Social workers seek to engage with diverse individuals, groups, and communities, recognizing the value of these interactions in building rapport. When engaging with people in a micro, mezzo, and macro level, social workers apply principles from their knowledge of human behavior and the social environment. With this knowledge, social workers utilize different techniques of engaging people in order to improve best practice. Social workers maintain self-awareness regarding how their experiences and subsequent responses can impact interactions with clients. Social workers prioritize building relationships with colleagues and clients they work with through professionally and positively engaging.
6A – Examine evidence-based practices to prepare for professional engagement across system.
During Advanced Interventions with Groups, I reviewed evidence-based practices and techniques for facilitating group therapy. During the class, I demonstrated my knowledge of this by recording a practice session with pseudo clients. One theoretical foundation that is relevant to group therapy the Social Norms Theory. Within this theory, it is explained that every group forms norms, which function as unspoken rules. The group then maintains these rules through overt or covert measures. When facilitating group therapy, it is essential to keep this in mind and to intentionally seek to establish healthy group norms. In order to accomplish this, I had to utilize active listening and group management skills.
While completing my practicum at Parkridge Valley Child & Adolescent, I attended the treatment team meeting and took notes of the evidence-based practices that were discussed during these meetings. I compiled a list of the different concepts that I learned. On an affective level, I mostly demonstrated receiving the information. On a cognitive level, I demonstrated understanding as I sought to understand the information that I took note of and organized into a list.
6B – Engage with systems utilizing evidence-based practice strategies.
For Advanced Administration Prac:Admin/Ldship, I worked with a group to develop a plan for starting an organization. My group chose to create an organizational proposal for an organization that provides adventure therapy to adolescents who struggle with anxiety or depression. Adventure therapy is an evidence-based practice strategy and appeals to some more than traditional psychotherapy settings. Some are more open to engaging in an adventure therapy setting than they would be in a traditional talk or group therapy setting. Values that are demonstrated in this are service and integrity. Utilizing evidence-based practice strategies when engaging with clients helps to ensure that treatment plans are made with the clients’ best interest in mind. The evidence-based approaches also add integrity to chosen methods of engaging.
While completing my practicum at Parkridge Valley Child & Adolescent, I had the opportunity to facilitate a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Group. In preparation for this group, I reviewed and utilized several evidence-based activities. I often utilized handouts, such as this one. The handout helped the participants practice cognitive behavioral therapy, which is a well-known evidence based strategy. In order to accomplish this, I had to apply the knowledge of evidence-based practice strategies that I had learned. In order to learn these, I had to know where to look for the information.