication style affects the way a person interacts with others especially in conflicting situations such as the one we had with Kerri. The CASA model outlines four distinct communication styles based on one’s focus (task or power) and behaviours (stepping up or stepping back) as shown below (Cyna, Andrew, Tan, & Smith, 2010). Figure 1: CASA model showing four types of communication styles (Cyna et al., 2010) In aggressive style, the communicator wants to gain power and does so by stepping up or dominating the conversation (Cyna et al., 2010). A person will use strategies such as intrusive body language, snide remarks, putting down the other party, demeaning and intimidating language (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2015). A submissive style is one whereby a person submits him/herself to intimidation. As such, one decides to remain silent, speaking very little, apologizing even where apology is not required, and not showing concern (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2015). People often use this communication style to avoid conflict (Cyna et al., 2010). In the cooperative style, a person decides to follow or lead the other party with the aim of achieving a common goal. Common words in the cooperative communication style include ‘good idea’, ‘well done’, and ‘thank you’ among others (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2015). Finally, in the assertive style, a person articulates concerns in the best interest of the task of issue at hand even if one has a contrary view. This style may be confused with aggressive style but the difference is that the language used is not demeaning or intimidating, but framed in such a way that it is in the best interest of the task (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2015). A person steps up but the focus is on the task as opposed to aggressive style where stepping up aims at gaining power or control over the conversation. An analysis of the conversation in line with the CASA model shows that I use the submissive communication style. Notably, I found myself apologizing even if there was no need to do so. For example, I told Kerri that I was sorry for upsetting her, because I did not buy from Avon. Buying from the company was not mandatory, and there was no need for apologizing. I also thanked Kerri for calling me rude instead of challenging her opinion and way of talking. My submissiveness is also shown in the way I remained silent for a significant part of the conversation. For instance, Kerri would send me three messages without me replying. I am an active listener and when engaged in an argument, I will take my time to study the other party before replying. I realised that if I replied to every message Kerri sent, the argument would have been worse and we could have exchanged bitter words. After deeply analyzing the conversation, I realise that I failed to communicate properly. Perhaps my submissive communication style contributed to the disagreement with Kerri. Firstly, I did not like Avon’s products but I did not communicate this directly. According to Wachter (2014), expressing one’s feeling with respect helps in preventing occurrence of destructive arguments. I clearly disliked the products after trying the samples but expressed my feelings to Kerri with fear. Instead of telling her that I did not like the products, I instead tried to run away from the subject by telling her that the samples were too small to get results. Consequently, Kerri interpreted that I wanted more samples and take advantage of her kindness. That is why she was very angry having realised that the samples and brochures cost her money. I also expressed my feelings disrespectfully when I banged the door in front of Kerri after giving her the samples and brochures. For sure, I was angry with Kerri and with my husband for interrupting our conversation but I should have been more polite to Kerri. I expressed my anger non-verbally by banging the door, which sent a negative message to Kerri. When Kerri expressed her dissatisfaction with my reaction and for my husband speaking in Arabic in front of her, I tried to defend myself instead of apologizing yet there was a dire need to apologise. Conclusively, although I demonstrated active listening skills, I was too silent and Kerri seems to be angered further. I was too submissive to her. In addition, I was not direct when speaking up my mind, which initiated and fueled the argument. Moreover, although I tried to be respectful all along, sometimes I expressed my anger in disrespectful, non-verbal language, such as banging the door in front of Kerri. Strengths and Limitations with My Personal Communication Style The major strength with my personal communication style is that I am an active listener. I take time to study the other person before I respond so that I give the most appropriate response. I am not overly submissive. I tend towards being assertive. For example, I told Kerri that it was not mandatory for me to buy from Avon and that she should come for the items at my home. Assertiveness is most preferred communication style in arguments (Thompson, 2011). This little bit of being assertive helps me to state my opinion directly. If I work on becoming more assertive, I believe I will avoid conflicts with others or help to end destructive arguments quickly. One of the limitations with my personal communication style is that other people easily take advantage of me because of my inability to say no to requests that I do not like (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2015). My main weakness is that through my communication style, I cannot resolve a conflict. Although I consider myself an active listener, taking too long before responding to messages fuels an argument (Cyna et al., 2010). It may communicate to the other party that one is assuming them, which may result to them becoming angrier. Wachter (2014) notes that effective communication occurs when response is given in good time. Otherwise, the argument will easily move away from the main issue (Thompson, 2011), which was the case with our conversation. In addition, due to my submissive communication style, I withhold vital information because of fear and the desire to maintain my self-esteem. Consequently, I am unable to end a conflict. Active Listening Effective communication occurs when the listener gets accurate meaning of the speaker’s message and acts accordingly. Accordingly, active listening is a core part of communication. Without it, conflicts are bound to occur. Active listening is a crucial communication skill that involves indicating that one has understood the speaker’s message by reflecting it back. It involves paraphrasing the client’s message (Cournoyer, 2008). Doing so communicates that one has understood or is at least trying to understand what the other person is saying/communicating. An analysis of my conversation with Kerri based on the description of active listening presented above shows that this skill was lacking in several instances and that is one of the reasons the argument escalated. For example, when I said that I did not get the results, Kerri jumped into the conclusion that I wanted some more instead of trying to get what I wanted to say. I also demonstrated lack of active listening skill. For instance, when Kerri expressed her concern that I wanted some more samples, I did not try