Self-reflection

As an aspiring and effective social worker, critical self-reflection is an essential instrument

for growth and improvement. This report presents a reflective analysis of my recent clinical

skills video submission, in which I played the role of a social worker interviewing a client

who had the dilemma of whether to drop a unit this semester due to personal circumstances.

The interview lasted for about 14 minutes and 22 seconds during which a range of clinical

skills had to be demonstrated. Referring to the concepts and insights gained from Modules 1

and 2, I will critically assess my performance by identifying three skills I executed well

during the role play and three areas where I need further development. This report will

emphasize the importance of critical self-reflection in strengthening social work practice.

Reflecting critically entails focusing on a specific event or scenario and analysing the

emotions, thoughts, and actions it entails in a way that allows for new perspectives. Through

new methods of understanding, the social worker can become more conscious of the way

societal structures impacts both themselves and the client, therefore influencing social work

practice (Mattsson, 2014).

Effective Skills Demonstrated:

1. Engagement

Engagement pertains to developing and creating a constructive working relationship

with individuals. It is considered a foundational element to enable effective work

collaboration between the client and the social worker (Harms, 2015). In reviewing my

Clinical Skills video submission for A1, I found that my engagement skills were a pivotal

aspect of my practice that showcased some areas of strength. Through a brief introduction,

active listening, maintaining appropriate eye contact and nodding throughout the

conversation, I was able to establish a warm, respectful, and safe space for the client. I
observed that these skills demonstrated my genuine attention to the client’s concerns and

helped create a comfortable environment. I also made a statement about maintaining

confidential information to the client to help establish a professional boundary and assure the

individual that his right to privacy will be respected unless there is a concern of harm.

According to the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW), social workers are

obligated to uphold the rights of service users, safeguard their personal information with

privacy and utilize the information acquired in a confidential and prudent manner (AASW,

2020). My application of open-ended questions facilitated the client’s self-expression and

delved deeper into his thoughts and emotions which provided me with a broader range of

information. Based on the responses, I used reflective skills and showed empathy to validate

the client’s emotions, this included paraphrasing parts of the conversation to ensure I

understand and acknowledge the client’s concerns.

2. Listening & Questioning Skills

Two of the core skills I effectively demonstrated were active listening and questioning

skills. I ensured that I was fully present in the conversation, validating the client's feelings,

and encouraging them to share their thoughts without interruption. I also exhibited an

empathetic demeanour through my facial expressions, body language, and verbal responses.

This approach fostered trust and comfort, creating an environment conducive to open

communication. Furthermore, I utilized open-ended questions effectively to encourage the

client to share more information, share their perspective and allow me to get a proper

understanding of their thoughts and emotions (Healy, 2017). One notable example was when

I asked, “Do you find any connection between social work and mental health?” This led the

client to think about what motivated him to pursue his degree in Social Work as a former

mental health support worker. Upon reflecting critically, I realised that open-ended questions

encouraged the client to reflect deeper and elaborate on the motivations and thought
processes. Moreover, not only a plethora of closed questions were used to gather and verify

information, but also, for instance, an exception question was displayed which shifted the

client’s attention to a time when he was thriving under the same circumstances. Finally, I

made effective use of the scaling question when I asked, “On a scale of one to ten where 1 is

no motivation at all and 10 is very motivated, where do you find yourself?” The client was

able to rate his experience and gave me an insight into his mental state while also opening

doors to talk about what would boost his experience to feel completely motivated.

3. Reflecting Skills- Paraphrasing, Summarising & Normalising

Reflecting on the video for A1, I have noted other skills that were used to encourage

the client to elaborate more on their story – Paraphrasing, summarising, and normalising

capability. I used these reflecting skills to ensure a number of events were happening while

also accurately verifying the details of the series of events concerned as this would eliminate

any assumption or misunderstanding. Paraphrasing involves expressing in your own words

what you believe you have just heard from a person (Ross, 2011, Chapter 2, pp. 18–38).

Summarising, on the other hand, involves the recapitulation of key points and important

information concisely as conveyed by a speaker. Furthermore, normalising refers to

acknowledging and validating a client’s thoughts and emotions to reassure them that what

they experienced are shared human experiences (Harms, 2015). This type of skill was

executed when I said, “I want to assure you it is very normal to feel demotivated in these

kinds of situations…” Consequently, this skill encouraged the individual to think that he is

not alone in his distress or difficulty, and he was also observed nodding. Referring back to the

video submitted I concluded that reflecting techniques are a vital tool for a social worker to

facilitate effective comprehension of concerns, build rapport and support profound

conversations.
Skills to Develop:

1. Questioning Techniques: Miracle & Coping questions

While I used a range of open-ended, closed and exception questions to successfully engage

the client to delve deeper into his thoughts and feelings, I noticed instances where I could

have employed more questioning skills such as miracle and coping questions. The miracle

question is a solution-focused perspective that has a strength-based approach that often

enables one to boost their motivation, amplify positivity and awaken the work towards a goal

mindset. This category of questions acts as a catalyst to support the individual in finding their

own solutions by changing the dynamics of their focus from the problem to what if the

problem did not exist (Toros, 2019). For instance, a phrase like, “How would your life change

if this issue were to vanish tomorrow?” would encourage the client to think about a scenario

where the issue did not exist thus focusing more on a strength-based solution. Additionally,

coping questions could have been used to explore how the service user has somehow

managed the situation. This technique allows the client to reflect on what they are capable of,

resources to help them overcome the situation and potential that they may have not thought of

before.

