Engage Diversity and Difference in Practice
As a competent social worker, I will commit to understanding my client’s diverse background, life experiences, and culture. I will inform myself through research how these factors play a key role in the person they develop into and identify as. Furthermore, I will reflect on how cultural identity affects practice and a client’s relationship with their mental health. In addition, I will use conversation with professionals and self-reflection to guide my understanding of my own personal biases so they do not influence my work with clients. Overall, while working with people I will acknowledge and celebrate diversity and individual uniqueness.
Evidence of Practice
While attending Southern Adventist University and studying for my MSW, I engaged in a variety of activities that helped me to develop and master this competency:
2.1 – Develop and implement strategies that strive to eradicate discrimination in any form
Course Evidence: During my Advanced Administration class, my assigned group created a comprehensive Organization Proposal Plan. Within this proposal, our group formulated a plan to address and promote diversity (cognitive level: analysis). We created a survey that would be implemented to the staff and volunteers to ensure a safe and culturally-informed environment. This diversity survey demonstrated my group’s commitment to implementing strategies to eradicate discrimination from the very beginning at our organization, and addressing any staff/volunteer concerns that may arise. Please see our Strategies to Address Diversity and Anonymous Diversity Survey here.
2.2 – Implement evidence-based and culturally-informed strategies with diverse populations
Field Evidence: As a part of my special project I created a 3 part mini course called “The Busy Mom’s Guide to Conquering the Anxious Brain”. The content, interventions, activities, and strategies were all designed specifically for a busy mom struggling with intrusive thinking, guilt and shame, and anxiety. With the help of my field instructor, Catie Whiting, who is a mom and perinatal mental health specialist, we have created an accessible course for the virtual motherhood community. Throughout the entire course we used evidence-based and culturally-informed activities and tools to engage with this population, but one specific instance can be found in Lesson #3. On slide 12 we teach participants about Self-discrepancy theory and how this informs us about the way mothers hold conflicting and unsustainable beliefs about themselves (affective level: valuing). Furthermore, this theory teaches us that discomfort can come from the battle mothers inwardly struggle with between their “actual” and “ideal” self. Because society sets many unrealistic standards for this population, mothers have adapted to feeling like they are never good enough since this “ideal” is impossible to reach. This is not only applicable to mothers, but to all humans as we have a tendency to set unrealistic standards for ourselves. After educating participants on this key point, we then move into our activity which teaches moms about a science-backed strategy that directs the attention towards things that are positive and achievable: Self-Affirmations.