Communication
During this week, you will focus on communication skills used in the first phase of the helping process. After completing the resources in this week's What You Need to Know, here are some ideas to get you started in the discussion:
- Hepworth et al. (2023, pp. 112–113) reminds us that it can be very difficult to elicit specific, concrete information. Imagine that you are meeting with a client/participant who tells you "I'm just unhappy all the time." What are some open-ended questions you might use as you seek a more concrete understanding?
- In Phase I of the helping process you must discuss informed consent, confidentiality, and agency policies. What communication issues might make this process difficult? What could you do to communicate this information effectively?
- Share a video, podcast, journal article, or other media that addresses communication issues related to social work practice. What did you find compelling about what you shared? What are two or three key points you would identify from the resource?
- What about this week's content did you find to be of most interest or most applicable to social work practice, to your personal or professional life, and/or in your academic journey?
Reference
Hepworth, D. H., Vang, P. D., Blakey, J. M., Schwalbe, C., Evans, C. B. R., Rooney, R., Dewberry Rooney, G., & Strom, K. (2023). Empowerment series: Direct social work practice: Theory and skills (11th ed.). Cengage.
Response Guidelines
- Your Writing: Each post should be courteous, succinct, professional, well-written and organized, using proper writing mechanics, grammar, and punctuation.
- Your Post: Post something to the discussion board related to the content covered this week. Do not create your post as a reply to the pinned post.
- Responding to Peers: Respond to the posts of at least two of your fellow learners and continue the conversation. Some ways you could do that include sharing why you agree or disagree with their post, how their thoughts relate to your personal experience or work experience, or how they helped answer a question you had.