SW3103C Field Placement 1

Given that I have just ended my first social work internship experience, I have been very impacted by several learnings, especially those "heart" ones. This is a succinct attempt at streamlining into three aspects, with my appreciation of the significance and transformative power of genuine curiosity, intertwining the sense of self and perspective-taking of others. 

Curiosity 

You can be curious, but who are you really curious for?

As social work students, we have been trained to be curious so we can ask questions and gain a better understanding. However, I have learned through work how important it is to be curious for the person sitting in front of me - my curiosity should be helpful for them. 

Adopting this attitude would inform my frame of inquiry to be helpful since I become more sensitive to a person’s psychological boundary and won’t thread into areas unless safety and rapport have been built for them.

The use of “self”

What are your values, beliefs, and lived experiences that inform the self of the worker?

The use of “self” is about knowledge, values, and beliefs. Some parts of it are actually informed by lived experiences. Because we are recipients of these experiences, we can give the same to others. Our own journey becomes a wellspring of insight and compassion.

Something that I have been consistently receiving in my lived experiences is hope and resilience. This is what I can set to give when I meet people. Even if it is a mandated or unwilling individual who has come to see me, I would ask myself how I can give hope within that 1 session, and look for inner resources within an individual where I can affirm to be resilient points within them.

The more we discover and understand our self, the more we can manage and connect with self, and thereafter connect in a way that will be helpful for ourselves and others interacting with us. This is freeing and restful because we no longer become different when we are professionals - our personal and professional self integrates as one. We will also be able to help others connect and be comfortable with themselves.

Dropping labels

What are your thoughts and feelings about someone who has done something wrong? Do you notice any labels you place upon them?

Though a person may have committed something wrong or different from our value system, it is important to not label them as a perpetrator because this identifies them as the wrongdoing, does not believe in the potential for change, and places us as the higher and more righteous expert. Moreover, there is usually a back story as to why someone would do something which is usually either good or what I want to term as broken-and-not-healed-yet intentions. Unhelpful labeling will deny us the chance to hear the backstory. 

Adopting narrative practice, externalising the issue would help both the person and us to find the root cause of the issue, and deal with the issue directly. We no longer say that the person is the problem, but the problem is the problem. We fulfill the ethics of upholding dignity and respect for the individual.

To conclude, there is a profound impact in embracing these principles, not only on the lives of those we serve but also on our own personal and professional development. May we embark on a path of understanding, compassion, and interconnectedness. The art of social work will become a transformative force in the lives of many, and this may include ourselves.