Social Work Practice and Reflective Communication SWP22REC

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Social Work Practice and Reflective
CommunicationSWP22REC

• Lecture One Part One
• Slides prepared
• by
• Dr Trish McNamara

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Overview of course outline

• Aims
• Teaching modalities
• Lectures
• Seminars
• Text Book
• Readings
• AV resources
• Evaluation group exercise, essay

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This course aims to reflect upon

• Communication theories in general
• Communication in a context of social diversity
  age, gender, culture, ethnicity,
  ability/disability, geography and so on
• Communication theories influencing social work
  approaches and practice skills
• Social work values and ethics and communication
• Students own communication style, values and
  beliefs
• Students beginning attempts at learning
  professional communication skills at micro, meso
  and macro levels

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Bi-partite template underpinning REC

• Developmental continuum (DLC)
• Ecological systems levels (ITP,HSO)

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Teaching modalities

• One two hour lecture
• Make contact in writing re special needs for
  Seminar times NOW!!!
• Emphasis on interaction and participatory adult
  learning in both lectures and seminars
• Discussions, role plays, experiments, quizzes,
  group activities, journal writing
• Guest lecturers

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Expectations

• Respect
• Genuineness
• Honesty and integrity
• Confidentiality
• Support
• Equity and access
• Humour
• Creativity

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Readings

• Adler R and Rodman G (2006) Understanding human
  communication New York ,NY Oxford University
  Press prescribed text
• Student Success Manual is incorporated
• All other texts listed are on Reserve

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AV materials

• All general AV materials listed are on Reserve
• Some popular release movies are on Reserve

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Assessment

• Group exercise and Written Reflection 50
• Reflection due two weeks after the class exercise
• Essay 50
• due Monday, November 12th, 2005

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Human communication What is it?

• 1,200 word definition of communication - Oxford
  English Dictionary
• communication refers to the process of human
  beings responding to the symbolic behaviours of
  other persons
• Adler and Rodman (2006) p.4.

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A definition of communication- from the Adler
and Rodman (2006) glossary p.502

• A continuous, irreversible, transactive
  process involving communicators who occupy
  different but overlapping environments and are
  simultaneously senders and receivers of messages,
  any of which are distorted by physical and
  psychological noise.

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Communication is human
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Communication is a process

• Communication is a transactional process
• Communication is intentional and unintentional
• Communication involves simultaneous sending and
  receiving of messages
• Communication is fluid not static
• Communication is relational, not individual
• Communication is more like a motion picture than
  a photo album
• Adler and Rodman(2006) pp 14-17

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• No man is an island, entire of itself...any
  man's death diminishes me, because I am involved
  in mankind and therefore never send to know for
  whom the bell tolls it tolls for thee."
• John Dunne (1624)
• Meditation XVII

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Functions of communication

• Physical needs
• Identity needs
• Social needs
• Practical needs

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Communication is symbolic

• We overcome the arbitrary nature of symbols by
  linguistic rules and customs
• Example libro buch book

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Meanings of communication

• How does being interested in communication
  differ from being interested in life?
• Brent Rubin (1988)
• cited in Adler and Rodman (2006)

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Some of the many meanings of communication.

• Interdisciplinary heritage philosophers
  (Foucault), anthropology (Mead), zoology (Fossey)
  , sociology (Bateson), psychology (Sullivan)
  psychiatry (Freud), social work
• Field (childrens TV) and activity
• Humanity and social science
• Natural (informal) and professional communication
  (motivational speakers, pastors, PR, social
  workers)
• Communication (face to face) and communications
  (mass media and internet)

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Types of communication

• Intra-personal
• Dyadic/interpersonal
• Small group
• Public
• Mass

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Reflective communication

• How do we reflect upon communication?
• Why is reflection important?

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The Reflective Practitioner

• The reflective practitioner how professionals
  think in action
• SchÖn, Donald (1983) First edition New York
  Basic Books

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• Among younger professionals and students
  there are many who find the professions without
  real interest in the values they are supposed to
  promote.
• SchÖn (1983) p.12

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• ..social workers have multiple shifting
  images of the nature of their practice..
• SchÖn,(1983) p.17

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Contemporary social work focus on reflective
practice

• Fook, Jan (2004) A Method for Investigating
  Practitioner Use of Theory in PracticeQualitative
  Social Work.(3) 161-177.

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• Each view of professional practice represents
  a way of functioning in situations of
  indeterminacy and value conflict
• SchÖn p.17

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Reflection in actionReflection on
actionAction may be words, behaviour or both
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• Reflection on what we are saying and doing
  leads us to seriously consider meaning
  attribution.

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Clarifying misinterpretations re communication

• Communication does not always require complete
  understanding
• Communication is not always a good thing
• No single person or event causes the others
  reaction
• Communication will not solve all problems
• Meanings rest in people, not words
• Communication is not simple
• More communication is not always better
• Adler and Rodman (2006) pp. 22-26

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Ethics of communication

• Honesty commitment, obligation, congruence
• Integrity authority, power and
  confidentiality,self determination
• Inclusivity of difference (gender, race,
  ethnicity, culture, values, beliefs)
• OConnor, Wilson and Setterlund (1998) p.72

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Self awareness and communication

• Our gender
• Our age
• Our marital and/or parental status
• Our occupation
• Our body image
• Being, knowing and becoming
• (Goldstein,1973)
• See also OConnor et al (1998) p.52-3