Personal Inventory Assignment- Counselling PDF

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for counseling class, mandatory....

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Personal Inventory Assignment

Jennifer Brewer

November 2018

Danielle Storey

2 Throughout this semester, I have participated in many activities where I enjoyed very much. At the beginning of the academic term our teacher at the time, Kirstin Parry introduced us to a strategy game in which we proceeded in silence. Facing towards a classmate, giving direct eye contact as we stood in silence, taking in what could be used as a sign in particular counselling as a Social Service Worker. I had the opportunity to face a challenge where in reality, is a major significant problem relating to clients involved in counseling, who intentionally remark in silence as a given sign to their potential weaknesses. Having this activity virtually gave me the feeling of awkwardness and judgement, as my partner allowed me the sense of intimidation and I still remark on the present feeling in that time, a cold sense of feeling. The activity provided excellent beneficial elements to counselling, I was able to make a strong connection with how a client in reality may be feeling or acting. Understanding how to respond and as well for having the appropriate body language regarding silence in a client is very important. Acknowledging how my partner reacted to my silence, understanding how to react will benefit you and your client. Another activity our class portrayed in was a client/worker session, as I brought myself to be a possible service worker/counsellor. To have that present feeling of what it shall be like in the work force as a Social Service Worker, intentionally gave me a virtual sense of knowledge for my process in social working and how a client may respond to you. I had the deliverance to practice our engagement skills that I’ve been learning throughout this semester, offering my client head nodding, direct eye contact, open and closed questions, and plenty of door openers. This course has taught me to be more attentive towards my fellow peers, coworkers, and throughout my community. Acknowledging what a client may be expressing and to have that overall atmosphere in which they are experiencing, will significantly provide excellent

3 professionalism in the Social Work field when I am working with my client and participating in that activity allowed me to have a glimpse of what reality is intentionally like when counselling. The feeling was more pressuring as it was my first time participating as a worker in my class, I wanted to make sure I was saying the correct questions and making sure they were completely comfortable to benefit my session with my client. Being the worker was also rather interesting, as I felt more confident in myself and was really making a connection with my client and this gradually allowed me to feel more confident throughout this activity. Overall, these two activities that I participated in throughout this course were very exciting. I captured experiences that will help me throughout my Social Service Worker program and also allow me to have the knowledge on how I act with a client.

Counselling interventions has been extremely informative to me for my role as a Social Service Worker and as a person. I however found some challenges throughout this course and some tasks that were very easy to learn, engaging in micro skills and strategies that are used throughout counselling are two specifics when talking about what was a challenge and what was easy. When relating to the micro skills I was taught, I partially found in my attending behaviour my facial animation to very difficult as I tend to smile and laugh at times and I can proceed as awkward also. When working with a classmate as a worker and was told to just listen and proceed in silence, my facial expression showed rather awkward and I also engaged in smiling and was tempted to laugh. Knowing I proceed like this with a classmate I acknowledged this as a challenge for myself, when I am working with a client in reality I don’t want to proceed as I did with my fellow classmate. I found learning about micro skills and how and when to provide them is very efficient and it’s important to acknowledge where you believe your challenges fall

4 when relating to yourself at a professional level. Facial expressions are highly important in counselling because you want to allow your client to feel comfortable and relaxed, providing inappropriate or the wrong facial expressions may isolate your client or give them the wrong intentions that reframes your overall goal with your client. My goal is to become a counsellor who is approached as comfortable, out-going, and professional. Focusing on my challenges will provide excellent practice to achieve my goal and this course will also allow me to acknowledge my strengths to bring to my work, to have a knowledgeable outcome.

What I found primarily easy in this course was my learning of engagement skills, as each week so far, our teacher has provided us with excellent practice activities in which that have benefited my knowledge of engagement strategies, and how to use them with a client. When you meet with a client you start off with a friendly greeting in a professional matter, asking how there day is or how they are is highly recommended to provide connection. it’s important to set a good tone by simply asking if your client would like any coffee, tea, or water. Applying such strategies as these will benefit your session with your client and allow you to have a comfortable appropriate connection and to allow your client to feel comfortable and open to sharing information. These two elements off the course material are significantly the most frequent that I notice when watching fellow classmates perform while the teacher is our worker, we did several exercises related to client/worker and after acknowledging a few of these activities I am able to visibly acknowledge the strategies/micro skills being provided. Having this knowledge brings me great significance to my overall goal as a counsellor.

