Reflective Journaling on Bachelor of Social Work - Case Study Example

REFLECTIVE JOURNALING ON BACHELOR OF SOCIAL WORK By Reflective Journaling on Bachelor of Social Work Professional Skills Group organizational skills, basic financial management, leadership, and interpersonal skills are some of the necessary professional skills in the role of co-facilitating groups from a social work (Resnikoff, 2000, p. 117). These skills are necessary in ensuring efficient management of the varied aspects of social work. Other skills that may be necessary are project management, monitoring, and evaluation. Quite often, the task of group organization will entail the coordination of various activities at the core of the group’s mission and objectives. The nature of organization will determine the degree of effectiveness and efficiency that would be attained by the group (Miller, 2005, p. 68). In usual cases, the type of organization will be determined by the nature of work in which the group is involved. Leadership skills are required in order to harmonize and streamline the people and processes within the organization to the desired ends of the project (Miller, 2005). Leadership will essentially require some kind of structure within, which the group will be run. For example, it requires the distribution of power in terms of hierarchies and the distribution of roles in the group. An awareness of basic financial management skills is necessary to help the co-facilitator in the task of controlling and interpreting the monetary aspects of social work processes of the group. Of particular importance are skills involved in budgeting, financial planning, regulation of expenses, and management of any revenues and incomes that may relate with the type of social work. Besides, the task of co-facilitation usually entails the day-to-day management of programs. Program planning, management, and evaluation are crucial processes in the co-facilitation of social groups particularly because they entail the attainment of certain set objectives within a limited range of time. Challenging in Managing Differences Differences in the levels of expertise and differences in remunerations are some of the matters that will always pose challenges in communication. Equally, differences in matters of cultural background, socio-economic statuses, and culture may not be handles easily in regular discourse (Hohman, 2011, p. 155). Regarding the variations in the levels of expertise, the dynamics have to be handled in such a manner that does not distinguish between, or create schisms between the highly qualified experts and the supportive staff. While acknowledging the inevitability of the differences in the matters of skills and professionalism it is nevertheless instructive to note the success levels of social works is significantly dependent on the manner in which the different groups morph into one singular harmonious unit for the purposes of unity. Other differences such those related to culture have the capacity of creating divisions within the social group in ways that could prove inimical to the interests and objectives of the group (Hohman, 2011). While it is generally possible to engage with differences that relate to matters of opinion, some opinions that are founded in cultural factors, religious, and ideological differences may pose significant challenges in the course of co-facilitating the work of a given social group. It might be necessary to imagine the kind of arrangement in which barriers that relate to emotive divisions like rival clans are handled with specific objectives of achieving some sense of parity. In the usual discourse, the purpose of a social group is to foster a kind of working relationship that responds appropriately with matters of class and harmony. In this manner, it becomes important to consider some of the issues that must be included in the general operational structure for the purpose of achieving the requisite element of order. Professional Values for Families under Stress Service to humanity is the most appropriate professional value for a social worker engaged with a family that is burdened with stress. Families may be burdened with stress due to multiple factors. Some of the stress could be caused by physical or psychological pain. Such a family is, in effect, deprived of the basic comfort and composure that all humanity is entitled to (Sue, 2005). Therefore, all forms of interventions by the social worker should be addressed towards the objective of reclaiming the family from the stressful situation in order to elevate it to the level of humanity. As such, service to humanity is one of the most important values that would apply in such a situation. The relevance of this value is to be found further in the discourses that address themselves to empathic interventions for situations that decelerate to the levels of humanity. Often, stress is dehumanizing in the sense that it denies the subject the necessary comfort and happiness. A mismatch between the right kind of value for the social worker and the situation in question would not yield the appropriate kind of response for the situation. In general terms, humanitarian values are meant to promote the kind of interventions that address themselves to the plight of humanity (Sue, 2005). A family in stress involves the suffering of more than one individual. The people who suffer in that situation could comprise of both adults and children. On this score, the most suitable value is service to humanity because of the numbers involved and the specialized kind of therapy that may be required to redress the situation. Family Therapy Alderian Family Therapy is one of the most significant therapies that I consider the most appropriate. This is because it is designed in ways that recognize the value of an individual as a whole participant within the family. This therapy provides the means by which individuals disturbed by various kinds of complexes might redeem themselves sufficiently to manage complex situations (Walsh, 2010). In the usual sense, Alderian therapy is founded on the need to counter some of the psycho-analytic factors that often represent themselves in terms of inferiority complexes. It seeks to redeem the self-image of an individual within the family setting. In many cases, this therapy is considered in line with the recognition of the different kinds of forces that determine the distribution of power within the family (Walsh, 2010). Due, to various inherent variables, families may increasingly perceive themselves in different ways due to various issues that relate to the power and roles. As such, individuals who feel themselves at the lower levels of real or imagined hierarchies tend to withdraw or adopt rebellious attitudes in response to the emergent fears within their being. As a result, it becomes important to rescue such individuals from feelings of inadequacy by setting for them certain goals for which they will endlessly struggle. This strategy has the effect of instilling a sense of importance in the individuals by promoting the restoration of the individual. The act of pursuing these goals becomes some kind of a symbolic struggle towards the reclamation of the self. The effectiveness of this therapy could be assessed from the fact that it stretches beyond the immediate problem to the long-term development of character. Professional Knowledge At a personal level, I feel inclined to the pursuit and practice of professional knowledge about social work. I relate closely with some of the theoretical perspectives, which have expanded