Social work is an essential element of society, which ensures that people in need can get aid and assistance from skilled professionals. It is important to understand the main directives of its development and potential, which leads to the formation of certain ideas about it. In this regard, understanding the essence of social work from the standpoint of social philosophy is relevant. The starting point of the analysis is expedient to accept the immanent property of a person, where experience is one of the most valuable components.
One of the key elements of a social worker is his or her ability to work with families and veterans, regardless of their diverse set of backgrounds. In my own experience, I had limited exposure to veterans, but diversity-based counseling was conducted during my work in foster care and aiding people with disabilities. The majority of cases involved individuals with various educational, ethnic, cultural, and socioeconomic differences.
Another essential skill of a social worker is the capability of identifying and assessing the needs of psychosocial functioning. In addition, he or she must be able to formulate and integrate effective treatment procedures for veterans. In my own limited experience with veterans, I only had a chance to provide assistance with finding their needs. They primarily consisted of adapting to the conflict-free life in the United States and developing strong coping skills in regards to any form of psychological issues, such as PTSD. During my foster care provision period, I regularly was in a position where I needed to analyze the psychosocial functioning of the clients.
Moreover, a social worker needs to be able to implement treatment modalities, which requires judgment and skill in problem-solving and crisis interventions. I had this type of experience when I was aiding people with disabilities who struggled with a wide range of issues. The treatment plan integration was required, and it revolved around finding solutions based on the individual set of problems. Depending on the type of the issue, it was essential that I utilize a correct set of crisis intervention techniques, which was the most suited to the case.
One should be aware of the fact that a social worker must possess an ability to maintain and establish effective working relationships, and it goes alongside communication with representatives, staff, and clients. Although the given requirement is necessary at any aspect of social work, in my experience, it was most needed when I worked in foster care. The involvement of minors made the communication process highly important in order to ensure the effectiveness of work relationships.
The last critical element of a social worker is knowledge of fundamentals in regards to disabilities, medical and mental health treatment procedures, and diagnosis. When I worked with people with disabilities, I learned the crucial relevance of being knowledgeable about acute and chronic pain. It was the main problem among the given category of clients who struggled to perform even the simplest tasks. I also needed to assess their cases depending on their medication use.
In conclusion, it is important to note that a social worker needs to possess a wide range of capabilities. These might include an ability to work with a diverse set of families and veterans and assessing psychosocial functioning through coping skills. They also involve one’s professionalism at implementing treatment modalities and establishing plausible relationships through effective communication. In addition, a social worker needs to be highly informed and knowledgeable in the fundamentals of medical practice and terminology.