5 Throughout this course I had engaged in an assignment called process recording and the purpose of this was to create an enactment between your client while you proceed as the worker. I paired up with a really sweet girl in my class named Kaitlyn, because we didn’t know each other very well at the time the acknowledgement was very awkward, and I challenged with this assignment dramatically. The setting and meeting time weren’t organized prior to our video, leaving us with no head start and allowing me to feel pressured. I began with a greeting and immediately offered her a seat, throughout the session I paused and lost my focus, leaving me feeling pressured on what to say next. The challenge I most definitely and continuously had was how to use door openers and open questions to intellect in a good conversation but also to a respectful comfortable matter for my client Kaitlyn, I had struggles maintain an appropriate facial expression although had the continuous strength to eventually bring myself back to focus and remain on a good train of thought and really catch what my client is saying. Whenever I caught myself being stuck and not knowing what to say I acted out in silence and laughter, which I shouldn’t have, and I see that to be a huge challenge for me in general and acknowledging it through a video made me realize just how important using engagement strategies and micro skills is, and moderately using them appropriately will benefit you and your client. What I found that I would do is lose my train of focus in fear of what to say next, the overall outcome of our process video was well although more practice and confidence would have gradually made a strong impact to the assignment. With the knowledge I have learnt throughout this semester so far, the ability to add such engagement strategies and micro skills was simple. The ability to maintain a professional track of focus and intellect with my client’s story/ problem and provide door openers/ open and close questions was the major challenge with this assignment, and I hope to provide a much more appropriate time-consuming process video in my future counselling

6 classes throughout my Social Service Worker program. I relatively believe my strengths in this assignment was bringing my focus back around when I became flustered or confused in conversation, I also see where I need improvements. My confidence, body language, and attending behaviour was rather intimidating to my client and as well for myself and when working in reality with my client I want to provide the best approach that benefits them. Working on these improvements will gradually allow me to provide the proper technique and most overall, intellect in a good flowing conversation. With my area of strengths, I believe my confidence and personality will allow me to have a positive impact with my future clients, with the experiences I have had throughout this course and will continue to do so this will overall benefit my future clients.

Acknowledging my strengths and also my challenges in this course I am leaning on two approximate goals that I believe will benefit me as a more reflective professional practitioner and as well for my knowledgeability with providing professional skills and strategies that will benefit my practice in future sessions. I want to become more efficient and aware with how to proceed with a client, this meaning my attentive behaviour and how I present myself with a fellow client. My ability to provide excellent skills are shown, although the ability to maintain and intellect in a well flowing conversation and continuing focus is rather difficult. With the knowledge I have learned so far, the difficulties presenting open questions and providing good feedback to my client is difficult, as I don’t want to say the wrong thing or not approach the problem correctly which results in isolation and silence. I want to be able to provide and engage in my client’s story or problem, being able to acknowledge and know when to use the appropriate skill or strategy will most definitely be a goal reached for myself.

7 Another goal I believe will help me as a worker and for future purposes, is my confidence in myself and how I engage in my client. Making sure I am always providing accurate and appropriate comments indulged with humour and also professionalism for good conversation, and simply making a good impression. Confidence is a major key when working in the counselling field, you need to be confident in yourself in order to help your client. If they are highly emotional and experiencing situations that are intense, you as a counsellor need to be confident and strong to be able to provide such a strengths-based approach that significantly to benefit how your client’s actions are. For example, in my counselling processing video I intentionally emphasized for Kaitlyn and by doing so, I gradually resulted in silence and a loss of thought in conversation as I can relate to her in a way, bringing personal thoughts around. When this occurs, you are not in your client’s mind set anymore, as you are thinking more personally and loosing focus on the overall situation your client is facing.

Its highly important to me and quite frankly any individual who is in the Social Work field to have the appropriate confidence, so this may benefit towards a goal for you and your client. When relating back to my professional knowledge and skills and my goal to be more intellect and provide more efficient open and closed questions will also be extremely beneficial when relating to my field of practice in Social Work, and overall provide adequate professional work to my client and I will have the academic knowledge to understand and form a good connection with my client. These goals are set primarily to benefit my role as a practitioner, but also to give me the motivation and strength to be an amazing worker.

8 In fact, practicing these goals is highly important. I intend to engage in my families and fellow peers’ problems, trying with the best knowledge and practice I have to engage in these goals for the benefit in my career. Everyone uses micro skills each day, with head nodding, to direct eye contact, your body language on others, etc. These skills reflect on how you proceed to your client, and by practicing these each day I am already on my way to providing successful work to my future clients. Another task I can simply make that will help my goals is focusing on my confidence, providing more accuracy with my daily social interactions, community, peers, and my occupation will most definitely increase and impact my confidence level. Engaging in local activities, charities, events, and simply showing support and care that will intentionally allow me to feel fulfilled with happiness, my confidence is mainly framed through my happiness and needs for others, providing such care and interest in an individual may boost their selfesteem or may even help them with their presenting emotions. It’s important to be a respectful, honest, and out-going person when working in the field of Social Work, as your purpose is to provide and help individuals. Engaging in such tasks, I believe they will have a strong impact on the result for my wishing goals in which impacts my ability as a Social Worker. This course has provided such importance towards counselling and I genuinely believe if I focus on my goals and allow myself to keep building, I will become a great Social Worker.

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