Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior 

Social workers hold themselves to the professional standards and ethics that are valued in the profession. These ethics impact the way that social workers perform in the areas of micro, mezzo, and macro practice. In regards to policy, research, and practice, social workers are responsible for making ethical decisions and recognizing the differences in personal and professional values and frameworks of practice. The history of social work is understood by all and the mission of social work is highly valued. Social workers strive to be self-aware and realize that personal experiences can influence their work and professional behavior. Social workers collaborate together with other agencies to provide the appropriate services for clients and establish connections between agencies. Understanding the importance of life-long learning is a crucial aspect of social work as well as the ethical use of technology.

PRACTICE BEHAVIORS: 

1A – Develop a practice framework for analysis of complex environments, that is ethical, value-grounded, and evidenced-based.

Academic Evidence: During my Advanced Administration I class, we were required to complete a Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) training on “Responsible Conduct of Research”. The content in this training included how to perform ethical research studies, the use of human subjects, conflicts of interests, as well as many other areas.

Other Evidence: Ethics is a huge part of what social work is. We, as social workers, have a code of ethics that we stand by throughout our careers and beyond. In my second “Trauma and Emergency Management” emphasis class, we were challenged to critically think beyond what we were used to. One topic that challenged me to think about my personal and professional ethics is the topic of euthanasia. In this class, we had to write a discussion post and critically analyze our thoughts and framework of the ethical, legal, and moral dilemmas that the case scenario provided.

1B – Implement supervisory and self-care strategies that integrate professional strengths, limitations, and challenges.

Academic Evidence: Self-care is very crucial to any helping professional field. Understanding what works for us and recognizing that it is okay for our needs to change over time is an important part of growing. In a presentation for my first “Trauma and Emergency Management” emphasis class, I ended the PowerPoint discussing the importance of self-care, what different types of self-care look like, and I provided my personal self-care plan.

Other Evidence: During my time at the Chattanooga Autism Center, I had one client on my caseload that was very difficult for me. My job was to provide cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to patients assigned to me. One client in particular seemed to be more difficult for me to connect with, reach, and feel like I was making a difference. I struggled internally with this case a lot and documented it in my SONIA journal as well as discussed the details of this case with my supervisor in depth.

1C – Exhibit commitment to professional growth through continuing education, supervision, and ongoing consultation.

Field Evidence: After completing half of my required hours for my practicum placement, my field instructor and field liaison sat down and met with me to discuss my progress. We discussed areas that I was excelling in, challenges that I was currently facing, and what other support I needed in order to succeed. During my field liaison visit, I realized how important this process of self-reflection is. We discussed some of the activities, thoughts, and emotions that I had mentioned in my journals and it was very rewarding to talk through these things with them. They both challenged me, encouraged me, and uplifted me for my work at the center. Weekly supervision became a crucial part of my time at my practicum placement. I learned so much just from sitting and talking with my supervisor. Here is a journal recording of one of my supervision meetings with my field instructor. Each week we would sit down and discuss my caseload, various projects that I was working on, and how I was doing as a person. This proved to be very beneficial to me.

Other Evidence: I had the opportunity to attend a “Safer Churches Workshop” by Sarah McDugal. This was a training that touched on abuse in churches and how we can recognize and steps to prevent it. This workshop challenged me to think and reflect on how I can apply these strategies in my own life and take them to my own church. I learned how easily this topic is overlooked in churches and the importance of having these conversations with those around you. I thoroughly enjoyed attending these meetings and support the message that was given.

1D – Demonstrate professional oral and written communication skills.

Academic Evidence: In my first “Trauma and Emergency Management” emphasis class, we were each tasked with creating a traumatic brain injury (TBI) brochure. This assignment allowed me to use my creative and professional skills to portray this important information to someone who may not know about TBI.

Field Evidence: Throughout this year I was a part of the Spectrum Playhouse committee. This is an initiative between the Chattanooga Autism Center (CAC) and the Ensemble Theater of Chattanooga (ETC) to not only bring awareness about autism through theater to the community but to also incorporate individuals on the autism spectrum into theater productions. The goal of Spectrum Playhouse is to run a theater summer camp for children with autism. I was able to create a Spectrum Playhouse handout for our kick-off event that was to take place in March.

Other Evidence: At my practicum placement, I was tasked with answering phones as well as calling patients to remind them of their upcoming appointments. Through this, I was able to talk with many individuals and educate them on the resources in our community. I helped sign people up for our waitlist and sometimes just listened to their stories. Here is an example of my phone call script I used when making reminder calls to patients about their future appointments.