Objectives

After the discussion, the class is expected to:

1. Identify and differentiate techniques in the social work practice.

2. Gain/ improve knowledge on the techniques of social work.
3. Appreciate the importance of social work techniques.

Outline

I. Introduction
II. The different social work techniques
 What?
 Who?
 Why?
 How?
 Social work skills employed
 Practical application: tips and traps

III. Synthesis

I. Techniques in Social Work Practice

Social work practice within a variety of setting, and consequently, they encounter a wide variety
of clients with a wide variety of concerns, problems and requests. Although it is not uncommon
to find that many of the clients served by a particular agency or program have the same
presenting problem, each client is an individual and will react to his or her situation and to the
social worker in a unique way. Thus, social workers must always adapt their approaches and
techniques to the special needs, characteristics and circumstances of the clients they serve.

Sheafor, Bradford and Horejsi, Charles. Techniques and Guidelines for Social Work Practice,
2006.

https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/samplechapter/0/2/0/5/0205446175.pdf

Technique – a systematic procedure by which a complex of scientific tasks is accomplished. In

social work, it refers to the procedure by which a skill is implemented.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cordillera-career-development-college/introduction-to-
social-work/sw-skills-techniques-alttributes/8934621

Supportive techniques are general measures that comfort and guide the client. They are directed
at reducing client-distress without specifically addressing the psychological and behavioural
causes. Thus, supportive procedures are non-specific in nature. Supportive techniques can be
used at any time during therapy, but are commonly most employed during the early phases of
therapy. This is because during the later phases of therapy, more specific techniques may be
required. There are many supportive techniques. These are briefly discussed below.

II. The different social work techniques

Psychological Support

Definition
A form of therapy in which the client seeks to express his problems and anxieties, trying to
investigate the causes and find solutions for his discomfort and suffering.

It is done in a short period of time, focused on the present and directed towards the relief and
understanding of a concrete problem that disturbs the client.

Purpose
The aim is to promote the client’s autonomy, self-knowledge and problem solving skills, so that
the patient regains balance and stability in a short period of time.

Useful in decreasing tension and guilt, increasing self-confidence, encouraging healthy

functioning that maintains the client’s equilibrium and in helping him to build up compensatory
strength and satisfaction.

The social worker accepts the client and its feeling and shows interest in him. The social worker
helps the client to strengthen its ego through guidance, reassurance and persuasion.

Saadat, Sumaya

Enables listening and empathy

Promoting autonomy and develop problem solving skills
Empower the patient to deal with problematic life situations

In what cases should it be used?

Difficult transition periods, such as:

Grief
Professional crises
School difficulties
Divorces
Changes in life stages: puberty, adolescence, and aging
Solving of personal, marital, family, professional conflict

Psychological support

https://fisqui.com/en/course/psychology/psychological-support/
How

Psychological support can be formal or informal, intimate or between relative strangers

or an inner versus an outer-based experience. Regardless of its characteristics, it can
be classified as supportive if it helps, instructs or reinforces a person's coping skills.

Examples of formal types of psychological support systems could be a parenting class,

meeting with a religious leader, a counseling appointment with a therapist or
participation in a group meeting such as Alcoholics Anonymous®. Each of these
interactions provides a means for a stressed or troubled person to express his feelings
and garner feedback from other participants, the teacher or the counselor regarding
appropriate and healthy responses. In some cases, simply receiving validation that he is
not the only individual undergoing such stresses or feeling such emotions provides the
psychological support. Other situations might require concrete action, instruction or
feedback for the stressed person to process. Within such formal support systems, the
individual is afforded the time for self-expression and learning helpful reactions in future
situations.

Meeting a friend for lunch, having dinner with family or running with an exercise buddy
are examples of informal types of psychological support situations. Psychological
support can be as helpful informally as in formal situations if the stressed person is
helped to cope with life situations in a healthy way. Often, the reinforcement of a
person's social support network is enough to provide positive feedback and supportive
measures without discussing the details of a situation as might be expected in formal
systems. It is often necessary to remind troubled individuals of the very real need and
importance of an informal support system. These types of supports are often the first to
be sacrificed in a busy lifestyle.

