Title: Social%20Work%20Skills
1Social Work Skills
- Introduction
- Chapters 1 and 2
2General Social Work Skills
- As a social worker,
- You will serve people in all walks of life and in
all kinds of situations. - The range of settings in which you might serve is
wide and varied. - The contexts for practice are often complex,
demanding and challenging. - Competence requires adequate knowledge, ethics,
accountability, and proficiency
3Social Work Skill...
- ... fundamental to social work practice.
4Are you in the right place?
- 47-304-01
- Tues-Thurs
- Room
- Fall 2007
If so...Welcome!
5About Me
Maritime School of Social Work
- Hail from East Coast of Canada
- Born and raised in a coal mining town
- Went to university to study philosophy
- Led to Social Work
- Led to Education
- Ended in academia
- Been here for 30 years
6About Each Other?
- Class Exercise
- Break into groups of 2
- Introduce one another
- Tell person one true statement about yourself and
one false statement - Have the person try and decipher which is the
false and which is the true statement
7About Us
- Opportunity to learn
- Opportunity to share
- Opportunity to grow
- Opportunity to become hands-on, competent and
confident social workers
8Point of This Course
- Come to know, understand and practice the steps
important to social work practice. - To use case examples and situations that clearly
illustrate the essential skills of social work
practice. - To work our way through summaries and
skill-building exercises, and get involved in
actual hands-on practice.
9Teaching Methodology
- Lectures accompanied by PowerPoint outlines,
class and small group discussions, and
experiential activities. - My responsibility
- Provide content, and to provide the structure and
opportunities to learn. - Your responsibility
- To learn to be actively engaged in class, to be
curious about new ideas, to be willing to try new
skills, to ask questions when needed, and to
complete all assignments (including assigned
reading).
10Course Work and Grading
- Refer to Course Outline
- Assignments
- Tests
- Multiple Choice
- Attendance
- Participation
11This Class RULES!
- Respect for Self
- Do your best
- Positively participate in all classroom
activities - Respect for Others
- Stay on task without disturbing or distracting
others - Avoid put downs or harass others
- Respect other peoples differences and opinions
- Respect for School
- Raise hand to speak
- Enter and exit the room quietly
- Complete all assignments on time
- Actively listen when others are speaking
12 Course Text The Social Work Skills
Workbook Barry. R. Cournoyer
Available in BOOKSTORE
13- Up to here for Thus. Sept. 6th
14Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Professionalism
- Ethical Decision Making
- Talking and Listening
- Preparing
- Beginning
- Exploring
- Assessing
- Contracting
- Working and Evaluating
- Ending
- Appendices
15Student Resources
- Text Resources
- http//infotrac.thomsonlearning.com/
- Student Support Resources
- http//www.uwindsor.ca/support
- Student Development and Support
- http//www.uwindsor.ca/sds
- Student Counselling Center
- http//www.uwindsor.ca/scc
16Chapter 1
17Chapter Purpose
- The Purpose of this chapter will be to
- Discuss breadth and complexity of social work
practice - Define and discuss the concept of social work
skill - Discuss the significance of social work sills
- Identify the phases or processes of social work
practice - Discuss common factors and essential facilitative
qualities for professional relationships - Discuss the purposes and functions of The Social
Work Skills Learning Portfolio - Discuss the qualities and characteristics needed
by ethical, effective social workers
18Social Workersmany the splendid role
19And the many splendid tasks
20Do you Know Where Youre Going to?
- What kind of social work would you like to
practice in the future?
21- At some point in your career as a social worker,
you might - Serve in a child protection capacity, responding
to indications that a child may be at risk of
abuse or neglect. - Help families improve their child-caring
capabilities or serve in the emergency room of a
hospital, intervening with persons and families
in crises. - Lead therapy groups for children who have been
sexually victimized or provide education and
counselling to abusive adults.