to get what she really meant. Instead, I expressed my anger by informing her that I had bought some other samples from GoldCoast. In doing so, Kerri understood that I was not appreciative of the samples she gave me. Failure to use active listening skill was the major cause of the conflict. Part B: Values, Ethics, and Power Concepts of Values and Ethics as they Relate to Direct Social Work Practice Social workers are often faced with situations that require making crucial decisions. Values and ethics guide them in making such decisions. Ethics are defined as rules that guide behaviour and conduct of a person while values motivate behaviours that ethics call for (Hardcastle, Powers & Wenocur, 2011). Therefore, ethics are derived from more abstract values. The core values in the social work profession form the foundation of its unique purpose and perspective, which include social justice, service, integrity, human relationships, competence, and dignity and worth of the person (Hardcastle, Powers & Wenocur, 2011). Human relations, service, competence, and integrity are arguably the core values of social work although they are not unique to the professional field. However, social justice is unique to social work. Indeed, the primary goal of social workers is to promote social justice in the community through social change and by advocating for the disadvantaged/vulnerable groups in the society. A review of codes of practice for association of social workers in different countries show that social justice and respect for human rights are at the heart of the practice as the core value (for example, Australian Association of Social Workers, 2010; British Association of Social Workers, 2014; Canadian Association of Social Workers, 2005). Values in social work are aimed at promoting wellbeing of people. Ethics deal with what is right, good, and correct. Ethics, as earlier mentioned, are rules regarding the desired behaviour and conduct of social workers, which help them deal with ethical dilemmas. There are several ethical theories such as utilitarianism, virtue ethics, and deontological theory (Tannsjo, 2008). Utilitarianism ethical theory gives social workers the room to decide which action to take, which will do more good than harm while deontology requires social workers to adhere to set rules of practice (Tannsjo, 2008). Whichever theory taken, the aim is to ensure that one adopts the desired behaviours or conduct. In most cases, social workers are required to demonstrate certain behaviours as outlined in the code of practice. For example, the Code of Practice of the Australian Association of Social Workers requires its members to show high levels of integrity (2010). However, social workers are expected to demonstrate critical thinking and wisdom in deciding which actions to take when faced with ethical dilemmas. Therefore, codes of practice are arguably simply guides. Power Dynamics between Social Workers and Clients and Ways of Balancing this Relationship Social workers have some form of power, by nature of their expertise and/or position, over clients when working with the latter. They may exercise this power without knowledge, which would hurt relationship with their clients. As Jupp notes, respectful use of power is the foundation for collaborative relationship between social workers and clients (2005). Overly use of power may lead to client oppression. For example, front-line workers in child protection may find themselves directly or indirectly oppressing parents with the aim of safeguarding the rights of children. On the other hand, giving clients too much power may prevent the social worker from achieving the desired goal. For example, allowing parents to make decisions they consider appropriate may hinder front-line workers on children welfare from safeguarding interests of children such as administering immunisations. Therefore, striking a balance is extremely necessary for effective social work. Social workers can balance power dynamics and consequently maintain collaborative relationships with clients through several ways. One way is by being aware of biases that one may have over a group of clients and consequently avoiding such biases when dealing with clients (Cameron et al., 2013). The second method is by discussing with parents on an open and transparent manner on power dynamics in client-worker relationship (Cameron et al., 2013). For example, a client can explain relevant policies and their implication. This way, duo will agree on a working strategy that will promote positive outcomes. Conclusion My communication style is not the best for dealing with clients. Therefore, I should work towards being assertive. I should also develop active listening skills. Effective communication is necessary for a social worker in establishing good relationships with clients not only in ensuring that each party understand one another, but also in balancing power dynamics. Values and ethics guide the behaviours and conduct of social workers with the primary aim of ensuring that they achieve the main goal of social work, which is to promote the wellbeing of the society. Although Codes of Conduct for Social workers’ organisations outline what is expected of their members, social workers are supposed to engage in critical thinking especially when faced with ethical dilemmas when dealing with clients. References Australian Association of Social Workers. (2010). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.aasw.asn.au/practitioner-resources/code-of-ethics British Association of Social Workers. (2014). The code of ethics for social work. Retrieved from https://www.basw.co.uk/codeofethics/ Canadian Association of Social Workers. (2005). Code of ethics. Retrieved from http://www.casw-acts.ca/en/what-social-work/casw-code-ethics Cameron, G., Fine, M., Maiter, S., Frensch, K., & Freymond, N. (2013). Creating positive systems of child and family welfare: congruence with the everyday lives of children and parents. London: University of Toronto Press. Cournoyer, B. R. (2008). The social work skills workbook (5th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Higher Education. Cyna, A. M., Andrew, M. I., Tan, S. G., & Smith, A. F. (2010). Handbook of communication in anaesthesia & critical care: A practical guide to exploring the art. OUP Oxford. Hardcastle, D. A., Powers, P. R., & Wenocur, S. (2011). Community practice: Theories and skills for social workers (3rd ed.). Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Jupp, V. (2005). Issues of power in social work practice in mental health services for people from Black and minority ethnic groups. Critical Social Work, 6(1). Retrieved from http://www1.uwindsor.ca/criticalsocialwork/issues-of-power-in-social-work-practice-in-mental-health-services-for-people-from-black-and-minority Tannsjo, T. (2008). Understanding Ethics: An introduction to moral theory (2nd ed.). Edinburgh University Press. Thompson, N. (2011). Effective communication: A guide for the people professions (2nd ed.). Palgrave Macmillan. Weiten, W., Dunn, D. S., & Hammer, E. Y. (2015). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustment in the 21st century. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning. Wachter, A. (2014). How to stop an argument in its tracks. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrea-wachter/conscious-relationships_b_4555380.html Read More