2. Non-verbal cues

After seeing the video, I realised I needed to improve my nonverbal communication

indicators as they play a major role in indicating reactions, attitudes and feelings. Facial

expressions, gestures, body language, posture, maintaining eye contact, tone of voice, and

even proxemics are examples of non-verbal cues. While my spoken responses were

encouraging and empathic, my facial emotions did not always correspond with my words.

For instance, when the client spilled out a difficult experience my facial expression

unintentionally displayed astonishment and thoughtfulness which may have been

misconstrued as unconcern.
Summarization

The practice of self-reflection appears as an essential instrument for advancement and

development in the quest to become a competent social worker. This evaluation is based on

the professional and clinical skills video I just submitted, in which I played the part of a

social worker in a meeting with an individual discussing whether to withdraw from a

semester unit because of personal issues. The discussion attempts to evaluate three

noteworthy qualities that were demonstrated throughout the role-play and to pinpoint a

couple of areas that need further work. This activity ultimately highlights the fundamental

value of critical self-reflection in strengthening and improving the practice of social work.

Social workers may break down their presumptions and ideas regarding social work practice

by participating in critical reflection (Maharaj, 2016). They are able to assess their current

viewpoints, biases objectively, and preconceived assumptions through the dismantling

approach. Social workers can improve their awareness regarding how their beliefs affect their

practice by this self-analysis. They can also learn how these presumptions might be limiting

their efficacy or causing injustices in society.

This report offers a critical reflection on a clinical skills video submission in which I (as

a social worker) interview a client who is considering dropping a semester unit because of

personal reasons. Effective strategies are highlighted in the video, such as attentive listening,

involvement, open-ended questions, and reflective methods. These abilities promoted a

friendly atmosphere, built a connection, and encouraged open communication. The analysis

also indicates areas that need to be improved, including the inclusion of miraculous and

coping questions for perspective-focused solutions and the development of nonverbal cues

for consistency with vocal reactions. The importance of critical self-reflection in improving

social work practice is highlighted throughout the paper, emphasizing its function in

comprehending how society influences clients and professionals. Through attentive listening,
proper nonverbal clues, and guarantees of confidentiality, the social worker expertly builds

rapport throughout the role-play (Shipley, 2010). The client may communicate themselves

freely because of open-ended questions. The social worker's sympathetic attitude creates a

trustworthy environment that promotes frank conversation. Their comprehension of the

client's thoughts and motivations is improved by maximizing the effectiveness of open-ended

and specific questions. Although an in-depth investigation of the client's narrative and

feelings is made possible by the social worker's skilled usage of paraphrasing, summarising,

and normalizing procedures, this does not diminish the importance of building rapport. While

the social worker is aware of the necessity to use more sophisticated questioning methods,

such as miracle and coping questions, to promote the person's self-discovery and solution-

focused thinking, he also understands how crucial it is to match the client's nonverbal cues

and eye contact with their spoken reactions to ensure consistency in understanding and

compassion.

As a social worker, I was able to pinpoint three practical abilities used in role-play. This

reflective evaluation report assesses the social worker's achievement in the professional skills

video submission when he interviews a client who is considering skipping a semester unit for

particular reasons. The study identifies three competencies that were successfully used and

three domains that need improvement.

Conclusion

My clinical abilities video submission's thoughtful evaluation is a demonstration of the value

of thoughtful self-reflection in the field of social work. I create a way for development by

analyzing my strengths and recognizing my areas for further development. In addition to

honing my skills, using these ideas throughout subsequent connections will also advance the

thorough and sympathetic practice of social work. This activity emphasizes the

interdependence of self-awareness and successful client interaction, which in turn strengthens

engaging in this self-reflective procedure, I have gained a deeper understanding of my

strengths and places for development and a greater awareness of the complex interactions

among personal background, societal factors, and successful client encounters. This important

self-examination confirms the crucial role that self-awareness plays in strengthening the basis

of effective social work practice.

References

Harms, L. (2015). Working with people: Communication skills for reflective practice. Oxford

University Press.

Healy, K. (2017). The skilled communicator in social work : The art and science of

communication in practice. Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Maharaj, N., 2016. Using field notes to facilitate critical reflection. Reflective Practice, 17(2),

pp.114-124.

Mattsson, T. (2014). Intersectionality as a Useful Tool: Anti-Oppressive Social Work and

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Ross. (n.d.). Basic universal communication skills (Chapter 2) (pp. 18–38). Basingstoke ;

New York : Palgrave Macmillan, 2011.

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Toros, K. (2019). Miracle question promotes open communication and positive interaction

between clients and practitioners. *International Social Work, 62*(2), 483–486.

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Shipley, S.D., 2010, April. Listening: A concept analysis. In Nursing forum (Vol. 45, No. 2,

pp. 125-134). Malden, USA: Blackwell Publishing Inc.