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Engagement Strategy

Monica Sharber

Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, USC

SOWK 523: Foundations of Integrative Social Work Practice I

Assignment 1

Professor: Cynthia Rollo-Carlson

September 27, 2024

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Engagement Strategies

Presenting Problem

The presenting problem for James is his transition from prison into society, which is

challenging and is compounded by a lack of family support, his history of behavioral issues,

minimal education, and his survival through criminal activities. James had been mandated to

meet with a social worker by his probation officer to support this challenging transition. James's

history of placements in multiple foster homes, being street homeless prior to incarceration and

experience with solitary confinement highlight significant social, emotional, and educational

deficits that need addressing.

James faces significant barriers in reintegrating into society due to his lack of formal

education and inability to read or write, which limits his employment opportunities and ability to

function independently. His history of solitary confinement suggests behavioral issues that may

need therapeutic intervention. Additionally, his lack of family support and history of abuse and

neglect contribute to his emotional and psychological challenges.

Although James's presenting problem is multifaceted and present with significant

challenges, James does present with unique strengths. His resilience and resourcefulness are

evident by his ability to live on the streets and survive. With proper support and guidance these

traits can be useful. His willingness to comply with his probation officer and meet with a social

worker shows a potential openness to change. By focusing on these strengths, a social worker

can help James develop a plan for education, employment, and personal development, ultimately

aiding his successful reintegration into society.

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Difficult Factors

Empathy is a multifaceted concept that can be understood in various ways, including as a

skill, a trait, or an emotion (Lynch et al., 2018). According to Petty John et al., (2019), when

therapists are transparent in addressing issues of intersectionality related to client identities, it

enhances and secures the therapeutic alliance, thereby positively influencing treatment outcomes.

When looking at empathy and countertransference there are several difficulties that could arise

when working with James. Both James and myself have experienced significant trauma,

including neglect and incarceration. This shared background might lead to a heightened

emotional response, making it difficult for me to maintain professional boundaries. There is

always a chance for me to project my experiences and emotions onto James, which could

potentially lead to over-identification and or bias conscious or unconscious, which could hinder

my ability to provide objective support to James and could affect my professional judgement.

Because of our shared background with homelessness and the foster care system my experiences

with neglect and systemic failures, I might struggle with trust, in my abilities and the systems

that are designed to support James.

Working with James there is the possibility of emotional triggers that could resurface from

my past such as feelings of abandonment or anger towards authority figures that could interfere

with my ability to show effective empathy. Being an African American woman, I may be faced

with societal pressures and biases that could influence my interactions identifying with James.

Differences in race and cultural background can create barriers to understanding and empathy.

Being mindful of these differences is of paramount importance for me to avoid assumptions and

biases that could negatively affect my interactions with James.

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To address these challenges, I will need to engage in cultural competence training, seek

supervision to process my feelings and reactions, seek support from peers, participate in ongoing

professional development to enhance my skills in managing countertransference and empathy

and actively work to build a trusting and open relationship with James by listening to his

experiences and validating his feelings.

Code of Ethics Guidance

The NASW (National Association of Social Workers) Code of Ethics provides guidance

on how social workers should approach cases like James's, emphasizing principles such as

service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships,

integrity, and competence.

Service: Social workers are encouraged to help people in need and address social

problems (2021). In James's case, this means providing support to help him overcome

barriers to reintegration, such as his lack of education and employment opportunities.

Social Justice: Social workers should challenge social injustices (2021). For James, this

involves advocating for his right to access education and employment opportunities,

despite his past and current challenges.

Dignity and Worth of the Person: Social workers should respect the inherent dignity

and worth of every person (2021). This principle guides how James should be treated,

with respect and empathy, recognizing his strengths and potential for change.

Importance of Human Relationships: Social workers should recognize the central

importance of human relationships (2021). Building a trusting relationship with James

can help him feel supported and more open to change.

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Integrity: Social workers should behave in a trustworthy manner (2021). This involves

being honest and transparent with James about the support and resources available to

him.

Competence: Social workers should practice within their areas of competence and

develop and enhance their professional expertise (2021). This means the social worker

should be knowledgeable about resources and interventions that can assist James in his

transition.

By adhering to these ethical principles, James can be effectively supported in addressing his

challenges and drawing from his strengths to facilitate a successful reintegration into society and

improve the overall quality of his life.

Define Describe Apply

To engage and communicate empathy and compassion with James, paraphrasing could

be used to show understanding of his experiences, open-ended questions to encourage him to

share his thoughts and feelings, furthering responses to keep the conversation going, and

summarizing to clarify and validate his experiences.

