Running Head: Assignment 2

3304 SAMPLE Assignment # 3 FALL, 2008 Gallant Page 1 of 22

Running Head: Assignment 2

Assignment 2

XXYYM00ZZTXYZ

November 20, 2007

Dr. Gallant

47 304/211

Preparing

Due to the fact that this was a role-play and not an actual client, it was not possible to engage in several aspects of preparation, which would have been relevant when working with an actual client. I felt that the areas of preparation in which I was able to employ were strong points and as such were very encouraging.

Preparatory Reviewing

The client, with whom I met,would have completed a telephone intake with the agency, thus providing basic background information, prior to our session. In order to prepare for the initial meeting with John, I felt that it would be imperative that I review the existing filein order to familiarize myself with his current situation, as well as the resulting problems.Although the information may not be in depth and by no means complete, the process of preparatory reviewing would allow me to comprehend the substantial issues facing the client, as well as consider the potential problems that may arise (Cournoyer, 2008). This process may also enable me to gain a sense of the client’s general disposition and mood, as captured by the telephone intake worker. However, as illustrated by Cournoyer (2008), it is important to accept this information at face value due to potential bias on behalf of the interviewer. Establishing the primary reasons for the meeting would provide the opportunity for effective time management during our session, as well as making the client feel valued as a result of my prior knowledge.

Preparatory Exploring

Prior to my initial meeting with John I may meet with the intake worker who had conducted the telephone interview in an attempt to gain further insight into the client.The intake worker may provide additional information about the client, not recorded in the file, specifically insights gleaned from their conversation. Based upon the additional information provided it could become apparent that depression and suicide may indeed be issues present for this particular client. It is paramount that after receiving this subjective information that I do not mistake it for fact which could create a stereotype or fixed impression, as expressed by Cournoyer (2008).Throughout this process it is important to remain open minded to all information in regard to the client, and thus avoiding judgement.

Preparatory Consulting

In respect to the first meeting with John, I wouldengage in the process of preparatory consulting. Do to my inexperience in the field of mental health; I would seek advice from my immediate supervisor as to the methods employed when working with a client experiencing depression, as well as suicidal thoughts. I feel that this process would greatly enhance my knowledge and abilities as a social worker and thus the quality of our session (Cournoyer 2008). By engaging in preparatory consulting I am fulfilling by ethical obligation to the client through the maintenance of professional competency (OCSWSSW, 2000).

Preparatory Arranging

Preceding my session with John I felt that it was vital that I employ preparatory arranging to ensure the greatest comfort for the client and as such placed myself in the client’s position. I made certain that the interview was held in a private room, so that the client felt comfortable sharing without fear of being overheard by others. The furniture was also rearranged, allowing for direct eye contact without forcing it. This process was undertaken as per Cournoyer (2008) in an attempt to facilitate open communication and thus foster the helping relationship.

Preparatory Empathy

The process of preparatory empathy was crucial before the initial meeting with the client. This method provided me with the ability to truly understand what the client may be feeling and experiencing, and as such intensify my sensitivity to the client (Cournoyer, 2008). My preparatory empathy in relation to John involved attempting to understand how it would feel to have just lost my ex-girlfriend to suicide, as well as how I might be coping with the situation. Preparatory empathy enabled me to approach John, his feelings and situation as distinctive, unique and ultimately complex. According to Cournoyer (2008) it is essential that I do not allow this to become a fixed view of the client and ultimately a stereotype.

Preparatory Self-Exploration

Through the process of preparatory self-exploration I was able to speculate how I may be affected by the client and situation. The specific situation presented by John conjured several thoughts and feelings in relation to suicide and depression. In regard to suicide, my religious and personal beliefs are against the act of suicide and thus may differ with the desire and experiences of the client, which could result in conflict. However, I have personally experienced bouts of depression, which could lead to hopelessness and ultimately suicide, thus I feel that I could be quite sympathetic to John’s situation. It quickly became apparent that in order to manage my feelings in relation to the client’s experiences and problems preparatory self-exploration is necessary (Cournoyer, 2008). Preparatory self-exploration ensures that the feelings and values of the social worker do not interfere with the helping relationship, which otherwise would result in a direct violation of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers’ Code of Ethics (2000).

Centering

Immediately before my session with John I employed a centering technique in order to personally prepare myself for the meeting. Specifically, I engaged in a relaxation technique of deep breathing, which allowed me to become calm and focused. Although the breathing exercise did not rid me of any personal issues, it did allow me to set them aside to be dealt with at a later time (Cournoyer, 2008).