my comprehension of various matters and discourses that involve social work. The application of the acquired skills for the improvement of the conditions of the society in general and individuals in particular are some of the objectives that I must seek in the field of practice. In general terms, I find the intervention in matters of family therapy as one of the matters that evoke my sentiments towards service to humanity. My belief is that humanity and societies all around the world are faced daily with challenges that require urgent interventions. Some of the problems that are witnessed in the present day could be traced to unsolved issues that remain resident and germinate within the fabric of the society over a long period of time. Due to this reason, it should be the duty of every social worker to apply the acquired knowledge and skills towards redeeming the society from these resident dangers. Human beings require frequent interventions in various matters that threaten the state of their welfare. These interventions should occur both at the individual and societal level. The merit of social workers is to diagnose intervene appropriately to all such matters, which may evade the attention of the formal structures in the society. The nature of modern lives is that it is fraught with multiple instabilities with symptoms ranging from dysfunctional to disintegrated families. Knowledgeable and skilful application of the intervention processes would help alleviate the challenges. Professional Gaps In my considered view, I would contend that the kind of knowledge, skills, and values that have been acquired so far are sufficient in engaging the field of practice. Equally I feel that the learning processes, theories and methods as presently constituted are quite appropriate in engaging with the challenges of the field. Overall, the knowledge, skills, and values encompass a whole range of issues that fall naturally within the study area. Even then, I would add that more resources are needed in expanding the scope of the field in order to respond appropriately with the dynamic nature of the practical field. While the learning models have remained largely static, the practical world has kept shifting in ways that would require further exploration and testing of facts. More practical approaches must be conducted with the view of expanding the practice of the field on the level that would be commensurate with external realities. Learning is a continuous process and must always involve the testing of skills and the search of new evidence. Some of the issues that appertain to the field of social practice include the realization of some of the emergent global forces that have altered social realities (Sue, 2005; Dolgoff, Loewenberg & Harrington, 2011). Innovations in the field of information technology have expanded the fields of communication to capture various issues that relate to practical matters. The same innovations have brought about new challenges that would require fresh strategies and techniques or the refinement of existing ones. Summary In sum, the issues explored provide some resourceful glimpse into some of the pertinent matters that concern the practice of social work and family therapy in terms of the skills, knowledge, and values. Certain skills and theories may apply appropriately to certain discourses than others. Generally, the efficiency in the application of these theories is primarily determined on the nature of a case, the people involved and the levels efficiency as may be required by the situation. An important issue that has been explored relates to the kind of skills that may be required by a co-facilitator in the course of dispensing his or her duties. Some of these skills are general while others have a specific nature. The kind of skills that require specific attention are those that relate to the more technical aspects of leadership such as financial management and the application of evaluation and monitoring process. In the usual cases, it might be argued that tasks such as leadership could be developed in the field of practice although some technical aspects of leadership must be learnt within in a regulated and professional manner. Notably, social work is dynamic and engaging. The handling of human subjects requires a higher level of preparedness in dealing with the various issues that relate to social work. By nature, human beings may be unpredictable and could hide their true feelings when faced with various challenges (Hepworth, et al, 2012). It would therefore require the application of the most appropriate strategies for the task of diagnosing and determining the course of action when presented with a given challenge. Certain complex challenges may require highly technical skills and higher levels of competence. Another important realization regards the ability of the social worker to engage with the fluid nature of the field of practice. The field of practice may present challenging situations that defy some of the learnt skills and knowledge. This would then call for the application of good judgment in the resolving of the matters as they present themselves in such situations. It is within this context that social workers should awaken to the possibility of professional gaps and challenges. Probably, such would require the engagement of research studies for the purposes of establishing the causes as they present themselves within specific dimensions. An important area that has also been explored in this study relates to matters of intervening in family situations. Such interventions usually require an awareness of the general picture and the particularity of the situation (Zastrow, 2009, p. 171). The priority within which family matters are regarded must be understood from the perspective that the family unit is fundamental to the society. Therefore, such interventions must be understood within the light of various aspects of life that relate with the problems in all their multiple presentations. The study also presents a range of intervention therapies that have to be engaged in the course of resolving some of the pertinent family challenges. Generally, this discussion focuses on the efficacy of the knowledge and skills that are required in the intervention of various matters of social concern. The modern world presents dynamic social challenges that require the application of various matters in order to challenge. On this score, it would be appropriate to relate the substance of the discussion in the context of the various methods and strategies that apply to the entire discourse of social work. It total, social work requires efficient and effective application of knowledge, skills, and values to various situations, which the chief aim of attaining a certain positive end. Works Cited Dolgoff, R, Loewenberg, F, M & Harrington, D 2011, Ethical Decisions for Social Work Practice, Cengage Learning, London. Hepworth, D, H, et al, 2012, Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills, Cengage Learning, London. Hohman, M 2011, Motivational Interviewing in Social Work Practice, Guilford Press, London. Miller, L 2005, Counselling Skills for Social Work, SAGE, London. Resnikoff, R 2000, Bridges for Healing: Integrating Family Therapy and Psychopharmacology, Psychology Press, New York. Sue, D, W 2005, Multicultural Social Work Practice, John Wiley & Sons, New York. Walsh, J 2010, Theories for Direct Social Work Practice, Cengage Learning, London. Zastrow, C 2009, The Practice of Social Work: A Comprehensive Worktext, Cengage Learning, London. Read More