Competency One
Demonstrate Ethical and Professional Behavior
Throughout my time as a BSW, I have shown immense growth and self-awareness not only in the field but in my courses as well. When faced with dilemmas, I apply what I have learned and review different outcomes to find the best way to handle the situation. I strive to seek out supervision when dealing with these situations. I have followed the NASW Code of Ethics and represented Southern Adventist University’s School of Social Work not only in the community as a professional but in my personal life as well.
Practice Behaviors
1.1: Develop a practice framework for analysis of complex environments, that is ethical, value-grounded, and evidence-based.
Field Evidence: When working with the Chattanooga Eviction Prevention Initiative, I was faced with some ethical dilemmas involving the safety of myself and my clients. After supervision with my field instructor when creating my learning plan, Reamer and Conrad’s Ethical Decision Making Model was brought to my attention. After researching the model, I created a step-by-step plan to deal with ethical decision-making with my clients. This step-by-step plan can be viewed by clicking on the link below.
Ethical Decision Making with Clients
1.2: Implement supervisory and self-care strategies that integrate professional strengths, limitations, and challenges.
Field Evidence: When working with people in crisis it is hard to feel gratitude when each step feels like two steps backward and no tangible progress is made for what feels like weeks and weeks. I struggled a lot with feeling like I was making no progress in the lives of my clients for a long time in my work with the Eviction Prevention Program. It was recommended to me by my peer and my field instructor that I begin journaling to help me process what I was doing and how I was helping my clients. Taking just a few minutes each day to write down the small things that clients said to me, or that I was able to do towards their goals. This process allowed me to start looking at my work in a positive way, reducing the anxiety and stress that was building up from the bigger, more tangible goals that were not being met as quickly as we had hoped they would. I do not wish to share my personal journal, as there is confidential information and comments I hold very dear. However, below is a link to the platform I used to increase my gratitude and maintain a healthy mindset when working with my clients.
Please click here to download HappyFeed and start your own gratitude journal.
1.3: Exhibit commitment to professional growth through continuing education, supervision, and ongoing consultation.
Academic Evidence: Each week as part of the SAU School of Social Work MSW Field Practicum setting, we are required to have one hour of supervision with our field instructor. During these weekly supervisions, case updates are presented along with issues or concerns we are having in our work with our clients and our practicum. Alongside our weekly supervision, we are required to write journals to document what is going on in our practicum and have a place to write down our thoughts to discuss during supervision. There were many weeks that my field instructor used supervision to help me work through cases that seemed at a standstill and determine what steps to take next to best help my clients. Below is a screenshot of one of my weekly journal entries, specifically the supervision section.
1.4: Demonstrate professional oral and written communication skills.
Field Evidence: As a professional social worker it is important to advocate for our clients. In doing this it is important to maintain professionalism when working with others and trying to make progress for your clients. I had the honor of writing a Letter to the Editor advocating for change with the housing market to keep rental properties locally owned for the best interest of tenants and landlords. Please view my LOE below.
Skills Used: Through the completion of the aforementioned practice behaviors I demonstrated professional written and oral communication, self-reflection, self-growth, and commitment to my clients and my career.
Knowledge Presented: With the fulfillment of this competency I maintained constant communication with my peers, colleagues, and field instructor for supervision and guidance. I was challenged every step of the way with ethical dilemmas and self-growth. I utilized Reamer and Conrad’s Ethical Decision Making Model to create my own process for dealing with professional ethical dilemmas and was able to utilize this on multiple occasions through my practicum.
Values Presented: When working with clients and other tasks during my time with the Eviction Prevention Program I demonstrated social work core values. I was able to demonstrate competence and when I was unsure or needed further guidance, I turned to my field instructor for supervision and research for best practices. I was able to demonstrate integrity by making confidentiality and my client’s safety the highest priority of my work. I had every client sign a confidentiality form before completing their intake and by doing this my clients were able to practice their right to self-determination of what was disclosed to me in our meetings.
Cognitive Processes: While demonstrating this competency I used critiquing (evaluation domain) with every ethical dilemma I was faced with. I had to use evidence-based models, Reamer and Conrad’s Ethical Decision Making Model, and analyze the situation to make the best judgment for those involved. I also used producing (creation domain) when creating my own step-by-step guide to ethical decision-making to use with clients.
Affective Processes: Through creating (organizational domain) my ethical decision-making plan I also had to examine and clarify (organizational domain) the situations I was working through to determine the best course of action with minimal negative consequences. By doing this, I was able to judge and resolve (characterization domain) the ethical dilemmas and show my growth and competence as an advanced practitioner.
Theoretical Foundation: Self-Monitoring Behavior Theory states that some people care more about what others think, and look to how others react to their behavior and actions. Through my demonstration of Competency One, this theory played an important role in how I worked and helped my clients. When I knew I was working hard, and not making nearly as much progress as I had hoped for with my client’s cases, I was self-conscious and very hard on myself. By understanding the self-monitoring behavior theory, I was able to improve my mindset and thus my work with my clients by not focusing on what others thought of what I was doing. I kept a gratitude journal, had amazing supervision with my field instructor and relied on the feedback of my clients and their needs to push me forward and get the job done.