The Self-Reflection Paper: DUE THURSDAY OCTOBER 5TH As we are fond of saying, ‘t

The Self-Reflection Paper: DUE THURSDAY OCTOBER 5TH
As we are fond of saying, ‘the only tool of social work is ‘yourself’. Ultimately, the effectiveness of what
we do depends on how we use our ability to communicate, collaborate, support, problem solve with and
challenge others. Our life experience, our values, attitudes, prejudices, stereotypes, worldview,
insecurities and fears all influence the effectiveness of our work. Your task here is to reflect on your life
experience and your worldview today. In what way will these offer strengths for your work, in what way
will they interfere with your ability to do good social work? Some of the aspects of your life that you
may want to consider are as follows:
What was your family experience as you grew up (Large, small, chaotic, orderly, traditional, extended,
blended, single parent, birth order, traumas etc.)? To what economic classes have you belonged? Did
you experience abuse or neglect? What have you learned about forming intimate relationships, trusting
others, respecting different points of view, acting with integrity? Have you had to struggle with
addiction or have you been close to those who have? Are you quick to anger, passive and submissive,
passive-aggressive? Are you an optimist, a pessimist or a realist? Have you had to come to terms with a
disability or a serious illness? Has there been a great deal of tragedy in your life or do you feel that you
have been fortunate in having had a good, relatively trouble-free life? Have you experienced hurtful
discrimination? Do you feel that ‘it’s every person for themselves’ or that we, as individuals and society
have a responsibility to help each other work towards individual and collective well-being? How well do
you handle stress, confrontation, failure, chaos, loss? What is your opinion of the political process and
how does this process affect your life and social work practice?
The list of questions can go on and on. In this paper, you are not to address the above as some kind of
shopping list. Instead, tell your story and weave your reflections on these issues and themes into it.
Most importantly, the entire assignment must be addressed as your assessment of how your life
experience and worldview could shape your effectiveness as a social worker and your decisions as to
what areas of social work you would want to pursue or want to avoid.
You need only disclose that which you are comfortable with disclosing. You can see this as a beginning
(or continuation if you have done this before!) of an on-going need to evaluate boldly and critically and come to know yourself particularly in respect to how your ‘self’ could affect your work in the profession.
This is a necessary and life-long task of professional development.
Limit yourself to 7-10, double-spaced, typed pages. Edit carefully and ensure that you have an
introduction and a conclusion that sums up your thinking on this topic. References are not required but
the essay’s format should conform to APA 7 standards.