Tayla's Placement Journey

Tayla has been the social work student on placement with us for the past few months. Part of her learning plan was to write a blog post about her reflective practice, networking, her social identity, and integration of theory into practice. Tayla finishes with us on Monday next week, and we have just welcomed a new student, stay tuned to learn more about him!

I hope you enjoy what she has to say, Mel

Reflective Practice 

My main tool for critical reflection is my journal and supervision. Fook emphasizes that critical reflection allows for social workers to recognize alternative approaches to their understanding and knowledge creations (Fook, 2016, p. 198); this can be particularly helpful in identifying tradition power hierarchies such as neoliberalism and the medical model. Through reflection and discussion with my supervisor, Melanie, I was able to identify the effects of neoliberalism and how this at times can dictate the services provided to clients. Additionally, reflection has also allowed me to identify the effects of the medical model being the dominant treatment paradigm (Beecher, 2009, p. 9). 

What are my values?

Supervision is a crucial part of reflective practice and an integral part of social work (Fook, 1996). Supervision is a career long journey, to work on professional development via diverse learning activities, and where practitioners refine and augment their knowledge, develop skills, and undertake supervision to enhance critically reflective practice (Beddoe & Maidment, 2012, p. 163). I can identify that supervision with Melanie has allowed me to enhance professional skills, knowledge, and attitudes in order to achieve competency in providing quality social work. In addition to this, supervision has allowed me to adopt a critical reflective practice. I have come to learn there is a profound connection between identity, values, and our practice. Our own thoughts, values, and feelings place us in a unique position to be an agent of change at micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice (Araque & Weiss, 2019, p. 6). Social workers are encouraged to develop a personal sense of what it means to be a social worker however, this can only emerge through opportunities to articulate this identity in the workplace (Webb, 2017, p. 35). I feel I have had the opportunity to develop my identity as an emerging social worker during my time on placement. This being said, I understand identity and values are ever evolving and will change throughout my career. Wiles notes that a strong positive sense of professional identity can also assist in social workers resilience to stress (Webb, 2017, p. 35). My values and grounding beliefs are a big part of me considering myself a professional now. In addition to this, I have noticed all the knowledge and understanding gained as a social worker has rubbed off in my personal life; I suppose being a social worker is part of who I am (Webb, 2017, p. 43). 

Furthermore, through critical reflection I have identified, professional judgement is clearly important in assessment and working with people (let’s face it us human beings are unpredictable and complex) and “social workers are continuously in situations where a decision has to be made based on complex, multifaceted and often contradictory information” (Samsonsen & Turney, 2016, p. 3). Reflective practice has allowed me to feel comfortable in making professional judgement calls as I am able to assess the situation and look at the ‘big picture’. Reflecting on this, I also feel my established values and identity have allowed me to confidently make professional judgement decisions. I evaluate the effectiveness of my professional judgement calls by reflecting on the situation, utilizing ethics theory (deontology, utilitarianism) with consideration made around my own beliefs, values, positionality, biases etc. and my decision environment (Taylor & Whittaker, 2018, p. 2). Taylor and Whittaker argue that “interaction between the decision-maker and their environment is particularly important in social work” (Taylor & Whittaker, 2018, p. 2). I strive to make professional judgement calls that are reflected upon, are fair, and for the best interest of the client with consideration made around the Australian Association of Social Work values “respect for persons, self-determination, and social justice” (AASW, 2020). 

Networking 

Forming my identity as a social worker was a priority for my second placement. I have had the opportunity to network with a range of social workers in different contexts of practice that work at micro, meso, and macro levels. For this learning plan activity, I created interview questions and met with local social workers to understand what their role was, experience in social work, types of clients they worked with, what brought them to social work, strategies and interventions utilised to engage clients, values and traits that help them most as a social worker, and a discussion around supervision styles. Reflecting on this experience, I was amazed at how many social workers make a difference in our community. Moreover, I could identify how each of them were driven by common values of passion, social justice, empathy, respect, and compassion. I felt the authenticity and genuineness of each social worker I networked with through the use-of-their-one self. I understand the use-of-one self in social work is the process of combining knowledge, values, and skills gained in social work education with aspects of one’s personal self, including personality traits, belief systems, life experiences, and cultural heritage (Walters, n.d.) 

Origami crane for mindfulness

The roles of social workers I networked with include the following:

-        Child Protection Worker.

-        Case Manager.

