Simulation Assessment With A Client And Social Worker

1. Description:
In this reflective assignment, I will discuss my experience participating in a simulation assessment with a client and social worker. During the simulation, I played the role of the social worker and was tasked with conducting an initial assessment with the client to better understand their needs and develop a plan of action.
Throughout the simulation, I asked the client a series of questions to better understand their situation and needs, and provided information about available resources and services that may be helpful. I also worked to create a supportive and empathetic environment to help the client feel comfortable sharing their experiences.
After the simulation, I reflected on my performance and considered how I could

Feelings:
What impact did your emotions, beliefs and values have on the simulation?
Entering the simulation, I felt quite anxious and nervous. Although I had done assessments previously in the work field, I was concerned about my abilities as a social worker. A significant factor that played a role in my emotions being heightened was knowing I was getting watched live and graded. The grade behind the assessment caused panic and resulted in a decrease of confidence. The lack of confidence resulted in affecting my performance for the simulation. I was unable to touch on all the points I initially wanted to and felt as if I rushed through the assessment in some cases.
I also felt a sense of responsibility and pressure to gather all of the necessary information from the client. Though this was an initial meeting with the client and realistically I would have had more time to complete the assessment, the rushed environment for the simulation forced me to rush throughout the assessment trying to dig for answers.
In terms of my beliefs and values, I believe I did a good job at setting those aside for the assessment. I did not want my beliefs or values to impact how I treated the client or what the outcome of the assessment would be. As I had limited information prior to the simulation, I was not able to form any solidified beliefs or judgement for the situation. My values as a social worker were to help the client in ways she

Although I had done some paraphrasing, it would have been beneficial for me to paraphrase her feelings and emotions behind the situation. I, the social worker, could have demonstrated I was actively listening and acknowledging her feelings by paraphrasing what was said to me by the client. This would have helped validate the client. I could have improved my paraphrasing skills by paying attention to verbal and nonverbal cues, restating my interpretation of what was being said, and asking clarifying questions when it was necessary.
Although I was trying to be extremely cautious with my choice of words, I did seem to misword a couple things. When the client mentioned her son alexander was the man of the house now, I responded with “that’s a lot of responsibility for a young man” which seemed to have come across as offensive to her, as if she did not recognize he was a child. In the future, I could have remained silent and listened to what the client had to say instead of opposing my opinion. Though my intention was not to offend the client, I understand how this could cause and uncomfortable misunderstanding,
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