help with 3 replies and 1 assgn due in 24 hours

Discussion: Culture

By Day 6

Respond to at least one colleague by describing ways to fulfill the Ethical Standard 1.05 and develop your cultural awareness, competence, and humility.

Marquetta’s post:

There are different aspects and things that make up a culture. A group's traditions, holidays, morals, and beliefs can make up a person’s culture. The world is made up of different cultures, which plays a vital role in understanding the individual situation and guiding the social worker on how to interact with the individual. Culture can be defined as how a person can view the world based on their interactions with the world and their environment. There are different aspects of culture, such as religion, ethnicity, and region (Alvarez-Hernandez & Choi, 2017).  

Although I am an African American, I consider my culture Southern African American. My experiences of being raised in the south as an African American can differ from another African American woman in a different part of the world. Even within the realm of being a southern African American woman, being raised by my family makes my experience and culture different from someone raised a few miles from me. Within my family culture, religion, relationships, and a sense of community are vital aspects of our culture. These individual aspects together help form my culture and are why I view the world a certain way and analyze things within the world.

My first memory of cultural differences was the celebration of Halloween. For instance, it was customary not to trick-o-treat or go out during Halloween. When permitted, we would have church lock-ins where we played games, roasted hotdogs, slept in the church, and did things within the church. We were not permitted to dress up in scary costumes but did wear things like angel costumes or people from the Bible. This was a norm in my culture. I did not know anything different until starting school. I could hear other children talking about trick or treating, which caused me to have questions. This interaction allowed me to see a cultural difference at a young age. My viewpoint and lens to which I saw the holiday and world were shaped by my upbringing, which is a part of my culture and not just individual differences.

According to the NASW Code of ethics 1.05, A social worker should work to understand a family’s culture regarding their diversity and unjust treatment. The social worker should work to understand their “race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, political belief, religion, immigration status, and mental or physical ability (National Association of Social Workers, 2021)”. A social worker who does not understand a person or family culture risks being biased or showing racism inadvertently (TED, 2017). Lack of cultural awareness can cause distrust and tension in the client and practitioner relationship. For example, a practitioner that was primarily raised in the south and was taught and raised a certain way could inadvertently disrespect another culture. The same practitioner is assigned a Moroccan family and asks the women to let him see their faces. A practitioner should be competent and aware of not only their own culture but work to understand and learn from others, to decrease the chances of unwarranted biases and conflicts within the relationship.

 

References

Alvarez-Hernandez, L. R., & Choi, Y. J. (2017).  Reconceptualizing Culture in Social Work Practice and Education: A Dialectic and Uniqueness Awareness Approach. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved September 21, 2022, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10437797.2016.1272511

National Association of Social Workers (2021).  Code of ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English/Social-Workers-Ethical-Responsibilities-to-Clients

TED. (2017, March 7).  How refugees can teach us cultural competency[Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2tW2cy8JLA

Discussion: Social Work Practice With Groups

By Day 6

Respond to at least two colleagues who identified a different group role than you:

· Identify a group intervention skill discussed in the text and provide a specific example of how your colleague could use this skill to address the challenging behavior.

ALEXA’S POST:

Task groups differ from treatment groups such as educational, support, or skills groups, because they focus more on achieving a specific goal, whereas treatment groups focus on emotional and social needs. Task groups are created in order to create a plan to achieve an end goal, whereas treatment groups benefit simply from the existence of the group. Members of a task group work together to complete a goal, while members of treatment groups strive to help themselves heal and move forward. Both types of groups exist to solve a problem, and can both be used in the social work field. 

As a healthcare social worker, I may facilitate support groups for my patients. This is a type of treatment group that can help both patients and their families. A support group might help families learn how to deal with diagnoses they have previously received, and can help patients accept their diagnosis and stay positive. Regardless, support groups can help any member feel less alone. 

I would act as a facilitator for this group. I would open the support group up to open, honest discussion, and ensure the group is a judgment free zone. I would also work to ensure every member is benefiting from the group, even if they do not feel comfortable sharing in front of everyone. I can encourage members to write down their feelings, or talk in smaller groups to make them more comfortable to open up. 

