WK 11 peer responses 

Respond to the blog posts of three colleagues.

Respond to the blog posts of three colleagues in one or more of the following ways:

Must respond to each peer individually intext citations and references:

Validate an idea in your colleague’s post with your own experience.

Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.

Expand on your colleague’s post.

Peer 1:  Alicia Simpkins  

Explanation of Field Experience

For the past two quarters, I’ve had the pleasure of working with the remarkable staff of Community Solutions, which is located in Virginia Beach, VA. Though the organization originally began as a foster care agency, the agency ultimately expanded to include substance abuse treatment, parent and adolescent mentoring services, summer camp for adolescents, and so on. During the first quarter, I was able to participate in the parent mentoring services underneath the umbrella of community-based services. During the summer quarter, I have had the pleasure of working with the adolescent summer camp, again under the umbrella of community-based services. During both quarters, however, I have been able to work with the substance abuse treatment program. I have had an overall great experience with Community Solutions and would definitely recommend for future interns.

Overall, I feel like this placement has prepared me for future endeavors. I have always been a rather professional person anyway, but being with this organization has helped me to utilize professional language and helped me to be increasingly mindful of professional behaviors. The organized has allowed room for me to utilize my intake skills, and has allowed me to find my own way to facilitate recovery groups. Overall, this placement has allowed me to feel more like a real clinician/social worker, and I am excited for what’s to come.

Peer 2: LaTiona Washington  

An explanation of your social work field education experience, including the development of your professional identity

Through my field experience, I was able to develop my professional identity of individual therapy. I bet you question how since I only conducted group therapy? Through group therapy, I had the opportunity to work individually and as a group. I would follow up with patients after group, and assign homework pertaining to our discussion. I could not track their progress, but this aided in developing my professional identity. I learned what groups I am interested in working with in the future. I had the opportunity to work with substance abuse individuals, adolescents, older adults, and the general population. I have learned I am not interested in working with adolescents, older adults, or substance abuse. Adolescents were challenging because it incorporates the patient and their parents. The older adult was challenging because it incorporates the patient and their family. The general population was my favorite. I was able to assist patients who were admitted for suicidal ideations and attempts. I improved in my skills of empathy, actively listening, recognizing different diagnoses, and learned the proper medical terminology.

This internship has been a wonderful experience and preparing me to work for my agency.

Peer 3: David Jones  

   The field experience is an important aspect of becoming an effective social worker.  The development of social work professional identity is characterized by internalization of the knowledge, skills, values, and mission of social work (Holter, 2018). Through the field experience, I have started to develop my professional identity. I understand my ethical obligations and the laws and regulations involved in social work practice, and I have learned how I work best with clients. I have learned to utilize research and theory and to display empathy when working with clients. Social workers are taught to develop professional boundaries, which promote their ability to be flexible with clients while engaging them to make positive changes in their lives.  

     Four steps of becoming a professional social worker are leading with competency, lifelong learning, licensing, and creating a legacy (Beddoe, 2013). A competent social worker understands their ethical obligation to the client and social work and can effectively engage the diversity and differences of clients. Through the field work experience, I have become more effective at engaging with individual clients and families. I have also become better equipped at identifying the right intervention for the right client. The field experience has taught me to evaluate my practice and the interventions I use on my clients.  

     Social workers need to empower themselves to discover their own competencies and showcase them to others (Beddoe, 2013). During the field experience, I have gain confidence in my ability to interact with clients. I have learned how to empower clients and help them discover their own competencies. I also learned identity formation through an ongoing process of interacting with other social workers and clients. Forming a professional identity is an on-going process. I did not have a professional identity when I first started my field experiences, but through my interaction with clients, I developed a professional identity.  

      The field education helps socialize social work students to the profession (Holter, 2018). Along with acquiring the necessary knowledge and skills to form a professional identity, I must align my values and beliefs with those of the social work profession. The field education has challenged me to develop more effective skills when interacting with clients and to examine my belief systems. The field experience is critical to helping the social worker understand who they are in relation to the profession. It is the development of self and an understanding of my professional role. I understand the expectations of social work and through the field experience, I am beginning to form a sense of who I will be as a social worker. My professional identity will continue to form as I interact with clients and learn more about myself.
 

References

Beddoe, L. (2013). Health social work: Professional identity and knowledge. Qualitative Social Work, 12(1), 24-40.

Holter, J. (2018). Development of professional identity in social work education. St. Paul, MN: St Catherine University