In looking back over the courses you’ve taken thus far, what are the key themes and lessons that you feel will be the most prominent in your mind as you enter the field of social work? This could be a concrete tool or practice, or perhaps a theme or way of thought. One thing that I feel is very important is self-reflection because it is important and is a key theme in many things that I have learned in several courses. In an article entitled The Power of Self-Reflection it mentions a number of questions to ask yourself and they are listed below.
• Am I living up to my core values and personal mission?
• Am I being a person others can respect?
• Am I respecting my body the way I should?
• Am I meeting the expectations I set for others around me?
• Am I using my talents fully?
• Am I performing at my peak capacity?
• Am I giving my family and friends my most and my best?
• Am I engaging in worthy activity?
• Am I making a positive impact on the world?
• Am I on the path to my preferred future? (Daum, 2014, Inc.com)
Self-reflection is important because it helps us to look at our self and improve things that need work or to improve things for the whole self and are well-being such as mind, spirit, and body. The first question reminds me of the social work core values and mission and this does relate to the field of social work but also are understanding of what our own personal thoughts and beliefs are and what we are and are not doing. In addition, this author ties all
In this paper, I will assess my identity and my personal history and how it relates to social work professions. I first address my personal history and cultural background, where I came from, as well as my experience in working in the community. I then talk about my overall strengths, both in personal and professional lives. My strengths are listening skills, open-mindedness, respect for diversity and eagerness to learn and improve my weaknesses. Afterward, I discuss my weaknesses, such as nonassertive communication skill and low self-esteem problems, and how I plan to address these issues.
I am in a point in my life where I am focusing on the development of my character in all aspects. I am doing as much as I can to develop professionally, mentally, and socially. Professionally, I am taking on as many leadership positions as I can on campus. I am the treasurer of three organizations, a peer mentor, and a Resident Assistant.
I believe that I am a very dedicated and hard worker. This is something that I have to offer to my future employer. I will never show up and half way do the job. I always make sure my work is done. I will also always show up to work.
I am confident that the skills that I will gain from completing a social work master’s degree will help me collaborate with people in need and aid sustainable growth in their lives. My first introduction to social work as a profession came while living on a small
Portfolio Part B: Reflection on the overall learning within the module Prior to starting this course the MA Social Work course and the PPSWP module I felt very confident in the aspects of communicating effectively and working with a diverse range of people, and after the reading the professional capabilities framework I believe that I hold the same personal values which is expected of a social worker. The PCF6 talks about the importance of critical reflection and reflective practice explaining that it helps improve accountability, professional development and helps to you understand your own tacit knowledge and gain new knowledge, which improves outcomes and experiences for social workers. (Capabilities within the PCF, 2016) For this reflection
Social work is a profession that dedicates its efforts to ensure the well-being of individuals and the well-being of the society as a whole. The primary mission of social workers is to meet the fundamental needs of every person, especially the ones with special needs such as those who are oppressed, vulnerable and the people living in poverty. As a social worker, I intend to use these core values such as service, integrity, and dignity as guidelines to my work to make a difference in the lives of as many needy people as I can. My main goal will be to offer services to needy people to help them solve and overcome social problems that they encounter each day in their lives.
Reflection is like looking in a mirror and describing what you see. It’s about thinking back to an experience and questioning what I did, and emotions that I felt during the experience, and then reflecting on a better and more sufficient way of doing it in the future (UNISON, 2016). Gibbs Reflective Cycle is the model that I have chosen to use while reflecting back on the module “Learning from service users and carers”, Gibbs believes that this module is useful for helping people learn from what that they experienced. He calls this “Learning by Doing” (Mind Tools, 2016). When finding out that a module I would cover on the social work degree was learning from service users and carers, my initial thought was care homes and carers within them.
This is difficult process and should be coupled with use of theoretical approaches. Adams et al (2008) advocates that social workers need to use an eclectic approach to their practice by selecting different elements from theories in order to produce one approach appropriate for the individual’s needs. Epstein (1992) suggests that to overcome the limitations of theories continuous reflection and debate is vital to incorporate complex
To become a reflective social work student, I need to be able to undergo self-reflection. This is a process of conducting self-assessment and observation. Gibbs’ Reflective Cycle influence user like myself to self-reflect and more importantly it encourages users to develop an action plan. This enables me to look at my practice and evaluate on the areas I did good and bad. In turn, by taking these experiences into learning I can use them to improve on for the future.
However, it is not only important to be able to use these coping mechanisms for example, after a difficult day to exercise or meditate but to incorporate these techniques into everyday life. Having these activities integrated into our regular day to day lives can also help maintain a healthy work-life balance. Social care can be a fulfilling and rewarding career however there can also be very difficult experiences and so it is vital that we are prepared to care for ourselves in order to avoid burnout, desensitisation and to be able to continue working with and supporting those who need us. We should be open minded in our work and attempt to learn from both positive and negative experiences.
Over the semester I have learned many new aspects of social work that have helped deepen my understanding of what social work is really about. This course has taught me things that will help me become a better person and will also help me with my future working with children. Self reflection is a key skill to have when working in social work. We need to understand how we are, and our social location, influence everything we do with social work. My beliefs and values would be beneficial for being a social worker because I have a caring no judgment, personality that allows me to be a neutral and to listen to people.
Self expression is a term many people use. The meaning of it is how you show your true self around people expressing thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Many of it can be seen through art, writing, music, and dance. People show themselves with many different expressions. It can be any type of art and even writing.
Evolve into Having Self-Awareness Being self-aware simply means that you have a keen understanding of your own personality. That includes your positive and negative traits, your thoughts and beliefs, your feelings, and your inspiration. It would be easier for you to understand others when you are self-aware. You will also be able to tell how they see you in return. Most people believe that they have a good sense of self-awareness, but it would be best to check at a comparative scale to see where you fall on it in contrast with others.
I have always hated writing about myself, and I always dreaded assignments in school where I had to describe myself. I always wanted to avoid doing these assignments because I did not want to sound narcissistic, or self-absorbed. I dislike people like that now, because I used to be one of those people. It took many lessons learned before I humbled myself; I am still learning to humble myself today with recent experiences I have had. Although I hate to write about myself, I have always liked to reflect on myself.
Most people want to improve themselves in some way, whether it is to lose weight or give up smoking or increase their confidence. Self-improvement is something that we carry out over a life time, but it is a task that can require a lot of motivation. Keeping your motivation levels up and steady can be a job in itself. In order to achieve the motivation required for self-improvement, we need to look at the three keys that will help us succeed in our goals. 1) INSPIRATION