-        Correction Centre Social Worker

-        Hospital Social Worker

-        Counsellor

-        Parent Infant and Perinatal Social Worker

-        Community Worker

-        Mental Health Social Worker

-        Program Manager

-        Group Facilitator 

-        Expressive Art Therapist

-        Play Therapist 

-        Animal Assisted Therapist

During my time on placement, I also had the opportunity to network with psychologists. It is crucial to note that it may be complex for graduate social workers, like myself, to define their roles in multidisciplinary settings however, it is through collaborative work and coordination we can enhance the quality of care for people (Connolly et al., 2017, p. 197). Through this opportunity I was able to identify the unique contribution social work brings to our society. Social work offers a different perspective on mental health that is concerned with the social context and consequences of mental illness (Bland et al., 2015, p. 12). Social work provides a unique contribution that occurs at the interface between the individual and environment (Bland et al., 2015, p. 9). Social work practice is not simply helping people manage mental health conditions; our work is underpinned by values of social justice, self-determination, and respect (AASW, 2020). I have come to realize that as social workers we offer a unique contribution by employing a dual focus on both the individual and family/contextual domains through a biopsychosocial lens, and it is this understanding that distinguishes our professional from other health professionals (AASW, 2015). Moreover, networking has allowed me to build my connections, expand on my existing knowledge, and resources (Social Work.org, 2019). I also understand that social work is a collaborative enterprise (Social Work.org, 2019). Building strong operational, personal, and strategic social work networks benefits not only my own identity and career, but also my clients as well (Social Work.org, 2019). Through networking opportunities, I have been able to build on my own identity as a social worker and start to make decisions on what I want for the next chapter of my social work career. My identity consists of strong values that relate to human rights and social justice with a dual focus on both the individual and environmental factors at play. This being said, while my identity and values are an enormous part of me considering myself as a social worker now, I understand they are ever evolving and will change throughout my career.

I am grateful for the opportunity to network with the fantastic social workers in our community and discuss the contribution they make in our society. Thank you. 

Integration of Theory to Practice 

Placement is a time for students to demonstrate their ability to integrate theory and practice in academic and practice learning settings in a critically reflective and anti-opressive way (Lister, 2013, p. 1). Moreover, the Australian Association of Social Work practice standards state that social workers must demonstrate the skills required to implement knowledge into practice (AASW, 2013). At the start of placement, I discussed with Mel that I was concerned I did not have a specific theory that dominated my practice i.e., when I have met with some social workers, they refer to themselves as cognitive behaviour or narrative therapist’s etc. Admittedly, I used to be fixated on finding the perfect theory for me however, I have come to realize that I don’t need a specific theory to dominate my whole practice; I need a toolbox of theories/therapies/interventions. During my time at Phoenix Wings Wellness, I have had the opportunity to add to my toolbox of theories at micro, mezzo, and macro levels of practice. Below I will discuss the tools I have added to my toolbox. 

Social work theory and intervention mind map

Mel is an expressive arts therapist, which at first worried me as I do not identify as an ‘arty person’ despite that, I have grown to be fond of art therapy and utilize it in my daily practice. Art therapy is fantastic tool for clients that do not enjoy traditional talk therapy (Ikon Institute of Australia, 2019). Art is nonverbal and is helpful when clients are trying to express their feelings, especially when subjects are too painful or difficult to articulate in spoken language, or when clients do not have the capacity to express (Huss & Bos, 2018, p. 14). I utilize an art therapy technique called the ‘mood rainbow’ which is helpful with children and adolescents that are unable to articulate or express how they are feeling i.e., the client draws a rainbow that reflects their mood, and I will ask “how do the colours and size of the rainbow reflect your mood?” (Buchalter, 2017, p. 51). I also utilize emotion puppets with children where they have the opportunity to create the puppets and then we discuss further each emotion i.e., if the child had a happy face puppet I would ask “what made the doll feel that way? Tell me about a time you have felt that way? Can you make the same face as the puppet?” (Barrett & Zandt, 2017, p. 127). Furthermore, I have had the opportunity to observe Mel utilize a range of art therapy techniques with clay, paint, drawing, creation of stress balls, keep calm bottles, origami, and my favourite, the grounding rock stone’s etc. The biggest thing I have learnt is there is no right or wrong way to make art, the focus is not on the end product, it is what the client wants it to be which may be a metaphor, a sensory representation, or a concrete symbol of a feeling or a goal (Ikon Institute of Australia, 2019).