Formal and informal social support systems are not the only types of psychological
support. Prayer, meditation or introspection can be of value if the stressed individual is a
believer in a particular faith. Pets, too, can provide invaluable emotional and
psychological support to those lucky enough to share a home with them. Those
requiring such support need only reach out in most situations.

The Health Board Website, What are the different types of psychological support, 2022

https://www.thehealthboard.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-psychological-support.htm?
fbclid=IwAR1O7wdO1_q_WSNG3zwHKDQk26HHaNmlEHLCcPHEisXEQRdNz20ojG_-0r4

Traps
If someone lets you know that they are
experiencing difficult thoughts and feelings,
it's common to feel like you don't know
what to do or say.
Tips
Often just being there for someone and
doing small things can be really valuable.
 Listen. Simply giving someone space to
talk, and listening to how they're feeling,

If someone is experiencing reality in a very 
different way from people around them,
they may not realize or agree that seeking
help could be useful for them. They may
be experiencing psychosis, mania, hearing 
voices or feeling very paranoid.
Supporting someone else can be
can be really helpful in itself. If they're
finding it difficult, let them know that
you're there when they are ready.
 Offer reassurance. Seeking help can feel
lonely, and sometimes scary. You can
reassure someone by letting them know
that they are not alone, and that you will
be there to help.
 Stay calm. Even though it might be
upsetting to hear that someone you
care about is distressed, try to stay
calm. This will help your friend or family
member feel calmer too, and show them
that they can talk to you openly without
upsetting you.
 Be patient. You might want to know more
details about their thoughts and
feelings, or want them to get help
immediately. But it's important to let
them set the pace for seeking support
themselves.
 Try not to make assumptions. Your
perspective might be useful to your
friend or family member, but try not to
assume that you already know what
may have caused their feelings, or what
will help.
 Keep social contact. Part of the emotional
support you offer could be to keep
things as normal as possible. This could
include involving your friend or family
member in social events, or chatting
about other parts of your lives.
Focus on how their beliefs are making them
feel (for example anxious, scared,
threatened or confused), as these
feelings will be very real.
Avoid confirming or denying their
beliefs. Instead it can help to say
something like "I understand that you
see things that way, but it's not like that
for me."
Making sure that you look after your own
challenging. wellbeing can mean that you have the
energy, time and distance to help someone
else.

 Take a break when you need it. If you're

feeling overwhelmed by supporting
someone or it's taking up a lot of time or
energy, taking some time for yourself
can help you feel refreshed.
 Talk to someone you trust about how
you're feeling. You may want to be
careful about how much information you
share about the person you're
supporting, but talking about your own
feelings to a friend can help you feel
supported too.
 Set boundaries and be realistic about what
you can do. Your support is really
valuable, but it's up to your friend or
family member to seek support for
themselves. Remember that small,
simple things can help, and that just
being there for them is probably helping
a lot.
 Share your caring role with others, if you
can. It's often easier to support someone
if you're not doing it alone.

For Better Mental Health Website, Seeking help for a mental health problem, 2022

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/seeking-help-for-a-
mental-health-problem/helping-someone-else-seek-help/?
fbclid=IwAR00hyyY3p3uuPtbezybYE6QxJVZiNG68oCvWA-oZq2i1vtjuVIkp1n9frc

Environmental Modification

Definition

Environmental modification, social work's time-honored response to the practical needs of clients,
emphasizes “doing for” clients and thus may encourage their dependence on the practitioner. The
author suggests that a variation of this approach—helping clients to develop their own skills to
modify their environment—can promote independence in clients while meeting their tangible needs.

Refers to efforts that are directed at a client’s social context in order to mobilize or restructure
resources that, in turn, would facilitate improvement in the client’s functioning.
Young, Thomas M. A Self-psychological perspective, University of Chicago, 1994.

Purpose

Bring change in the social as well as physical conditions of the client so that he may be relieved
from excessive stresses and strains.

Process

The social worker suggests positive steps to client to cope better with his problems. He plan with
him is emotional, professional and recreational activities. The social worker givers appropriate
advice to the members of his environment and modifies their attitude favorably.

Saadat, Sumayya

Modifying  the  environment  is  the  method  which  consists  of  the  steps 
taken  by  the caseworker to change the environment in the client’s favor by the
worker’s direct action through such  services  as  day-nursery  care,  foster 
placement,  financial  assistance,  interpreting  to  an employer the illness of a
patient, etc.

Case study: Environmental Modification for the Elderly

The physical environment of an older person’s home or their space in residential

care contributes to their quality of life. As a person gets older, modifications may be
needed to make it easier to move around and to continue to engage with people or
just to be safe. This may also be a consideration when planning and delivering
palliative care and end-of-life care.

The space in which the person lives may need to be modified to accommodate
equipment or to enable aspects of care to be provided. This can sometimes cause
tensions between making it easier to provide care and the person feeling 'at
home' or in a homelike environment.

When designing or redesigning aged care spaces, create a homelike environment

with:

 adequate general lighting

 low or minimal background noise
  temperature control
 colour contrast
 access to views of nature, and/or gardens/natural spaces
 visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory stimuli to stimulate or comfort a person
 technological aids for people with cognitive impairment to orient themselves
and not wander from a safe environment
 the ability for a person to personalise their space.

Tips and traps

Traps Tips
Putting too much importance on reducing risk Talk to the client about what they want.
can limit the client’s sense of comfort and Consider creating opportunities to support the
ownership. well-being of the client system in general.

Palliaged. Environmental Modification, 2022.

https://www.palliaged.com.au/tabid/4311/Default.aspx

Small Talk

Definition
Refers to inconsequential conversation. It is almost all contacts between the worker and the
client. It is used by the social worker at the beginning of a contract, that is, the first interview or
the first home visit to put the worker and the client, especially the latter, at ease.

refers to inconsequential conversation.

It is almost all contacts between the
worker
and the client. It is used by the social
worker at the beginning of a contact,
that is, the first interview or
the first home visit to put the worker
and the client, especially the latter, at
ease.
refers to inconsequential conversation.
It is almost all contacts between the
worker
and the client. It is used by the social
worker at the beginning of a contact,
that is, the first interview or
the first home visit to put the worker
and the client, especially the latter, at
ease.
https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cordillera-career-development-college/introduction-to-
social-work/sw-skills-techniques-alttributes/8934621

Social workers rely upon good communication skills to help people achieve change.
Small talk often features as part of a practitioner’s conversation, usually as a way of
building rapport with someone. However, this can actually be an important element of an
intervention which assists practitioners to effectively, yet subtly, communicate essential
messages to people.

Iversen, C., Flinkfeldt, M., Tuncer, S., & Laurier, E. (2022) The uses of small talk in
social work: Weather as a resource for informally pursuing institutional tasks.  Qualitative
Social Work, doi:10.1177/14733250221124218
We engage in small talks to initiate exchanges, pass time effortlessly and maintain cordiality
around acquaintances and strangers. Small talk is a set of messages like any other, except that it is
highly ritualized and predictable. It can become a resource that facilitates confident entrance into
novel social encounters because there is great certainly associated with its cycle of exchanges.

Beinstein, Judith. Small talk as social gesture, Journal of Communication, 1975.

A casual form of conversation that breaks the ice or fills an awkward silence between people.

Process

Samples

Weather Talk

Weather can be sequentially important for closing the task and reinstating the
relevance of the environment outside

Weather is also socially significant by offering an object of shared experience and is

often considered neutral, non-controversial and impersonal 

Given its occurrence across settings, it is clear that talk about the weather is both
utterly common and perpetually available

Byahe padulong sa venue

Compliments

Traps
With our very schedules, we want to get
straight to business with our clients.
Tips
Small talk is about relationships, not about
content. Make sure to pay attention to what
they are talking about and show interest by
smiling, nodding, and asking and responding to
questions. Small talk is a way to establish a
genuine human connection with the client,
which can help you start your client-worker
relationship in good note.

People are often more interested in what they
have to say than in what you have to say.
There are certain topics that are off and we
should avoid to engage in (politics, religion,
Listen more than you talk. Make the small talk
work for you. Or at least don’t let it work
against you. Avoid sharing stories or anecdotes
that show you in a negative light.
There are certain safe topics that people usually
make small talk about.
etc).
Using humor inappropriately may cause the client Using humor can be a very therapeutic
to feel “laughed at” or being made fun of. intervention, by lightening up a difficult moment
or situation.

A good deep belly laugh is very releasing.

Never use sarcasm or humor to make light of the

client’s problem.
The client needs to know that you are taking their
problem seriously and not minimizing it.

In the social worker/client relationship, it is

Inappropriate Social Worker essential to focus on the client’s concerns.
Self-Disclosure
By sharing too much personal information, the
client may assume that you are a friend vs. the
professional.Comparable levels of disclosure=
Going into detail about the social worker’s life
friendship.
experience is distracting, even in areas of
commonality. It may also make the client feel
uncomfortable.

EX: “Let me tell you about my daughter

Susan.She is such a handful.She doesn’t listen to
me and I find myself getting overwhelmed with all
of her troubles. Last night...”

EX: “I have children, too.I know how hard it can

be.”

Nicole offers information about her situation that

is not necessary.Although there may be
similarities between her situation and Crystal’s,
she moves the focus away from Mrs. Anderson on
to herself.You see Mrs. Anderson at a loss for
words.

Ventilation

It means helping a client to express strong feelings when he may be

hesitant to do so because of his uncertainty regarding the worker’s
response, or because he simply does not have the words to express
these feelings. Verbalising feelings by a client permits understanding
of his emotional state. Once the client is free from the possessing
feelings, he can clearly think through the problems and his perception
of the reality gets sharpened.
Puja Mundal

https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/top-10-interviewing-techniques-used-in-social-
work-practice/36561

This technique involves bringing to the surface the feelings and attitude that need to be brought
out because these are affecting the psychosocial functioning of the person harboring the client. It
eventually reduces the heightened feelings of the client.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cordillera-career-development-college/introduction-to-
social-work/sw-skills-techniques-alttributes/8934621

Ventilation means allowing the client to speak about his problems without restriction or
inhibition. Ventilation is an important technique in therapy, particularly during the early phases.
The importance of allowing the client to talk cannot be overemphasised for a variety of reasons:
1) It provides the counsellor with the opportunity to learn about the client and his problems. This
helps the counsellor to understand his client better. 2) It provides the client with an opportunity to
speak. It is very likely that, prior to entering therapy, the client has listened to a lot of people
giving him advice but rarely listening to him or his problems. Ventilation enables the client to
'get everything off his chest' during these initial stages of counselling. 3) As the client speaks, he
obtains a feeling of relief because his problems are no longer his own. They are now shared with
the counsellor who, by virtue of his position, will take up at least some of the responsibility for
finding solutions. 4) As the client puts his feelings into words and communicates them to the
counsellor, he begins to see his problems in a more objective light, thereby gaining objectivity
over the problems. He therefore becomes more likely to think of solutions for the problems, and
to accept the guidance given by the counsellor.

The process of helping the client to air his/her feelings freely and to provide him/her with an
atmosphere which makes free expression of feelings easier. It frees the individuals from fears,
guilt feelings and bring to the light of hidden attitudes. Ventilation is not only therapeutic but also
diagnostic. The social worker may choose either to be totally passive or actively participating and
directing. It is sometimes used by the client to seek attention, the social worker should use such
situations and direct the interview accordingly.

Sample

Do you want to tell about…?

Are you saying you feel that…?

You seem to be uneasy about…

Traps
Social workers are often in the role of
managing clients’ feelings. At times, clients
may present as angry, hostile or even violent.
It is sometimes used by the client to seek
attention.
Tips
It is important that social workers are prepared
to handle these potentially uncomfortable or
unsafe situations with the highest level of
professionalism and safeguards. The social
worker should use such situations and direct
the interview accordingly.

STAY CALM – Role modeling calm

composure for a client can be helpful.

LISTEN – The client may simply need to vent

feelings or have their information heard by
someone. Listening to the client can provide
detailed information that may not have been
known previously.

TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO ENSURE

SAFETY – If you are aware that a client may
be angry before the meeting, it is important to
take necessary precautions. Meeting in an open
area with other people present, alerting
supervisors and colleagues of meeting with a
potentially angry client ahead of time, and even
requesting the presence of security or law
enforcement can all prove helpful. It is
important not to take risks when working with
clients who are angry as anger can create
unpredictability. Safety should always be your
first priority. Review agency policies with
supervisor and create a plan ahead of time.

Clarification

Make understandable a point or two. It is often used in connection with exploration. Clarification
should ensure that the worker and the client are on the same thinking and understanding level.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cordillera-career-development-college/introduction-to-
social-work/sw-skills-techniques-alttributes/8934621
It is the process through which the client is clarified about him/herself, his/her environment and
the public with whom he/she is associated is made. Clarification may consist of information
given to the client so that he/she becomes capable of understanding himself/herself, his/her
environment and his social network, which he/she does not possess and without which he/she
cannot see clearly what step he ought to take.

Saadat, Sumayya. Phases of social case work, 2022.

https://www.slideshare.net/sumayyasaadat/phases-of-social-case-work

Clarification refers to the process whereby confused thoughts in the client's mind are sorted out
so that he understands better the why and how of his feelings and reactions. To some extent,
clarification occurs spontaneously during ventilation. The counsellor then helps the client clarify
further his thoughts and feelings. Clarification is an ongoing process, right through all stages of
therapy.

Ask the client to elaborate about something he or she has just said or done. This generates more
complete and comprehensible information about particular aspects of the person-issue-situation.

Clarifying Issues for Work Typically, you use the skills of reflecting and identifying issues
before you and clients jointly agree on the specific problems or issues to address. When you
clarify issues, you make a commitment that your work together will focus primarily on these
particular areas.

A skill that enables the social worker to seek specificity on what the client is thinking, feeling and
experiencing. Asking for examples, specifying the meaning of words and identifying the
frequency and duration of problems are ways to clarify the client’s message.

Communication gaps may occur across generational and cultural lines as language usage changes over
time.

Helps to:

 Clear up vague or confusing messages

 Confirm the social worker’s understanding
 Ensure that the social worker and the client are on the “same page”

Appropriate to use when:

 Seeking concreteness ….for example, how many times did you get high last weekend?
 Encouraging elaboration and additional information
o Seeking examples
o Seeking details

Inappropriate use:

 Asking too many clarifying questions can lead the client to feel inadequate as a communicator
Traps
As an external person in the life of the client,
social workers tend to ask too many clarifying
questions that can lead to the feeling of
inadequacy as a communicator in the part of
the client.
SW does not understand the client’s thoughts or
feelings, yet does not ask for a clarification.
Too many interruptions may cause the client to
feel that the social worker is not listening or
doesn’t care about the problem.
Over-questioning the client may make the
interview seem more like interrogation than a
helping session.
Tips
The should try to be as sensitive and as keen as
possible in clarifying details from the client. It
would greatly help to take note.
SW regularly “checks back” to make certain
He/she has full understanding of the client’s
message.
The social worker needs to give the client the time
and “space” to think through an issue or situation.
By quickly or prematurely changing the subject,
the social worker takes control of the session vs.
giving the client the opportunity to proceed at a
comfortable pace.
Client may lose their train of thought
Can divert the client from exploring important
problem areas.
Abruptly transitioning or moving from topic to
topic can be confusing, annoying and frustrating
for the client.
Ask only those questions that pertain to the
helping process. Irrelevant questions do not
produce new and helpful information and can lead
to wondering and lack of focus.
Careful not stack your questions by asking the
client two or more questions at a time. Stacked
questions are confusing leaving the client unsure
what question to answer. As a new social worker,
stacking questions is very common when you
search for EX: “Did you have fun with your
friends? What exactly did you do?” Who all was
there??
EX: “What kinds of things do you do with your
friends?
-Nicole misses the entire point of Maria’s concern
(I want a place, why can’t I have what other kids
have?)Nicole asks her whether she realizes the
amount of work involved in caring for a dog.Maria
is frustrated with this response and says, “That’s
not what I am talking about!”She feels
misunderstood
just the right way to ask it.
Confrontation

In social work, it is to bring the client to face the reality of a feeling, behavior or situation. It is a
form of limiting behavior, which faces a person with the fact that there is a contradiction between
his own statements, and that other sources and that his behavior is irrational, that is destructive to
self or to others.

https://www.studocu.com/ph/document/cordillera-career-development-college/introduction-to-
social-work/sw-skills-techniques-alttributes/8934621

Confronting You point out to clients – directly and without disapproval – discrepancies,
inconsistencies, or contradictions in their words, feelings, and actions. You challenge clients to
examine themselves for congruence.

Definition: A skill that enables the social worker to point out message discrepancies to the client.
Confrontation should be non-adversarial. It should only be undertaken when the social worker and
client have a therapeutic relationship and trust has been established. Identifying consequences of
actions, thoughts and feelings is done with the client’s best interest in mind.

Helps to:

 Couple confrontation with an empathy statement such as reflection of feeling

 Encourage self-confrontation and self-exploration

Appropriate to use when:

 A relationship of trust and good will has been developed

 It is in the client’s best interest to deal with the issue
 Patterns and issues frequently continue to cause difficulty in daily living
 Client appears ready to delve into deeper issues
 There is a discrepancy between clients desired goal and current behavior

Inappropriate use:

 Accusatory or adversarial tone

 Too early in the relationship can cause the client to terminate the therapeutic relationship
 When client is already in an agitated state
 Over use of confrontation can appear combative
 Using as a put down or a judgment about the client

Sample

 In video example #3:Anthony has not made much progress in looking for a job. James,
referring back to previous sessions, confronts him about his pattern of “yes, but” approach to
life. The confrontation continues James states, “Anthony, why even bother applying for a job
then. I mean really, why even bother? You know, that’s what concerns me, your attitude, the
attitude that you can’t do this and you can’t do that and that can’t be done. One day, you’re
going to wake up and realize you’re not going to be 16 forever. “Anthony acknowledges that
 he hasn’t thought about his life in that way. These confrontation forces Anthony to look inward,
confront himself and hopefully make better choices in thefuture.

Traps Tips
SW confronts the client about an issues or SW and client have a good rapport; client trusts
statement before a therapeutic relationship has been and feels safe.
formed. Sensitivity to timing of confrontation is
SW confronts the client several times in an respected.
interview. SW attends to client’s verbal/nonverbal
communication when a confrontation is
delivered and explores feelings/thoughts,
especially if the client is upset or defensive.

Confronting the client too early can cause them to
become defensive and feel vulnerable, thus
undermining the development of trust. If a client
feels attacked, he/she is not likely to stay
engaged in the helping process.
In using confrontation, it is essential to have
developed a relationship with the client. Ask
yourself, “Have I demonstrated my ability to help
the client concerning less volatile issues?”
Non-adversarial, atmosphere of respect and
concern

Insight Development

An explanation or understanding provided by the social worker to the client as to the meaning of
repressed experiences. Insight focuses on bringing to consciousness and illuminating unconscious
conflicts – those that are repressed – and on helping the client understand how those conflicts
continue to play out in the client’s current life, especially as they pertain to relationships and
maladaptive behaviors such as procrastination or excessive stubbornness.

Practitioners are also interested in helping clients understand the defenses they use to deal with
situations in their lives. Therefore, another goal is helping clients strengthen and use appropriate
defenses, avoid those that are counterproductive, and redirect problematic defenses into more
constructive ways of satisfying clients’ needs.

Integrating, analysing and synthesisng all the data and information you have about a category.

Definition: The social worker uses reflection of feeling to restate and explore the client’s affective
(feeling) messages. The response may capture both feeling and content, but the emphasis is on
feelings. You validate the client by conveying accurately an understanding of the client’s feelings. This
process leads to the establishment of rapport and the beginning of a therapeutic relationship.

Helps to:

 Convey understanding
 Gain insight into client’s emotional responses to life
 Validate client’s emotional response
 Manage the emotions of the client
 Identify feelings and sort out multiple meanings
 Discriminate among various feelings
 You want to mirror or match client’s affective message/response in intensity……
For example, your client just said “I am so angry at my roommate, I feel like killing her.”You want to
respond with a feeling word that matches that level of intensity.You don’t want to say…..”You sound
kinda upset.”

Appropriate to use when:

 Exploring the extent and depth of a problem;

 There is a need to normalize the client’s feelings;
 Be sure to attending to the client’s non-verbal reactions because sometime they may not
match verbal message

Inappropriate to use:

 In premature exploration of feelings

 Overanalyzing client’s reactions
 To minimize client’s problem

VIDEO EXAMPLES OF REFLECTION OF FEELING

In video example #1: Marie observes that Anna’s experience with another battle with cancer has
strengthened her determination.The social worker identifies Anna’s hopeful feelings about the future
when she says, “You sound more hopeful.”

In video example #2: Nicole is able to reflect what Mrs. Anderson has said regarding how difficult it is
to have an 11-year-old living with her. Acknowledging how tired she is and how her life has changed
conveys this understanding.Mrs. Anderson opens up and shares more details about some of the
hardships.Now, Nicole has a better understanding of the struggles and is able to assess what kinds of
supports may be helpful to all members of the Anderson family.

In video example #3:Nicole is able to convey how Maria feels regarding her place within the family.
She loves her mother and her grandmother. Maria begins to articulate the internal tension she is
experiencing.Nicole acknowledges her feelings of being pulled and also helps her to move toward
problem solving.Nicole’s guidance is very gentle and caring.

Traps Tips
Judgmental responses carry with them the social The social worker’s role is to understand the
worker’s ethical, moral, or political standards. client’s problem, not to make judgments about it.

Judgmental statements may lead to the client to

feel inadequate or inferior and consequently
defensive.

Judgmental responses violate the social work

ethics of listening with a nonjudgmental attitude
and from a place of acceptance. Accepting the
client’s world view is essential to furthering the
helping process.

EX: “There is a lot going on for you right now. My

concern is for you and your kids. Please don’t do
anything until we have a chance to try to work
this out.”
 ·Nicole conveys to Mrs. Anderson that she is the
one with the “Problem”. Initially Nicole
acknowledges Mrs. Anderson’s anger toward
Ramón but quickly undermines the relationship by
suggesting her prejudices are the real problem.

Overwhelming the client with too much
information makes it difficult to identify what is
the most important part of the social worker’s
message. It is very difficult to process many
pieces of information simultaneously.
EX: The best way to think about this situation is
to be prepared for the possibility of no money
from the government.All our state-wide funded
programs have been cut and every agency is in
the same position.The state still doesn’t have a
budget.This is the worst situation in years.

