Social Work Reflective Report

As I have been progressing in the Masters of Social Work (MSW) program, I have been able to reflect upon my strengths and weaknesses. Through reflection, I have been able to better understand where I was, where I am, and where I am going as a clinical social worker. Compared with this time last year, I now know that as much as I tried to steer away from policy and research it is impossible to practice on the clinical level without them. While practicing in the agency I was placed at last year, evidence-based practice was a reoccurring phrase that I often heard. My supervisor continued to remind me that in order to do the clinical assessments I wanted to do and provide the interventions I wanted to provide, I needed to know what research showed
I was able to learn that I do not like providing community based mental health service in my own vehicle. This program has taught me that there are many avenues where I can provide my service and still be able to help my population of choice. I was able to become more self-aware of what I am willing and unwilling to do. The biggest challenge I face in social work practice is being unable to separate my emotions and remain professional while practicing. With the clients I have come into contact with, I have almost always become emotional. I feel like it undermines my professionalism and my ability to provide services. I have worked on ways to show my empathy through non-verbal communication, so that I am not crying or stating something that is coming from an emotional state of mind. However, being emotional is still by biggest challenge that I continue to face in social work practice. Populations I have worked with to date include adults who were receiving mental health skill building services and children receiving intensive in-home and therapeutic day treatment services. The most important ethical or value-based concerns I have are that of competence and social