Grounding Stones

I had the opportunity to complete narrative therapy training with the Dulwich centre (The Dulwich Centre, 2000). Narrative therapy views problems separate from the client and assumes clients have several skills, competencies, beliefs, values, commitments, and abilities that will assist them to reduce the influence of problems in their lives (The Dulwich Centre, 2000). This approach views clients as the expert in their own lives and narrative (The Dulwich Centre, 2000). Freedman and Combs states that “narrative therapy works with people to bring forth and thicken stories that do not support or sustain problems, and as people begin to live out the alterative stories, the results are beyond solving problems, it allows for people to live out new self-images, new possibilities for relationships and new futures” (Coady et al., 2016, p. 394).  This approach also aligns with AASW code of ethics and practice standards as it promotes self-determination and recognizes the unique experiences of each individual (AASW 2020 & 2013). There are two narrative therapy principles that I now incorporate into my practice that I learnt from the Dulwich training which includes “always maintaining a stance of curiosity, and always asking questions to which you genuinely do not know the answers” (The Dulwich Centre, 2000). Reflecting on this, I feel this approach is well aligned when working with cultural and linguistic diverse communities; I have observed Mel utilize this approach with the LGBTQI community. 

In my opinion, I naturally incorporate a strength-based approach into my practice. Strength based practice recognizes a person’s resources, capabilities, support systems, and motivations to meet challenges and overcome adversity (Coady et al., 2016, p. 132). A strength-based perspective is not about ignoring the existence of real-life problems instead, it emphasizes the role of “strengths, abilities, social networks, positive attributes, knowledge, skills, talents, hopes, and resources to both realize life goals and reduce problems and/or symptoms, ultimately helping to improve individual and social well-being” (Coady et al., 2016, p. 132). I truly believe every human has strengths and capabilities to build on in those hard times we face in life. I also incorporate a person-centered approach which emphasizes that workers need to be genuine, have unconditional positive regard for people seeking help, and demonstrate empathy with the clients view on the world (Connolly et al., 2017, p. 24).

Lastly, I have enjoyed incorporating a stronger systems perspective in my practice. Systems theory places emphasis between the individual and their environment (Connolly et al., 2017, p. 22). This perspective allows social workers to consider ways in which systems impact on the individual and overall wellbeing of clients (Connolly et al., 2017, p. 22). Melanie upholds a systems approach by helping clients to resolve their presenting psychological problems, the associated social and other environmental problems, and improve their quality of life (Phoenix Wings Wellness, n.d.). A systems approach aligns with social work values as it recognizes the interaction between the individual and environment (Bland et al., 2015, p. 9). Through completion of initial assessments with clients I can identify that the assessments are from a systems and biopsychosocial lens as they take into consideration the client’s environmental factors i.e., their home, family, workplace/education, school, activities they engage in etc.

A major achievement for me was furthering my skills in group work. Admittedly, I felt anxious at the thought of running a group; Lindsay and Orton state that it is quite normal for students to feel worried about meeting social work course requirements for working within groups which made me feel at ease (Lindsay & Orton, 2014, p. 1). I have facilitated the Mandala Art Therapy Workshop at the adolescent retreat and the Resilience and Emotional Regulation group at Wahgunyah Primary School. For the first session at Wahgunyah, we created Lego safe places. Moreover, I was able to link theory into practice particularly with the Wahgunyah group as I utilized the Tuckman model to identify group stages (Lindsay & Orton, 2014, p. 82). I also feel I naturally identify with a democratic and transformative leadership style in contrast to an authoritative style (Gardner, 2016, p. 157). Reflecting on this experience, I think I surprised myself as a group facilitator as I demonstrated a range of leadership skills such as clarifying, seeking feedback, active listening, creating group plans, supporting the group etc. (Corey, 2015, p. 29). For further skill development, I would like to participate in more leadership roles in hope to acquire further skills in group settings (Corey, 2015, p. 30). Additionally, I would like to be able to incorporate further theoretical approaches in group settings i.e., CBT, DBT (Corey, 2015, p. 347). 

