As a competent social worker I will utilize the Social Work Code of Ethics to guide my practice at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels and will adhere to the standards of ethical and professional behavior as set forth by my work setting or agency. I will also ensure that I am familiar with relevant laws and regulations that may impact clinical practice. Applying critical thinking to ethical frameworks will impact my practice, research, and policy. I will distinguish between personal values and professional values and ensure that professional values are engaged when in clinical practice. In my social work practice, I will call to mind the history of the profession and how interprofessional teams are activated. I will also work to advance my knowledge base to stay current on effective changes to clinical practice. Finally, I will stay informed about emerging forms of technology, how they can be used in clinical practice, and how to safeguard records within technology for ethical use.
1.1 Developed a Practice Framework for Analysis of Complex Environments that is Ethical, Value-grounded, and Evidence-based
In generalist social work practice I have developed a practice framework for analysis of complex environments that includes considering the dignity and worth of the person, advocating for patients on the basis of social justice considerations, recognizing the value of human relationships and working to enhance them, serving with integrity in every aspect of my practice, and ensuring the patients are able to benefit from my competence and professional expertise in aiding patients with the solutions that will best meet their needs in a manner that coincides with their values and ideals. Solutions will be self-directed by the patient after a menu of options have been presented. This framework takes into consideration the NASW Code of Ethics* and the Reamer’s Ethical Decision-making Framework**.
Course Evidence: In SOCW 632-Psychopathology, Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis, I applied self awareness and self-regulation to mitigate the potential for personal biases to affect generalist practice. I applied ethical priniciples and professional standards in the menu of decisions that I faced and which I would present to prospective clients or patients. Finally, I reflected on and had an awareness of the personal biases that I needed to prevent from impacting my social work practice on behalf of clients who hold their own set of beliefs and values. It was in that context that I would present the assessments and diagnoses and proposed treatment plans on behalf of mock-clients in mock scenarios.
*NASW Code of Ethics: https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English
**Reamers Ethical Decision-making Framework: Reamers Ethical Decision Making Framework.pdf (northwoodtech.edu)
1.2 Implemented Supervisory and Self-care Strategies that Integrate Professional Strengths, Limitations, and Challenges
For me, implementing supervisory and self-care strategies help me to perform to the best of my ability in a professional manner and with an eye for preventing burnout within my field of service. Recognizing the strengths that I bring to generalist practice helps me to excell in those areas and take pride in my work, while my limitations help me to recognize areas in which certain skills need to be strengthened for increased competence as a social work practitioner. Finally, challenges that arise in social work practice are an opportunity to face the challenges head on, reviewing the skills and strengths that I have ready at my disposal, while also recognizing whether there are other skills I need to develop in order to best meet the needs of clients/patients. It also involves humility in recognizing that sometimes referring clients/patients to another practioner may be in their best interest.
Field Experience: In my internship I have demonstrated an integration of skills that I have learned from supervisors in terms of conducting assessments, reaching out to providers for triage, and working with other systems to aid in creating a plan of care in a manner that is consistent with how each case should be followed up, per organization policy. In terms of self-care, my supervisor has encouraged me to feel free to take time off, as needed, provided that I comply with weekly hour requirements as provided by Southern Adventist University. Communication regarding any time off has been a key to ensuring that our office would not be negatively affected by my absence, if my help were relied upon.
Becoming too entrenched in other people’s stories or sharing personal testimonials does not help to ensure that counter-transferrance will not occur and that I will be able to continue helping clients. To promote self-care I must learn to disengage from experiences at work so that I will be able to serve the greatest number of people possible by empowering them to make their own choices and chart their own paths forward. Additionally, I completed a self-care assessment to guide my experience going forward.
1.3 Exhibited Commitment to Professional Growth through Continuing Education, Supervision, and Ongoing Consultation
I recognize that professional growth includes an ongoing learning experience such that I view myself as a learner that is continuing to grow in my craft. Continuing education courses following graduation will ensure that I stay current on best practices in social work and continue to improve on the methods I use in practice so that they meet the demands of society in the best possible way with evidence-based practices. Currently, I find supervision to be a safety net in ensuring that my practice during my internship meets or exceeds expected outcomes in social work practice. Supervision ensures oversight so that clients and patients are well served. Additionally, my ongoing consultation with experienced practitioners regarding scenarios I may face will allow for interoffice collaboration regarding services rendered and in early in my career will especially help me to learn vicariously through the experiences of others rather than needing to learn everything firsthand independently. Learning from others through ongoing consultation with those of greater experience requires humility in practice and eagerness to respect and learn from others.
