Observation and self-reflection is an integral part of any developmental process. The following paper contains an analysis of the comments gathered during the fieldwork practice and an overview of achievements and shortcomings pertinent to the social work experience.
Supervision and Consultation Use Evaluation
During my field education, my field instructor provided the necessary support, consultation, supervision, and oversight required for my development. In this regard, I can say with certainty that my relationship with the field instructor concerned the knowledge acquisition and transmission domain primarily, but was not limited to this area. Speaking of the knowledge acquisition, my field instructor provided me with the necessary feedback and guided my inquiries in the unfamiliar places as well as those I had weaknesses in. In this context, the relationship with the instructor resembles the teacher-student model, although these characterize a relatively small proportion of interaction. Much more often, the connections are built around the feedback received after the supervision of either a specific activity or a range of practices.
In this regard, they can be described as promoting my developmental effort and contributing to my mastery of the competencies necessary for a foster care department worker. In other words, this area of relationships actualizes my existing knowledge pertinent to the field and empowers me to develop them in the right direction. I can say that this element of connections is essential for my competencies development since, among other effects, it allows me to identify the most feasible learning opportunities and, by extension, maximize my potential as a student. I would also like to point out the importance of communicating the values and ethics of social work experience and apply them to the practical dimension of my fieldwork. While not being a primary responsibility of the instructor, it still has a visible impact on bridging the gap between theory and practice, which was of particular use to me in the initial stages of the way.
The latter element of the supervisor-supervisee relationship is among the few that differentiate it from the teacher-pupil model. Generally speaking, the primary responsibilities and roles of a field instructor, such as guidance, support, and evaluation, are consistent with the primary functions of a teacher. The main difference is, therefore, in the setting and the actuality of the field experience in comparison to the traditional learning environment. This difference also creates a distinct type of interaction in which prioritizes collaboration in resolving the emerging difficulties. Such a setting, in turn, is useful for determining the differences: on two occasions, we were able to settle the differences in the process of a constructive discussion of the practice-related issues. Simply put, such a necessity for collaboration increases the likelihood of a constructive dialog.
What I feel deserves more coverage in my supervisory conferences is the perception of the setting as a learning environment. The surge in responsibilities pertinent to fieldwork creates an impression of a challenging test where the instructor is subconsciously perceived as a controlling party (at least at the initial stage). Therefore, I believe that greater attention to role distribution would benefit the initiation of the learning process.
Development of a Professional Self
Admittedly, I cannot think of a situation where my problems could be directly related to those of my clients. However, on several occasions during the interaction with the clients, I came across topics that were obviously sensitive and, at the same time, relevant to the person I interacted with. Sometimes they were related to my fieldwork, and at least once, they had only a marginal connection to foster care. In addition, I’ve had several encounters in social media resources that could be characterized as conflicts between personal and professional domains.
The most feasible coping mechanism that can be used to adequately respond to such a situation is dissociation, as it allows relocating attention from the emotional response to the actual problem at hand. However, this mechanism is acceptable only in the case when the emotion accompanying the issue is irrelevant to the question at hand (Wilkins & Godfred, 2013). In most situations where empathy would be required for an understanding of the client’s issue and an accompanying emotional state, identification would be a more reasonable solution. This coping mechanism allows for empathizing with the clients and, by extension, understanding their experiences and comprehending their needs. At the same time, it sets a barrier that protects the personal perceptions of a social worker from merging with emotional reactions as a result of empathy.
The effect of my responses would be different, depending on the issue at hand. In the situation described above, where I chose to resort to dissociation, the actual outcome is the absence of an effect. Specifically, I was able to avoid the undesirable escalation of the conflict and the development of tension after countering the suggestion made by the client that was irrelevant to the topic at hand. By extension, I can count on the strengthening of trust as an indirect effect of the chosen mechanism. In addition, I consider it a success from a professional perspective and expect it to have a positive impact on my recognition among my peers. While I acknowledge that such an effect requires a significant amount of time to become observable, I can identify at least one occasion when my reaction was exemplified in the conversation between my co-workers (I was described as acting professionally in the challenging situation). Therefore, I can say that such behavior contributes to my recognition as a competent social worker.
Unfortunately, there are still aspects of social work I find challenging. The most straightforward example is the obligation to disclose certain confidential information to the authorities. Admittedly, while this function is in conflict with my personal values, it can be definitively resolved by consulting with the NASW Code of Ethics, which contains specific criteria under which the disclosure is required (Reamer, 2013). Therefore, I expect no difficulties in resolving the issue through responsible behavior and following professional ethics.
Self-Evaluation of Fieldwork Experience
As a result of my fieldwork experience, I can identify several traits that I consider strengths. First, I am highly emotionally stable, which is essential in any setting where the employees have to deal with human beings, even more so in a highly emotionally challenging environment such as foster care. According to my observations, I am able to maintain professional neutrality better than most other students and on par with some experienced workers. Another strength that derives from it is the ability to rationalize and make conscious decisions based on the available information. Once I master the necessary competencies and skills, this trait would allow me to make reliable conclusions. On the other hand, such impartiality undermines the emotional bond between the clients and me. I understand that empathy is one of the ways to address this weakness, but I admit that I still need to practice it to reach the necessary level of proficiency. In addition, I find it challenging to identify the issues that are not explicitly voiced by the clients. This conclusion was made as a result of discussions with my peers and is expected to be resolved as I receive more field experience.
Since some of the social work roles depend on the traits I identify as weaknesses, the role of the facilitator is currently among the most challenging for me. The likely reason for this is the necessity to recognize the clients’ underlying issues in order to successfully encourage their empowerment (Zastrow, 2013). On the other hand, the roles which required the most rationalization and knowledge (e.g., educator and case manager) were the most satisfying because I felt competent and could guarantee a positive outcome.
Currently, I use rationalization and dissociation as the most ubiquitous coping methods. They are practical and easy to implement, using my set of personal traits. As a result, working through cases and providing the clients with the solutions is the most comfortable area for me because I feel competent at it and can observe the direct effect of my actions as beneficial for the clients. Simply put, I can see that my effort in this area makes a difference.
Integration of Concepts from Previous Courses
The theoretical background on the importance of observation as a tool for evaluating performance is among the most relevant concepts from the previous courses (O’Loughlin & O’Loughlin, 2014). The value of self-reflection as a developmental practice also contributes to the understanding of the importance of the current paper and provides me with insights into the relevant areas. Finally, the fundamental ethics of social work improve my perception of the supervisor-supervisee relationship and allow me to identify the potentially essential regions.
Conclusion
The weaknesses and shortcomings identified in the process of self-reflection are preventable and can be addressed through consistent and responsible self-improvement with the help of the supervisor. Thus, I consider my fieldwork a useful experience from both a theoretical and practical standpoint.
References
O’Loughlin, M., & O’Loughlin, S. (Eds.). (, 2014). Useful observation in social work practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Learning Matters.
Reamer, F. G. (2013). Social work values and ethics (4th ed.). New York, NY: Columbia University Press.
Wilkins, D., & Godfred, W. D. B. (2013). Critical analysis skills for social workers. Berkshire, England: McGraw-Hill Education.
Zastrow, C. (2013). Brooks/Cole empowerment series: Introduction to social work and social welfare (11th ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.