Beginning

The beginning phase of the session was a positive experience as well as a strong point; however, it did present several areas for improvement. I felt that the beginning phase provided the client with the opportunity to become familiar with me and the agency as well as the social work relationship, becoming comfortable with all. Due to the information provided to the client in regard to all aspects of the helping relationship, the beginning stage is absolutely essential (Cournoyer, 2008).

Introducing Yourself

Upon commencement of my session with John I promptly greeted him with a smile and “Hello John, welcome to Canadian Mental Health.” I felt that providing a friendly greeting was essential in establishing a positive atmosphere as well as assuring the client that I was approachable, open and un-intimidating (Cournoyer, 2008).I immediately introduced myself as a social worker with Canadian Mental health, to ensure that the client understood who I was, my qualifications and my role within the agency. My personal introduction was quite strong; however, I did not provide any information or insight into the agency and what was offered, a course of action that would have provided the client with knowledge on the available resources and supports.

Seeking Introductions

According to Cournoyer (2008) during an initial meeting the social worker should encourage the client to both say and pronounce their name to guarantee that the social worker uses the proper pronunciation. During the role-play I did not seek an introduction from my client, instead assuming that he was indeed John and potentially causing offence. However, I initially addressed my client by name as I felt that this was an acknowledgement of the client as an individual, not a number or just another face in the crowd. Cournoyer (2008) also notes that it is of great importance to ask the client the manner in which they prefer to be addressed, in order to avoid a cultural faux pas. Once again I did not ask how the client preferred to be addressed, an action that is a sign of respect, not to mention consideration of their cultural background. Seeking introductions is an aspect of the beginning phase that I truly need to practice and implement during classroom activities and placement interviews.

Describing an Initial Purpose

When meeting with a client for the first time it is crucial to establish the initial purpose for the meeting as plainly and concisely as possible (Cournoyer, 2008). In the case of John it was important for me express the purpose for our meeting both clearly, “to help you deal with some issues regarding your girlfriend’s death,” to make certain that I understood the client’s needs before continuing. I felt that by presenting my view on the initial purpose for the meeting immediately after introductions, the client had the opportunity to correct me and add to the process, becoming an active participant, a method stressed by Timberlake (2002). Addressing the initial purpose for the interview was a relative strength of mine; however, I need incorporate all issues in a succinct manner.

Orienting Clients

Orienting clients to the helping relationship is integral to active client participation. Cournoyer (2008) emphasizes the benefits that client orientation provides, specifically preparing the client for the process, associated activities and thus reduce client drop-out. Despite its value, I did not engage in client orientation during my session with John, a process that I should have discussed. I feel that if I had presented my client with an orientation to the helping relationship, he may have felt more confident and comfortable in the process, something that I will provide in the future. Client orientation allows the client to be more comfortable with the client-worker relationship, encouraging them to become an active participant and engage in self-determination, a fundamental aspect of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Code of Ethics (2002).

Discussing Policy and Ethical Factors

As a social worker, the discussion of policy and ethical factors with clients is crucial during the initial encounter, as it fosters an honest and trusting relationship (Cournoyer, 2008). During my first session with John I explained the policy of confidentiality, what he said during our sessions would remain confidential unless he provided written consent to the contrary, as outlined in the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers Code of Ethics (2002). I also clarified my ethical duty as a social worker to report self harm and harm to others, a possibility due to the client’s suicidal ideation, despite the policy of confidentiality, as established by the Code of Ethic (OCSWSSW, 2002). Depending upon the agency other policy and legal issues may be discussed with the client. I felt that I provided an adequate discussion of confidentiality and my duty to report to the client; however I need to incorporate further information in regard to policy and legal obligations during interviews.

Seeking Feedback

Perhaps the most important aspect of the beginning phase is that of seeking feedback, as it provides the client with the opportunity to comment on the information presented (Cournoyer, 2008). Essentially the process of seeking feedback confirms the clients’ understanding of all information presented, as well as providing the opportunity for the client to ask for clarification (Cournoyer, 2008). During my session with John, I asked if he understood everything I had said in regard to the purpose for the meeting, policies and my role, as well as any questions that he might have. I felt that it was vital to ensure that there were no misunderstandings between myself and the client, prior to continuing with the meeting, as well as conveying that the helping relationship was a reciprocal process. Although this aspect was strong during the interview process, I felt that I could have been more diligent in seeking feedback from the client.