Lego safe place at Wahgunyah Primary

In conclusion, I have had the opportunity to incorporate a range of other theories/therapies/interventions not mentioned above such as cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, meditation, anti-opressive practice, trauma-informed practice, Lego therapy, crisis intervention, and solution focused therapy. In my opinion, the biggest achievement in regard to integration of theory and practice is the ability to confidently incorporate theories into practice at micro, mezzo, and macro levels and adding to my toolbox. Working from a therapeutic model at both micro and mezzo levels was a very different perspective for me particularly as I come from a case management background. I am grateful I have had the opportunity to develop therapeutic skills and feel I could intertwine therapeutic support in a range of roles moving forward as graduate social worker. For further professional development, I would like to continue adding to my toolbox of therapies in hope to register as a Mental Health Social Worker. In order to become an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker, I will need to demonstrate specific skills, knowledge, and experience in the field of mental health and commit to ongoing professional development (AASW, 2021). During my time on placement, I have completed a continuing professional development plan that includes developing further skills and knowledge in areas of trauma, expressive arts, and mental health. As per practice standards, “social workers must demonstrate commitment to ongoing learning through continuing professional development and supervision” (AASW, 2013). I look forward to adding further theories/therapies/interventions into my toolbox through further personal and professional development.

References:

AASW. (2013). Practice Standards. Australian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved August 9, 2021, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/4551

AASW. (2015). Scope of Social Work Practice: Social Work in Mental Health. Australian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved April 27, 2021, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/8309

AASW. (2020). Code of Ethics. Australian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/document/item/1201

AASW. (2021). Recognising qualified social workers. Australian Association of Social Workers. Retrieved August 17, 2021, from https://www.aasw.asn.au/information-for-the-community/recognising-qualified-social-workers

Araque, J. C., & Weiss, E. L. (2019). Leadership with impact: Preparing health and human service practitioners in the age of innovation and diversity. Oxford University Press.

Barrett, S., & Zandt, F. (2017). Creative ways to help children manage BIG feelings: A therapist's guide to working with preschool and primary children. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Beecher, B. (2009). The Medical Model, Mental Health Practitioners, and Individuals with Schizophrenia and their Families. Journal of Social Work Practice, 23(1), 9-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650530902723282

Beddoe, L., & Maidment, J. (2012). Is social work supervision in “Good heart”? A critical commentary. Australian Social Work, 65(2), 163-170. https://doi.org/10.1080/0312407x.2012.680426

Bland, R., Renouf, N., & Tullgren, R. (2015). Social work practice in mental health: An introduction (2nd ed.). Allen & Unwin.

Buchalter, S. (2017). 250 brief, creative & practical art therapy techniques: A guide for clinicians & clients. Pesi Publishing & Media.

Coady, N., Peter Lehmann, L., & Lehmann, P. (2016). Theoretical perspectives for direct social work practice: A generalist-eclectic approach (3rd ed.). Springer Publishing Company.

Corey, G. (2015). Theory and practice of group counseling. Cengage Learning.

Connolly, M., Harms, L., & Maidment, J. (2017). Social work: Contexts and practice (4th ed.). Oxford University Press, USA.

Fook, J. (1996) The Reflective Researcher: Social Workers’ Theories of Practice Research

Gardner, F. (2016). Working with human service organisations. Oxford University Press, USA.

Huss, E., & Bos, E. (2018). Art in social work practice: Theory and practice: International perspectives. Routledge.

Ikon Institute of Australia. (2019, May). Art therapy and social work. Retrieved June 28, 2021, from https://ikon.edu.au/art-therapy-social-work/

Lindsay, T., & Orton, S. (2014). Groupwork practice in social work. Learning Matters.

Lister, P. G. (2013). Integrating social work theory and practice: A practical skills guide. Taylor & Francis Group

Phoenix Wings Wellness. (n.d.). Family and Individual Counselling | Art Therapy | Albury, Wodonga and Corowa. Retrieved May 1, 2021, from https://www.phoenixwingswellness.com.au/

Samsonsen, V., & Turney, D. (2016). The role of professional judgement in social work assessment: A comparison between Norway and England. European Journal of Social Work, 20(1), 112-124. https://doi.org/10.1080/13691457.2016.1185701

Social Work.org. (2019, July 1). Professional networking in social work. Retrieved August 25, 2021, from https://www.socialwork.org/resources/professional-networking/

Taylor, B., & Whittaker, A. (2018). Professional judgement and decision-making in social work. Journal of Social Work Practice, 32, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429058721-1

The Dulwich Centre. (2000). What is narrative therapy? Retrieved June 28, 2021, from https://dulwichcentre.com.au/what-is-narrative-therapy/

Walters, H. B. (n.d.). An introduction to use of self in Field placement. The New Social Worker Magazine. Retrieved August 25, 2021, from https://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/field-placement/An_Introduction_to_Use_of_Self_in_Field_Placement/

Webb, S. A. (2017). Professional identity and social work. Taylor & Francis.