2 Assignments, 2 Discussions - w8

Discussion 1:  Using Power in Social Work Practice

Politics represents efforts by people in governmental and nongovernmental settings to secure their policy wishes by developing and using power resources.

—Bruce S. Jansson, Becoming an Effective Policy Advocate: From Policy Practice to Social Justice (8th ed.)

Social workers are in the business of empowering people. They are also often faced with power structures that are entrenched and difficult to navigate. Skillful policy practitioners recognize the many kinds of power resources that exist, thus expanding their options in specific situations. As a social worker, you will learn various strategies that can create and expand personal networks that might be useful in negotiating your policy practice within an agency. You want your power resources to be recognized as effective ways to get things done, not as coercion and force.

In this Discussion, you identify various kinds of power resources (including person-to-person, substantive, process, and procedural) that you can use to secure the adoption of a policy proposal.

Post a description of how social workers use power resources in their social work practice and advocacy. Select a type of power resource you would use in your practice and advocacy. Describe the ethical issues or concerns in using the type of power resource you selected.

Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week's resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.

Discussion 2: Week 8 Blog

Refer to the topics covered in this week's resources and incorporate them into your blog. This weeks topic is the use of self. Refer to this weeks resource below and incorporate into discussion post as a reference and in text citation. The reference is in attachments.

Week 8 – Use of Self Program Transcript

Interacting with diverse clientele can introduce new challenges, and in this regard, a social worker should understand his or her role and identity as well as associated strengths and weaknesses. This week, think about what your strengths and weaknesses are, especially when interacting with clients, and how seeking opportunities for personal and professional growth can contribute to your becoming a better role model, guide, coach, and advocate.

Post a blog post that includes:

· An explanation of the use of self during your field education experience that you may have encountered or that you might encounter. I work with teen male youth that are experiencing problems with their families in regards to abuse and have been placed into the foster care system.

· A description of potential boundary challenges in your field education experience. They can become closed off and may take a while to open up to me.

Ganzer, C. (2007). The use of self from a relational perspective. Clinical Social Work Journal, 35(2), 117–123.