Exploring

Asking Questions

Throughout the exploring phase, asking questions is an essential process in eliciting valuable information, such as facts, feelings and ideas, from the client (Cournoyer, 2008). Asking questions allows both the social worker and the client to gain valuable and mutual understanding of the issue and is used for the process of assessment among other things (Cournoyer, 2008). The process of asking questions was an aspect of my interview that was quite strong, as I was able to yield a large amount of information concerning thoughts, feelings and facts related to the client’s situation, without the client experiencing a barrage of questions which could make the exploration process feel like an interrogation.

The most effective and useful questions when exploring the client’s situation are open-ended, as they require the client to provide an in-depth answer, as opposed to a simple “yes” or “no” (Timberlake, 2002). The open-ended question produced a tremendous amount of information during my interview with John. For example when I asked John how the suicide of his girlfriend was affecting him, I was able to find out that he was suicidal, information that I may not have received through a closed-ended question. Due to the high value of open-ended questions I must continue to employ them to gather information, while at the same time avoiding interrogation-like techniques.

Closed-ended questions are also useful during the exploring process, as they provide specific facts (Timberlake, 2002). They also allow for a large amount of data collection in a short period of time, as they usually require a one word answer such as “yes” or “no” (Cournoyer, 2008). Throughout the role-play process, closed-ended questions provided confirmation of facts, but provided some surprisingly detailed responses. I felt that my use of closed-ended questions were appropriate, however, I feel that I could have limited their use with well placed open-ended questions.

Seeking Clarification

Seeking clarification is an attempt by the social worker to extract an explanation or an elaboration of a statement made by the client (Cournoyer, 2008). Clarification questions are specifically employed when the client states something vague or ambiguous and the social worker needs to ensure they are correct in their understanding (Timberlake, 2002). I feel that seeking clarification is vital, as during my interview with John a clarification question confirmed not only suicidal ideation but a detailed plan, from a statement that vaguely implied suicide “stepping off the edge.” Based upon my analysis of the interview I employed clarification questions appropriately, aiding in my understanding of the client’s issues, feelings and thoughts, bringing me true insight into the client’s mind.

Reflecting Content

The skill of reflecting content provides the social worker with the ability to communicate to the client your understanding of the information relayed (Cournoyer, 2008). Through content reflection the helping relationship is furthered as a joint partnership between the social worker and client, enhancing a positive relationship (Cournoyer, 2008). I found content reflection greatly enhanced the helping relationship with John, specifically when he explained how he viewed a prior overdose, as it allowed the client to feel truly understood. Despite being a relative strength, I require further practice in the skill of content reflection to avoid parroting the client’s words, which results from panic to prevent prolonged silence while I gather my thoughts and thus discomfort.

Reflecting Feelings

The reflection of feelings is one of the most important empathic skills used by social workers. It allows the social worker to communicate comprehension of the feelings that the client expresses (Cournoyer, 2008). In order to effectively express understanding the social worker must experience the emotions of the client through the art of empathy (Cournoyer, 2008). It is paramount that while reflecting the client’s feelings that the social worker retains the primary emotion expressed by the client, or else the client may feel misunderstood. In the course of the session with John, such as reflecting his difficulty to speak of suicide, feeling reflection was an indispensable tool. I felt that I definitely need further practice in this skill as during this interview I had difficulty identifying and discussing the underlying emotion presented by the client, although I am more effective at doing so during my placement and in-class role-plays.

Reflecting Feeling and Meaning

The reflection of feeling and meaning is a skill used by the social worker to mirror the information provided by the client as well as the associated feelings (Cournoyer, 2008).While reflecting feeling and meaning, it is imperative that the original meaning of the message is not modified (Cournoyer, 2008). During my interview I attempted to reflect feeling and meaning, however, I found that I tended to focus more on the content than the associated feelings, yet I was quite adept at doing both during in-class role-plays.

Partializing

Partializing is the break down of several complex dimensions in relation to the person-issue-situation, which could easily become overwhelming for both the worker and the client, into components that are more easily managed (Cournoyer, 2008). While engaged in exploring with John, I do not feel that I effectively used the partializing skill; instead Ifocused on the issues in which the client placed the most emphasis. It is evident that additionalrehearsal is required, as I could quickly become overwhelmed by the numerous issues presented by the client, which could be easily discouraging for the client.