Engaging with Others
Interacting with others is an integral part of social work. We must be able to engage with a variety of entities including individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities. We all interact with others in our daily lives, however, engaging entities in a way the represents social work to its fullest is more difficult. In order to engage others as a social worker we must be able to utilize theoretical frameworks, as well as interpersonal skills. I believe that empathy is one of the most important interpersonal skills a social worker can develop.
Learning to Date An important part of engaging is being able to effectively communicate with others. This was the topic of my “Field Journal Three: Communication” essay. In this essay I discuss my
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In this assignment I filmed myself interviewing a classmate using engagement techniques and I also wrote a paper assessing myself. I included both the video and the paper below for reference. I was aware of both my verbal and nonverbal communication in the interview and I evaluated how they affected the interview in the paper. I felt that overall I did well engaging the “client” by maintaining good eye contact, nodding, and practicing attentive listening. I asked several open-ended questions and closed-ended questions, as well as used other verbal statements to show empathy to the “client”.
Future Goals I am hoping to really work on this particular competency in the future. I feel that while I engage well, at times I can be nervous before hand. I want to engage with clients, as well as other entities, more so that I can become less nervous and more adept at my interpersonal skills. I am hoping to improve this competency at my next field placement at St. Ann’s Community. There I will be meeting with residents regularly to perform mood assessments and getting a lot of face-to-face time with