22You might also
- Aid couples whose relationships are faltering
- Help single parents who seek guidance and support
in rearing their children. - Serve persons who abuse alcohol and drugs
- Help family members who have been affected by the
substance abuse of a parent, child, spouse, or
sibling. - Work in a residential setting for youthful
offenders, a prison for adults, or a psychiatric
institution.
23You Could Even
- Help people who are in some way physically or
mentally challenged. - Serve in a school system or perhaps as a
consultant to a police department. - Function in a crisis intervention capacity for a
suicide prevention service.
24The Social workers role - a tiered approach
25Social Workers can also work in a variety of
settings
- Health and Community Services
- Health Care
- Communities
- Long-term care
- Justice
- Research
- Self-employment
- (Hick, 2002, p. 61)
26Real Life Scenario
- Listen to the following audio recording of a
client-therapy session - Write down what the issue is
- Note what techniques the therapist uses
27A RECORDED GRIEF SESSION
- MUSIC-BASED INTERVENTION
- The scenario demonstrates the strategic use of
the Music Impact Inventory Scale (MIIS) with a 48
year old grandmother who lost her grandson
accidentally last summer. Gordon was 5 years old
and drowned in the family swimming pool. This is
the six grief session that I have had with this
grandmother.
28- You may ask yourself,
- "Can I possibly learn what I need to so that I
can serve competently as a social worker in all
those places, serving such different people, and
helping them to address such complex issues?" - The answer to that question is certainly No!
- TAKE HEED THOUGH
- You can acquire expertise in those skills that
are common to social work practice
29Regardless of situation or setting
- Social workers are trained to function
- Within established codes of ethics and
professionalism - Within a holistic theoretical and practice
framework - By taking into account and working within the
person-and-situation (PAS) or person-in-environmen
t (PIE) or person-issue-situation (PIS) paradigm - By employing social work skills
30Social Work Code of Ethics
- Social workers pledge adherence as follows
- The social work profession promotes social
change, problem solving in human relationships
and the empowerment and liberation of people to
enhance well being. - Utilising theories of human behaviour and social
systems, social work intervenes at the points
where people interact with their environments.
31Person-in-environment (PIE)
- Social Work seeks to recognize both the client
(person), their environment, and the interaction
between them. - Florence Hollis (1964) PIE or "person-in-the
situation" - Stresses person's physical, social, and
psychological realities that both define and
limit that person. - Social Workers seek to examine both the personal,
and the social aspects of all 'Problems'
social/personal problems - Most intervention happens at the individual
level, with system approaches to problem solving
seek mainly to improve individual functioning.
32For Example PIE for Child
33- It is for these reasons that this 304 course is
invaluable, not only in your professional
relationships but they will help you in your own
communication skills in general - in truly understanding others, affirming their
uniqueness and celebrating their individuality
34Im a full human being. I want you to be able
to relate to me as one human being to another.
35Social Work Skill
- "the practice component that brings
- knowledge and values together and
- converts them to action as a response to
- concern and need (Johnson, 1995, p. 55),
- "a complex organization of behaviour
- directed toward a particular goal or activity"
- (Johnson, 1995, p. 431)
36(No Transcript)
37- And a "social worker's capacity to use a
- method in order to further a process
- directed toward the accomplishment of a
- social work purpose as that purpose finds
- expression in a specific program or service"
- (Smalley, 1967, p. 17).
- Skill is "the production of specific
- behaviours under the precise conditions
- designated for their use"
- (Middleman Goldberg, 1990, p. 12).
38Social Work Skill
- Circumscribed set of discrete cognitive and
behavioural actions that - Derive from social work knowledge and from social
work values, ethics, and obligations, - Are consistent with the essential facilitative
qualities, - Reflect the characteristics of professionalism,
and - Comport with a social work purpose within the
context of a phase or process of practice.
39A "social worker's skills include being
proficient in communication, assessing problems
and client workability, matching needs with
resources, developing resources, and changing
social structures" (Barker, 1995).
40Twelve skills outlined by the National
Association of Social Workers skills (NASW, 1981)
- Listen to others with understanding and purpose
- Elicit information and assemble relevant facts to
prepare a social history, assessment, and report - Create and maintain professional helping
relationships - Observe and interpret verbal and nonverbal
behavior and use knowledge of personality theory
and diagnostic methods - Engage clients (including individuals, families,
groups, and communities) in efforts to resolve
their own problems and to gain trust - Discuss sensitive emotional subjects supportively
and without being threatening
41Skills Continued
- Create innovative solutions to clients needs
- Determine the need to terminate the therapeutic
relationship - Conduct research, or interpret the findings of
research and professional literature - Mediate and negotiate between conflicting parties
- Provide inter-organizational liaison services
- Interpret and communicate social needs to funding
sources, the public, or legislators
42- The skills are derived from the tasks associated
with commonly identified phases or processes of
social work practice, the essential facilitative
qualities exhibited by most effective
professional helpers, and the fundamental
characteristics of professionalism and include
43Phases or processes of social work practice
- Preparing
- Beginning
- Exploring
- Assessing
- Contracting
- Working and evaluating
- Ending
44Common Factors Research
- A review by Asay and Lambert (1999) of six
decades of therapy outcomes and identified 4
common therapeutic factors which contribute to
successful therapeutic outcomes - 15 Model and Technique factors
- 40 Client variables and extratherapeutic
variables - 30 Therapeutic relationship factors such as
- warmth, acceptance, empathic understanding, and
client-therapist agreement - 15 expectancy and placebo effects
45(No Transcript)
46CLIENT FACTORS (40 )
- Pre-existing characteristics of the client
- Intelligence
- Personality traits
- Temperament
- Ethnic background
- Abilities
- Family size
- Family support
- Social network
- Etc.
47Who are the clients?
- Clients, like social workers, vary is several
characteristics, but with one notable exception - Most clients that seek help have reached a
point where their coping mechanisms no longer
function. - Some clients seek services because someone else
is distressed (e.g., a parent, employer, spouse,
or other family member) or because they are
referred, appointed or mandated to seek social
services - These clients tend to be less motivated than
clients - seeking help for themselves.
48Which clients tend to fare better in their
treatment outcomes?
- Clients who do their homework tend to do
better. That is, clients who complete
assignments given to them by their therapists
(e.g., keep a diary of emotions, etc.) show
better treatment outcomes. - Burns Spangler (2000) reported that depressed
patients who were homework compliant, reported
decreases in depression. - Clients who are cooperative open tend to have
better treatment outcomes than clients who are
resistant defensive. (Orlinksy, Grawe, Parks,
1994).
49RELATIONSHIP FACTORS (30 )
- Factors that influence the quality of the
- relationship between therapist and the client
- Perceived empathy
- Acceptance
- Warmth
- Confidence
- Clients selfexpression
- Etc.
50Relationship Factors The Evidence
- Krill (1986, p. xi) suggested that the
relationship between a social worker and a client
is more likely to be productive when - Worker and client like and respect each other.
- Client is clearly told what to expect and how to
contribute to the helping process. - Worker is warm, genuine, and sincere and
regularly expresses empathy about the client's
experience. - Worker and client engage in goal-directed
activities such as practice, in session tasks,
or between-session action steps. - Worker actively seeks to involve significant
persons in the client's life in the helping
process.
51- The quality of
- the therapeutic
- relationship
- between social
- worker and
- individual or
- family is critical
- to achieving
- successful
- outcomes.
52Characteristics associated with good therapists?
Clients prefer therapists with advanced training.
Advanced Training
Includes communication, relationship-building,
self-monitoring skills.
Good Interpersonal Skills
Should be able to listen to clients effectively
communicate with them.
Good Listening Ability
Genuineness, empathy, Unconditional positive
regard.