Paraphrasing- Paraphrasing or active listening involves empathetically responding to

someone's emotions by restating their words in a different way, while concentrating on the

core of their feelings and what matters to them. This approach shows that the social worker

genuinely grasps the client's viewpoint, and the client is ensured that they are being heard

(Seehausen et al., 2012).

James: I was in so many foster homes always going to a new place, I always felt alone then I

was in solitary confinement almost the whole time I was in prison that was not fun.
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Social Worker: It sounds like you've had a really tough time, especially with moving between

foster homes and being in solitary confinement.

Open-Ended Questions- Open-ended questions are questions that allow for a wide range of

responses. They are designed to encourage a full, meaningful answer, not a “yes” or “no”

response. Open-ended questions are used to gather more in-depth information and encourage the

respondent to elaborate on their thoughts and feelings. These questions typically begin with

words like "how," "what," "tell me about," or "describe." (Hepworth et al., 2023).

Social Worker: Tell me about your experiences living on the Streets.

James: I started stealing to survive that’s how I started going to jail

Furthering responses- Furthering responses are communication techniques, utterances and

actions used to encourage continued sharing of information or to elaborate on thoughts and

feelings, and demonstrate interest and engagement (Hepworth et al., 2023). Furthering responses

are made up of two components Minimal prompts and Accent responses.

Minimal prompts are cues used to encourage continued talking without interrupting the

flow of the conversation, some examples are “hum, and un-huh”. Although these “utterances

alone do not contribute to the conversation, they are valuable in asking the individual to tell more

and send a please continue signal (Hepworth et al., 2023).

Non- verbal minimal prompts also encourage continued talking and use gestures like

nodding, maintaining eye contact, or using facial expressions to show interest (Hepworth et al.,

2023).

James: I survived on the streets by stealing things that I needed

Social worker: un-huh, I see, go on

James: like food and water and clothes I was scared a lot.
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Accent responses involve repeating a key word or phrase that has been used to

encourage elaboration of a point, which encourages a deeper dive into the experiences or feelings

about the word or phrase (Hepworth et al., 2023).

James: I survived on the streets by stealing things that I needed

Social worker: un-huh, I see, go on

James: like food and water and clothes I was scared a lot.

Social Worker: “scared a lot”?

James: Yeah always looking over my shoulder thinking I would get caught.

Summarizing- Summarizing is the process of condensing information into a shorter form,

capturing the essential points and main ideas while omitting unnecessary details. It is used to

ensure understanding and to clarify what has been communicated (Hepworth et al., 2023).

Summarizing requires actively listening and then effectively communicating the core message in

your own words. It requires identifying the most important aspects of the information and

expressing them clearly. Summarizing is useful to confirm understanding and to provide a clear

overview of the information provided (Hepworth et al., 2023).

James: I was in so many foster homes always going to a new place, I always felt alone then I

was in solitary confinement almost the whole time I was in prison that was not fun.

Social Worker: It sounds like you've had a really tough time, especially with moving between

foster homes and being in solitary confinement.

Social Worker: Tell me about your experiences living on the Streets.

James: I started stealing to survive that’s how I started going to jail

Social worker: un-huh, I see, go on

James: like food and water and clothes I was scared a lot.
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Social Worker: “scared a lot”?

James: Yeah always looking over my shoulder thinking I would get caught.
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References

About. NASW, National Association of Social Workers. (2021).

https://www.socialworkers.org/about/ethics/code-of-ethics

Hepworth, D. H., Vang, P. D., Blakey, J. M., Schwalbe, C., Evans, C. B. R., Rooney, R. H.,
Rooney, G. D., & Strom-Gottfried, K. (2023). Direct social work practice: Theory and
skills. Cengage Learning.

Lynch, A., Newlands, F., & Forrester, D. (2018). What does empathy sound like in Social Work
Communication? A mixed‐methods study of empathy in Child Protection Social Work
Practice. Child & Family Social Work, 24(1), 139–147.
https://doi.org/10.1111/cfs.12591

Petty John, M. E., Tseng, C., & Blow, A. J. (2019). Therapeutic utility of discussing
therapist/client intersectionality in treatment: When and how? Family Process, 59(2), 313–
327. https://doi.org/10.1111/famp.12471

Seehausen, M., Kazzer, P., Bajbouj, M., & Prehn, K. (2012). Effects of empathic
paraphrasing – extrinsic emotion regulation in social conflict. Frontiers in Psychology,
3. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00482