Chapter 1. - Cournoyerdocx

Cournoyer – Chapter 1  Challenging, demanding and complex profession  Amongst one of eight most satisfying careers due to o Intellectual stimulation o Job security o Professional autonomy o Extensive direct contact with clients  To serve competently o Be knowledgeable o Thoughtful o Ethical o Accountable o Proficient  Places of work o Child-protection  in event of abuse or neglect o Families  child-caring o Hospital  crisis management o Adults counselling in event of abuse/incarceration o Couples o Single parents childcare o Substance abuse o Prison/youth offenders o Psychiatric institutions  The variety of function and settings of the field make it hard for one to excel in all different avenues  The breadth, diversity and complexity is overwhelming  One can not serve competently in all places o One can acquire expertise which are common to all practices o These common skills bring coherence to the profession  Social workers approach clients in a similar perspective  distinct professional language  Use words such as client, person, or consumer (oppose to patient, subject or case)  Use assessment (oppose to diagnosis, study, examination or investigation)  Look for strengths, assets, resources, resiliencies, competencies and abilities (oppose to problems, obstacles, deficiencies or pathologies)  Dual focus  person and environment  Social workers view people and situations to be continually changing  Primary constituency  people of lower status and least power  Definition: Social Work Skill  a social work skill is a circumscribed set od discrete cognitive and behavioural actions that are consistent and congruent with (1) research-based knowledge; (2) social work values, ethics, and obligations; (3) the essential facilitative qualities or the ‘core conditions’; (4) the characteristics of professionalism’ and (5) a legitimate social work purpose within the context of phase or process of practice  Skills = competencies o When and what skills to use depends on the situation and person-in-environment  The 7 phases of practice o Engagement + some of assessment competencies include  (1) prepare, (2) begin and (3) explore o Assessment competency  (4) assessing and (5) contracting o Intervention and evaluation competencies  (6) working and evaluation, and (7) ending 