Field Experience: In my field experience, I am regularly learning through my current MSW courses and seeking to learn information learned to current practice. I also store certain gems of knowledge away in my mind for potential future use, as needed. I am currently supervised by my fieldwork instructor and the other MSWs on staff that are able to guide me in how to handle certain scenarios and how to work with a multiplicity of systems to help patients achieve the greatest outcomes based upon the paths they wish to pursue for treatment of mental health challenges. I also consult daily with cohorts in the field regarding the correct disposition to recommend to the provider given the symptoms expressed and which traits that the patient expressed are most important to relay to the provider during a telephone triage. I learn so much from others and feel confident that there is always the opportunity to learn from others with greater experience if pride does not get in the way.
Coursework Experience: SOCW 664 informed this competency. In that course, we were encouraged to become proficient in understanding various mental health conditions and how to diagnose them in order to provide professional conduct. Attacked is a final case history project that was completed given a set of circumstances and mapping out the symptoms and criteria that led me to the diagnosis that I arrived at.
1.4 Demonstrated Professional Oral & Written Communication Skills
I endeavor to ensure that my oral and written communication skills reflect the high standard of ethics that I personally hold to and in keeping with my worldview. Orally, these skills are reflected in kind, caring, considerate, and interested verbal skills, as well as the ability to gently share the options available to the client/patient given their circumstances. It would be hoped that my oral skills would help to calm a nervous or anxious client and help them to feel heard and cared for in practice. My written communication skills draw on my years of writing papers at the AP level in high school and my continued practice of writing well-developed papers from undergrad forward. My written communication style takes the form that is needed, with a strong emphasis on English skills.
Field Experience: At my practicum location, I presented a Power Point presentation based upon my findings from my Special Project to the Supervisor of the department and the Associate Supervisor who I am in regular communication with. In the presentation I demonstrated professional oral skills and written skills in the text found on my Power Point slides. Attached is my Power Point presentation.
Knowledge: The knowledge that I incorporated in this competency included a knowledge of how to approach people with KINDNESS and RESPECT which I had gained from several summers as a CANVASSER. Additionally, my WRITING and ORAL skills were a direct result of PUBLIC SPEAKING COURSES I had taken and the product of years of honing my ENGLISH SKILLS from countless courses throughout the years. Knowledge related to COMPUTER usage was gained over the course of years, but for my internship, using HOSPITAL COMPUTER SOFTWARE for taking notes I developed this year.
Values: In order to complete this competency, I had to reflect upon the values of DIGNITY and WORTH OF PERSONS, RESPECT for others, COMPETENCY, and INTEGRITY. When I interacted with clients, it was important that I do so in a competent manner that reflected the training that I had received and skills that I had learned in my classes. Additionally, I need to illustrate that I had respect for my clients, understood their dignity and worth, and treated the information they shared with me with the greatest integrity, which included respecting confidentiality of the personal things they shared within the boundaries of the confidentiality agreement.
Skills: This competency required me to utilize LISTENING skills, the ability to RECALL information, and the ability to DOCUMENT ACURATELY what I was being told in order for the doctor to provide the correct disposition for the patient. Additionally, COMPUTER SKILLS were also a necessary component to my work.
Cognitive Processes: In the completion of this competency, I had to RECOGNIZE the information that was most useful to determine the path forward. Additionally, this information would need to be PARAPHRASED for clarity to ensure I was receiving the correct information and later SYNTHASIZED into a SUMMARY that would give the physician an accurate accounting of the most important information that was shared.
Affective Processes: It was especially important in this competency that I LISTEN, NOTICE important information, and CHOOSE the correct information to relay to the physician.
Theoretical Foundation: The theoretical foundation that most useful in this competency includes the PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT THEORY, because the information that I am gathering in my initial encounters and assessments with patients is a bio-psycho-social assessment that will help me to get a well-rounded picture of the problem that the patient is experiencing and how we can best meet their needs, given the totality of their life experiences. It is so important to study the whole person in the process of completing an assessment.