Group norms are unofficial expectations the group may have on how its members will act. While leading a support group, I would create the norm of open discussion with active listening. It is important for each member to feel heard, and it is equally as important for members to hear experiences different from their own. I would also make sure the group is a safe space, and that nothing said will be judged or shared. 

Group roles are expectations that individuals take on in order to ensure a group is working effectively. There are various types of group roles, but the two main roles in the social work field are task roles and maintenance roles. Both types of roles help the group run smoothly, and help members to benefit from the group. An example of a task role is an information seeker. This person may facilitate discussion by asking questions and taking members’ opinions into account for future meetings. 

A group role that may be difficult for me is the opinion seeker. This role often depends on asking questions and hearing other members’ thoughts before sharing their own. I would struggle in this role because I often get anxious about asking someone too many questions, in fear of making them feel uncomfortable. I also think this would be a difficult role for a group leader to take on, because many people feel nervous about talking in front of groups, and talking to the person in charge of the group. The leader should take on a more relaxed role focused on facilitating discussion between group members in order to make everyone comfortable sharing. 

 

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018). Empowerment series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.

Walden  University. (2018, 2021). Group therapy [Video].  https://class.waldenu.edu

KRISTEN’S POST:

Compare task groups versus educational, support, or skills groups.

 The main difference between educational, support or skills groups is that task groups are intended to “achieve a specific set of objectives or tasks” (Kirst-Ashman, 2018). The specific goals or “tasks” helps the group stay focused on accomplishing them and help direct the focus of the group. Whereas educational groups provide education and information for specific groups or topics. Support groups can be formal or informal and often share common characteristics to help each other out (Kirst-Ashman, 2018).

 

Describe a type of treatment group you would facilitate as a social worker.

  A type of treatment group I would facilitate as a social worker would depend on which population I choose to work with. I’m leaning towards working with foster children or with veterans. If I was working with foster children, I might be holding a support group for teenage girls in a group home who have encountered trauma or how to help them manage everyday life stresses. If I choose to work with veterans, I will help with an anger management or alcohol addiction group sessions.

 

Explain what professional role you may take when facilitating this group.

 I would play the role as a facilitator in the foster youth in the group home. As Kirst-Ashman states “the facilitators, as the name suggests, guides, eases, or expedites the way for others” (Kirst-Ashman, 2018). I would ensure the groups sticks the main task as well as make sure to create an inclusive environment where everyone feels safe with speaking openly without judgment. I would also play the role as an educator, because there may be coping skills and information depending on the topics during various sessions.

 

Describe what is meant by group norms and explain how you would help shape these norms based on your role in the group.

 Group norms means that the group has certain expectations for behaving themselves. Each group has its own way of handling themselves and as the social worker it will be my duty to ensure the rules and expectations are clearly understood. This doesn’t mean I will play a dictator role; it simply means I can help the group collectively create boundaries and expectations for each other.

 

Explain what is meant by group roles. Identify at least one group role and explain why a group member may take that role.

 Group roles simply means what each person will contribute to the group. These can be broken down into task roles, maintenance roles and nonfunctional roles.  Some of these roles include information seekers, opinion seekers, elaborators, instructing roles, energizing, recorders.

 Some roles tend to be more positive roles and try to stay focused on the task at hand, while other roles can be less helpful. For example, the aggressor who may choose to put others down and can quickly make others or the environment feel unsafe or unwelcoming. A group member may take that role so they can make themselves feel better or heard. They may lack self-confidence or proper communication skills or even empathy.

 

Describe a group member role that might be most challenging to you as a group leader and explain why.

As a group leader I would find the confessor the most challenging because they choose to disclose embarrassing personal information. For me usually, these members seem to lack some proper communication and social skills. I wouldn’t know how to divert the group back to the topic because I would everyone to feel comfortable, but the awkwardness could create isolation for some members.

 

Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H., Jr. (2018 ). Empowerment series: Understanding generalist practice (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.