Keeping a reflective diary of critical issues and my own thought process encouraged me to construct my understanding of the work I was doing, and justify what actions I had taken (White, 2001). 9-18. Brookfield, S. (1998). 207-216. What qualifies as a critical incident is not rigidly defined but the event should be important or significant in some way to the practitioner and should offer the opportunity for professional learning (Fook & Gardner, 2007, p. 77). Lishman, J., 2009. Adopting this process has helped me to identify possible assumptions that I suspect I may have held. Reflection on Group Activities Reflection is equally important in group tasks as in individual tasks. This aspect is known as the psycho part of the Biospycho-social Spiritual perspective. The two-stage reflective model developed by Fook & Gardner (2007) seeks to examine power relations and structures of domination, which in turn intrinsically challenges oppressive and discriminatory thought processes and practice (Graham, 2017, p.49; Fook, 2012, p.47). JK also had a substantial history of criminal activity, which he said became necessary in order to maintain his addiction to certain illicit drugs. (2010) Getting Started in C. Knott and T. Scragg (eds.) If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Reflective Leung, T., 2011. The historically oppressive nature of mental health services is widely recognised in literature (Szasz, 1961; Foucault, 1967), and JK expressed to me at times that he felt that he was not listened to by medical professionals, and just moved from service to service having things done to him, rather than with him. Reflection The opportunity to work with Alice has provided much to reflect on and learn from. Social workers must have leadership skills to help promote social change. British Journal of Social Work, 1(37), pp. Poetics in Schizophrenic Language: Speech, Gesture and Biosemiotics. Developing and building self-awareness is important so you can recognise areas for improvement and identify your learning needs to make positive changes. I have printed out your article to reread so I can remind myself to self reflect. Stressful Encounters with Social Work Clients: A Descriptive Account Based on Critical Incidents. New York: McGraw-Hill Education. Boud (1999) describes how reflection can shape a reflective journal in a field seminar. British Journal of Social Work, 45(1), pp. Suter et al (2009) have found that a willingness to communicate is a key characteristic needed for effective collaboration, and after the other professionals were not active in engaging with me, I lost this willingness, potentially to the detriment of my work with JK. hVmO0+^%] !v6-D%R_P6s6tHh{9'JJ"Di"U@T0.90|aI9auxiA8hp:: \Ih%T1*r|5M^-S/;q-?xg!Y^4r;Na#:yJWkrN7|O_b/\?QeN-W<>W\ The very nature of this type of accommodation means that the population is transient. Thompson, N., 2010. Tangenburg, K. M. & Kemp, S., 2002. I learnt that Alice had endured severe and multiple adverse childhood experiences. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. He had an allocated community psychiatric nurse (CPN) who would visit occasionally, and at times he also met with a psychiatrist. Harvey, C., Killackey, E., Groves, A. Schn, D., 1987. Luckily there are many models which you can use to guide your reflection. Healing Eucharist Mass | Teleradyo (30 April 2023) - Facebook Maintenance of the Effect of Training in Communication Skills: A Controlled Follow-Up Study of Level of Communicated Empathy. This more informal working setting was where he felt he could speak most openly to me. Parker, J. That is to say, communication is not neutral and does not necessarily have a universal meaning to each element of the agency or profession (Hall & Slembrouck, 2009). A degree of scepticism about existing knowledge, beliefs and values. The Practice Competency Framework (PCF) domains provide some direction about what areas social workers are expected to emphasise in practice, and what needs to be evidenced in order to successfully complete a placement. BASW, 2014. Social Work Education, 35(7), pp. However, these power dynamics cannot be ignored, and underline all social work practice.I acknowledged the inherent power dynamics from the inception of my interactions with JK. Some of us are capable of much more than our field supervisors would expect, yet, let our inner negative thoughts overpower the positive ones and prevent us from reaching our true potential. She played a client The application of critical reflection challenges accepted modes of thought, social organisation, dominant discourses and assumptions (Graham, 2017; Savaya & Gardner, 2012; Thompson, 2010). Looking for a flexible role? Often I lose confidence in what I am doing. Applying the Strengths Perspective to Your Self-Reflection. By this point, I was able to reflect on my performance, address the negative concerns that needed to be worked on, and highlight my positive attributes and moving toward them. This involves revisiting your prior experience and knowledge of the topic you are exploring. He was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder, and dealt with significant anxiety and depression. Dewey (1993) recognised the importance of discovering new information in reflection. Parker (2010) has noted that reflection is not something that can be assessed based on traditional reductionist techniques. Alice has been exploited by fellow residents who target her on the days when she receives benefits, this form of oppression takes place at a personal level and is often experienced by adults with serious mental illnesses in the forced intimacy of supportive housing. (Forenza & Bermea, 2017). Savaya, R. & Gardner, F., 2012. Fair Society, Healthy Lives: Strategic Review of Health Inequalities in England post 2010. Social Work I would meet JK in a location of his choosing. Working closely with JK over a period of several months supported me to be able to identify any issues quickly, and by the time I we were engaged in Session A, we had a good working relationship. Both of her parents committed suicide, she was raped and endured physically abusive relationships with two consecutive partners. Friedli, L., 2009. Reflection I discussed how I engaged with different models of reflection, experienced power dynamics, and explored different interpretations of mental distress. Locating Emotional Intelligence at the Heart of Social Work Practice. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/doc/194419/0052192.pdf, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_ data/file/411957/KSS.pdf, www.parliament.uk/documents/fair-society-healthy-lives-full-report. All work is written to order. Although I met his CPN and his drug worker, at no stage was a multi-agency meeting held that I was invited to. Boud, D., Keogh, R. &Walker, D. Using peer-group reflective practice British Journal of Social Work, 40(1), pp. Ixer, G. (1999) Theres no such thing as reflection British Journal of Social Work,29, 513-527. Foucault M. (1967) Madness and Civilization: A History of Insanity in the Age of Reason, London: Tavistock. Language, Bureaucracy & Social Control. It has been noted that the theory base of social work is dominated by euro-centric discourse, meaning that certain paradigms or perspectives may be excluded unintentionally (Trevethick, 2012). Become an independent learner and problem-solver. Our regional engagement leads (who are registered social workers), shared their views on peer reflection. Example The Myth of Mental Illness: Foundations of a Theory of Personal Conduct, An Introduction to Applying Social Work Theories and Methods, Practicing Social Work: Meeting the Professional Challenge. Social workers need to be prepared to critically reflect on the theory that they are bringing to practice. Role of risk assessment in reducing homicides by people with mental illness. Self-reflection is an important part of figuring it out. Banks, S. (2006) Ethics and Values in Social Work, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Department of Health, 2014. WebReflection In Social Work. Social workers in England, London: HCPC. He received depot injections monthly for his mental health difficulties, and he found these instances particularly distressing. What am I still working on? To some extent, this was the fault of the other professionals, who did not consult me on the work they were doing with JK, and literature has noted that collaboration is particularly difficult when working with dual diagnosis service users, as mental health and addiction services can disagree over the correct course, or who should take the lead (Clement et al, 1993; Champney-Smith, 2004). Whilst the idea of partnership suggests equality and collaboration, practitioners should still manage power relations with service users carefully, especially where a lack of confidence inhibits the service user from taking on the responsibility of partnership (Dalrymple & Burke, 2006). For this example reflective log, I will use Gibbs reflective piece to unpick the learning gained. PCF domain 7: Intervention and Skills. 705-722. Peer reflection encourages me to develop my reflection skills. (1993) How we Think: A restatement of the relation of reflective thinking to the education process, Boston: Health Publishing. 2nd ed. British Journal of Psychiatry, 176(2), pp. 1st ed. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Reflective: Knowing when to say sorry and learning from your mistakes Motivated to care for them: [to] navigate difficult paths [in my life] and make time for me. Points and Questions to aid critical reflection: Supported housing is often regarded as a positive environment that promotes recovery-oriented practice (Harvey, et al., 2012), but it can also be experienced as an oppressive and hostile setting where staff are at best indifferent to the needs of service users or can actively act as the oppressor (Bengtsson-Tops, et al., 2014). The new legislation was adopted into Company policy, statutory guidance makes it clear that there is an onus on employers to ensure that staff working in a housing environment are adequately trained in recognising signs of abuse or neglect, which includes self-neglect under the terms of The Care Act 2014 (Department of Health, 2014). Supporting Lifelong Learning: Perspectives on Learning. Anti-Oppressive Practice: Emancipation or Appropriation. In more recent times reflective practice has been developed further into a concept of critical reflection (Payne, 2014). Tarrell Clark, BSW, is a May 2020 graduate of Stockton University and works with adults with developmental disabilities. Reprinting & reuse, The Field Educator is published by the Simmons University School of Social Work. 291-307. Stephen Brookfield, a health educator, says: Critically reflective practitioners constantly research [their] assumptions by seeing practice through four complementary lenses; these lenses are: the lens of their own autobiographies, the lens of learners eyes, the lens of colleagues perceptions and the lens of theoretical, philosophical, and research literature. Values and Ethics The way in which students articulated their perceptions of values and ethics in the field indicated that this You may be required to have a take charge attitude as an advocate for your clients. Before you can begin to assess the words and ideas of others, you need to pause and identify and examine your own thoughts. Toseland and Rivas (2008) define group work as a goal directed activity aimed at accomplishing tasks. Readiness for Field: What Do Field Instructors Think? As a plethora of Serious Case Reviews illustrate, clarity of inter-professional and interagency communication is vital for safe practice (Moss, 2017; Hall & Slembrouck, 2009; Flynn, 2010). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Please try again. Personal Reflection Of Social Work The worker expressed a great deal of frustration at the lack of inter-agency communication, written or otherwise, and a failure to disclose key pieces of information. Anti-Racist and Anti-Oppressive Practice. Alices deteriorating mental health led me to conclude that her social worker needed to be informed of the situation. Yet risks remain, in essence, unpredictable phenomena that defy reliably accurate outcomes (Munro & Rumgay, 2000). Critical reflection: how to develop Your subscription could not be saved. However, I believe the key lesson that I take from my professional relationship with Alice is to try and show the same level of astonishing resilience and generosity of spirit that Alice has demonstrated throughout her life to the present day. Tew, J. It is essential that social workers have the confidence to question their own practice, the organisation that they work in, and dominant power structures in society at large (Fook, 1999). Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan.