![]() Part of what makes social work so challenging-and rewarding-is the fact that each individual or group is dealing with a unique set of circumstances and requires a unique solution. Building trust makes it easier for social workers to discover details about their clients and makes them more receptive to solutions or referrals made by the social worker. For social workers, active listening is a vehicle for establishing trust and respect with clients. Active ListeningĪctive listening skills show that you are engaged in the conversation and genuinely care about hearing what the other person has to say. If you’re thinking about becoming a social worker, you would do well to focus on developing the following skills that are important for anyone in social work. Although it may seem that the diversity of social work as a practice requires an almost limitless range of knowledge and expertise, a social worker can function well in most situations after developing a core set of important skills. To achieve this one should ask questions that are appropriate to the conversation and not interrupt the communicator.Social workers wear many hats-advocate, organizer, facilitator, counselor, case manager-and they need a well-rounded set of skills to be successful. Active listening- This entails giving ones full attention to what another individual is saying, with the aims of understanding the points that are being made by the other party. I will just highlight what I consider to be the most important skills. There are a lot of skills that a social worker can employ when working with a patient/client. Even though some skills that social workers employ are naturally acquired, a significant percentage of the skill used are developed through training programs that social workers engage in while pursuing their bachelor’s or master’s degree. What skills does a social worker possess? In dealing with the diverse range of problems, social workers must employ different skills based on the nature of the task at hand. Some of the treatment options that I employ in my profession include counseling and intense therapy and I had to attain a MSW to start in this career. Under my profession, my main responsibility is working with groups, families couples and individuals to provide them with treatment for substance abuse and mental illness. Personally I work as a Mental health and substance abuse social worker. The five most common categories of social workers are family, child and school social workers, medical social workers, substance abuse and mental health social workers, community social workers, and military social workers. Due to the diverse nature of social and individual problems, there are different categories of social work that one can engage in. Macro-work on the other hand relates to social work that focuses on working with large groups or communities and within a predefined social policy with the objective of creating change on a larger scale. Micro-work refers to social work that focusesĬOMMUNICATION SKILLS IN SOCIAL WORK AND HUMAN SERVICES 3 on working directly with individuals or small groups. Social work is usually divided into micro and macro- work. The term socio functioning in this definition is used to refer to the manner through which individuals go around there social roles and the different structural institutions provided to help them. ![]() ![]() What exactly does a social worker does and what are your key responsibilities as a social worker? A social worker is a professional who works to enhance the overall well-being and social functioning of individuals, groups, families and communities. This paper provides an in depth analysis of social worker listening skills through a comprehensive interview with a social worker. This will help the social worker in developing a solution that best serves the needs of the individual. ![]() Some of the areas that a social worker needs training in include communication skills, sensitivity training and decision making skills. For a social worker to be effective in executing his/her responsibilities, he/she needs to be trained in different areas that deal with client interaction. Other than being able to communicate effectively, a social worker needs to have high level training for him or her to interact with the patient (person being cared for). ![]() This is important largely due to the fact that a good social worker needs to be able understand the demands, needs and problem of the individual that they are aiding. For one to be an effective social worker, he/she needs to have effective active listening skills. A social worker is usually responsible for helping groups, families and individuals cope with the challenges that they are facing in order to improve their welfare. COMMUNICATION SKILLS IN SOCIAL WORK AND HUMAN SERVICES 2 Discussion Working as a social worker is one of the most challenging yet rewarding career options. ![]()
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