Essay On Reflection In Social Work

The video recorded practice interview allowed me to understand how I can improve in my social work skills. Being able to present and watch a mock interview allowed me to see my strengths and weaknesses. One of my strengths that I am so proud of is the introduction. I was able to introduce myself, the agency, tell her about confidentiality and what information would be mandated to report to the authorities. When I practiced an interview in class I did not do well, my words were choppy and it was not a good flow. Secondly, empathy was expressed to the client with great sincerity, geniuses and warmth. Showing her that someone else cares about the pain that she was undergoing. Even though I personally had not lost a husband, I was able to empathize with her. Thirdly, during the interview
At this time I could have asked her several open ended probing questions to help give me a full picture of the relationship that she and the deceased shared before his death. Such as: Tell me, were you and your husband still together or what kind of feelings did you have toward him? Probing more is something that I need to work on. I think the major issue for me is to not get to deep into a person’s business. I had always been taught not to pry into a person private life. I understand that as a social worker I am going to have to get involved in people’s lives in order to help them deal with different issues that they are facing. I have to speak with confidence and ask the difficult questions that no one wants to explore. Such as the how’s, what’s, when’s and where’s. Or just sometimes use the silence approach and allow the client to start talking. Secondly, at the beginning of the interview the flow seemed a little slow. I felt as though I was taking over the entire conversation. Asking too many leading question, not allowing the client to openly discuss what and how she was feeling. Which in turn caused me to dig from a resistant client,