These promote rapport with the client build
trust.
53HOPE EXPECTANCY (15 )
- The expectation of the client that the therapy
will lead to positive change
54MODEL TECHNIQUE (15 )
-
- Beliefs
- Techniques
- Procedures
- Etc.
- contributing to the therapists (theoretical)
frame of reference and practice
55- Social workers have long recognized the
importance of the relationship - McNeill et al (2005) found 3 common elements
which lead to behavior change or reduction in
problem behaviors - Accurate empathy, respect or warmth and
therapeutic genuineness - Establishing a therapeutic relationship or
working alliance - An approach that is person centered, or
collaborative and client driven
56Facilitative Qualities
- The characteristics of effective helpers are
often called the facilitative qualities or the
core conditions - When consistently demonstrated by professionals,
these aid in developing and maintaining a special
rapport with their clients. - This rapport is sometimes called the helping
relationship, the working relationship,
professional rapport, or the therapeutic
alliance.
57The essential facilitative qualities become
critical because when social workers consistently
reflect these qualities, the risk of harming the
person-and-situation tends to decrease and the
probability of helping usually increases.
58Effective Helpers
- Regardless of theoretical orientation and choice
of intervention approach, effective helpers tend
to reflect common characteristics such as - Empathy
- Regard
- Authenticity
- Professionalism in their service to others.
59Empathy
- One of the Primary Skills to Master
- A process of joining in the feelings of another,
of feeling how and what another person
experiences, and feeling with another person. - It is an understanding and appreciation of the
thoughts, feelings, behaviours, experiences, and
circumstances of another human being.
60Empathetic Response
- A verbal technique that acknowledges you have
heard the clients emotional content. - No requirement to feel the emotion.
- Steps
- Identify the emotion open-ended questions
- Identify its cause
- Respond in a way that shows you understand the
connection between 1 and 2 - Why is this important?
61Empathic Listening
- A mother recalled of a time when her young
daughter invited her to come outside and play. - At first, the mother intently watched as her
daughter repeatedly hit a tether ball, but soon
began to wonder what her own role was in the
game. So she asked her daughter. - In response, the young girl matter-of-factly
explained that every time she was successful in
hitting the ball, the mother should congratulate
her and say, Good job! - This is, essentially, the role of empathic
listening, that of accompanying another person
and celebrating together the fact that the other
can begin to unpack and analyze the challenges
being faced. - In the childs game, success is measured by the
ability to have the ball and its cord wrap around
the post. - In empathic listening, success is measured by the
ability to unpack the often pain-soaked narrative
and let it float to the surface.
62Empathetic Response CAUTION
- Some clients feel quite uneasy when the worker is
frequently and intensively empathic. - They might prefer a formal encounter in which the
worker provides direct advice and guidance in a
business-like fashion.
63Other Facilitative Factors
- Integrity
- Professional knowledge
- Critical thinking and lifelong learning
- Ethical decision making
- Self-understanding and self-control
- Cultural competence and acceptance of others
- Social support and self-efficacy
64Regard
- The facilitative quality of regard or respect
suggests an attitude of non-controlling, warm,
caring, unconditional positive regard
non-possessive acceptance of other persons. - In cross- or inter-cultural contexts, regard also
includes the genuine acceptance of difference. - Respect of this nature goes well beyond basic
tolerance to include appreciation of the value of
diversity in human communities.
65Authenticity
- Authenticity refers to the genuineness and
sincerity of a person's manner of relating.
Reflecting fundamental honesty, an authentic
social worker is natural, real, and personable. - The presentation is congruent so that verbal,
non-verbal, and behavioural expressions reflect
synchronicity. - Words and deeds match.
66Professionalism
- Includes several characteristics
- integrity,
- professional knowledge and self-efficacy,
- ethical decision making,
- critical thinking and lifelong learning,
- self-understanding and self-control,
- cultural competence and acceptance of others
- social support.