Social workers understand that engagement is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with and on behalf of individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
Social workers value the importance of human relationships. Social workers understand theories of human behavior and person-in-environment and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to facilitate engagement with clients and constituencies, including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. Social workers are self-reflective and understand how bias, power, and privilege as well as their personal values and personal experiences may affect their ability to engage effectively with diverse clients and constituencies. Social workers use the principles of inter-professional collaboration to facilitate engagement with clients, constituencies, and other professionals as appropriate
Social workers:
a. apply knowledge of human behavior and person-in-environment, as well as inter-professional conceptual frameworks, to engage with clients and constituencies; and
b. use empathy, reflection, and interpersonal skills to engage in culturally responsive practice with clients and constituencies.
Engagement is the link to connecting with who we serve. As a social worker, it is necessary to uphold the significance of human relationships, dynamics of all kinds, and human behavior in the social environment. When practicing, the use of empathy and self-reflection is necessary in order to improve my methods of and remove bias. I feel challenged in the sense that I am going to make mistakes but this is necessary in order to progress this competency and this is a part of learning. I am motivated because the learning process in social work always involves failure and learning from those failures. This competency engages me because it outlines the first step of working for change. This can be challenging, though, because an error made at this point may taint a relationship. I will continue to refine my skills of engagement by approaching any mistakes I make with open and humble communication. I will engage with people by treating each person with the same level of dignity and respect, acknowledging the lived experience and authority of individuals in their own lives.
Evidences
Coursework:
This was a class assignment from Practice with Families and Groups in my Junior year. We were tasked to lead a group facilitation on our own using a specific psychoeducational curriculum called “Reality Ride”. My group consisted of pseudo-clients (my classmates) that posed as 6th graders. I facilitated a conversation that was focused on mental regulation and how to create steadiness for ourselves before a negative event so that we can filter as things happen to us.
This assignment helped me develop knowledge on this topic of having healthy mental regulation. I also developed skills to be able to take content that was not originally made for this age group and engage in what they were capable of understanding.
I chose this assignment because I was engaging with pseudo clients to get a real sense as to what it was like to lead a group facilitation with the skills and knowledge that I had acquired. I also had to prepare myself to engage with pseudo clients to help the engagement process flow as smoothly as possible.
Field:
This was a facilitation that I gave to Southern faculty during Black History Month through my practicum with the Office of the President. Our office wanted to celebrate and have meaningful conversations about Black History. The prompt/ agenda for this meeting was asking attendees who inspires them to be who they are in the black community, what about those people inspires them, and how have the attendees experience added to the diversity of the professional work environments they are in. This was a zoom meeting that took place with five faculty members. We had a deep conversation about the reality of working in institutions that may have not had many people of color until recent years. We also discussed what work there is to be done to ensure diversity in all aspects is maintained and continues to progress.
I developed skills and knowledge in what people of color may experience in work environments that are not as culturally and/ or racially diverse and how to engage in these spaces. I also learned what my responsibilities are when I, someone that has privilege, can utilize to assist people of diverse backgrounds in getting into positions that otherwise they may not have had the opportunity to. I engaged this with asking open-ended questions about their experience in the workplace and using reflective listening to convey understanding and empathy. I also learned, as it applies to engagement, the importance of engaging with individuals that are voicing experiences in their respective workplaces. In order to understand clearly what the experience is and possible needs, engaging with such individuals is necessary.
I chose this as this demonstrated engagement with faculty about black history and their experience as people of color in a workplace. I also feel this is appropriate as I facilitated this to learn but more importantly, hear what people of color at Southern feel is the goal and what is most important to improve upon at Southern and beyond as I am about to become a young professional in social work.
Further Evidences:
Community Service: Sleeping in Heavenly Peace
This was a community service event that took place in February where the Social Work Club participated in delivering and constructing beds for a non-profit, Sleeping in Heavenly Peace. We delivered to a total of four families that requested beds. I assisted in constructing the beds with power tools. A total of 21 volunteers were present that day.
This community service project helped me develop connections within my local Chattanooga area for future work with this non-profit. I also sat and talked with the residents that we met with and listened with empathy and warmth to understand how we could best meet their needs.
I chose this because there was direct engagement with individuals from the various communities of Chattanooga and I learned how to engage with a non-profit to meet the needs of bedding in Chattanooga. It was also a great opportunity to use the engagement skills I have learned in a school setting and apply them to a community.