Giving too much information may cause the client

to become confused about all the options.

Too much information may be seen as the social

worker’s determining the client’s plan of action.

Some information may be inappropriate for the

client to know. For example, informing the client
about an event that is unlikely to occur. Once the
information is relevant to the situation, sharing it
with the client is appropriate.

Make certain the information given to a client is

accurate and up to date.

Boyle, S., Hull, G., Mather, J., Smith, L and Farley, W. Direct Practice in Social Work,
University of Utah, 2013.

Cummins, L., Sevel, J., Pedrick, L. Social Work Skills Demonstrated: Beginning Direct Practice,
Pearson Education, 2010.

5 General Attributes of a Profession

1. Systematic body of knowledge – all professions draw on a body of knowledge that serves
as the basic foundation of its practice. Professional or social work theory on the other
 hand is a combination of knowledge of the social and behavioral sciences and knowledge
gained through the years from practice experiences.

Four curricular areas of social work education:

A. Human behavior and social environment

B. Social welfare and policy, programs and services
C. Social work methods of intervention (theory)
D. Field practice (fieldwork)

2. Professional authority – A social work graduate who has successfully passed the
examination given by the Board of Social Workers of the Professional Regulation
Commission is considered professionally competent to use any of his repertoires (range)
of social worker’s exercise of professional authority.

One is prohibited from doing any of the following:

 Prescribing guides for facts of the client’s life where his competence does not apply;
 Using his position of authority to exploit the client for his own personal gratification;
 Using his professional relationship for the satisfaction of the professional’s sexual need,
the need to manipulate others, or to live vicariously.

3. Sanction of the community – The passage of the social work law in 1965 marked the
formal acceptance of social work as a profession by the community. Society/ community
sanctions professional authority by granting the profession certain powers and privileges,
e.g. control by the profession over training centers, admission requirements and
performance standards.

The sanction carries with it at least three professional privileges

 Confidentiality – the community is considered as privileged or confidential the

information communicated by the client to the worker, which may be released to other
only for official reasons.
 Immunity – the social worker is relatively immune from the community judgment on
professional, confidential matters. Only his peers may evaluate him.
 Specialized education- the community recognizes that the needs specialized education in
order to acquire competence as a social worker.

4. Regulative code of ethics – Every profession must have a regulative code of ethics to
guide the professional conduct of its members and insure for itself the continued
confidence of the community. The code must be updated regularly to meet new
challenges and emerging social situations for which there are no provisions. Charges
against social workers brought before the Board of Social Workers, PRC are based on the
 Philippine Code of Ethics for Social Workers. Violation of the Code are penalized (e.g.
suspension/ cancelation of license to practice the profession)

5. Professional culture – social work has its own professional culture. They use professional
jargon and maintain more or less the same profile and professional image. Social workers
have a system of beliefs and values and an accepted form of interaction and relationships.
This professional culture is bolstered by the Philippine Association of Social Workers
(PASWI), which articulates and express the profession’s concerns and works for the
maintenance of professional standards and the promotion of social work interests and
aims.

Ethics – moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity

Principle – foundation of belief or behavior for a chain of reasoning

Values – importance, worth or usefulness of something

Ginahatagan value sa social work mao ang self-fulfillment and self-realization sa individual nga
naay katumbas nga obligation nga while pursuing fulfillment, in great consideration gihapon and
common good. Society has in return an obligation to provide the resources and devices for its
members para makab-ot ang self-fulfillment. Given nga nahatagan ang individual ug resources sa
society, naa pod siyay responsibility to provide his/her own needs. And thus, prompting our
social organizations to also facilitate these. Naay need nga ang social organization, muapas also
sa changing context and times for it to be effective for its members  we are reminded of one of
the goals of social work nga makab-ot ang social justice.

Ethics – moral princiles