Challenges in Micro Work

Working effectively with individuals means building relationships. As a social worker, there are certain qualities, such as empathy, warmth, and genuineness, that help you develop rapport with clients. However, even when you appropriately utilize your micro skills, rapport building can be difficult with some clients. Challenges may include client hostility, silence, a request for self-disclosure, or the necessity of using confrontation. Social workers need to develop skills to appropriately work through these challenges.

For this Discussion, you begin developing these skills through practice and analysis of practice.

To prepare: Watch the Parker video. In the video, the clients express hostility toward each other, as well as toward the social worker. In addition, Stephanie asks the social worker for self-disclosure when she asks, “Wouldn’t you?” and “You really think you can fix that?” The scene ends with the client and social worker falling into silence. Consider the challenges depicted in the video. How would you respond?

By Day 3

Post:

• Explain when it would be appropriate to use self-disclosure.
• Provide a specific example of the type of self-disclosure you might use in this scenario.
• Identify an interviewing technique you learned from this week’s resources that you would use when working with this client.
• Provide a specific example of the interviewing technique.
  • For example, if you would use an empathetic statement or an open-ended question to elicit information, provide a specific example of the statement or question that you would use.
• Explain why you would use this technique.