Reference no: EM133281347
Assignment - Social Work Paper
Description - With any relationship, the boundaries between people can sometimes become blurred. An interaction that has been identified in social work practice as a potential for blurring boundaries is called countertransference. This dynamic occurs when a social worker unconsciously relates to the client's situation. Perhaps the client reminds the social worker of themselves at a point in their lives or of a close friend. This perspective may result in intense feelings, a narrowing of professional boundaries, and ultimately a weakened client-social worker relationship.
Similarly, these same intense feelings can occur in the client if the client aligns the social worker with an influential person in their life, such as seeing the social worker as a mother figure. This phenomenon is known as transference.
Submit a 4- to 5-page paper in which you:
-Define the concepts of countertransference and transference as they relate to working with a client.
-Identify a population or a social issue to which you may personally relate.
-Reflect on and describe how countertransference could negatively impact your relationship with a client who may relate to the population or social issue you identified.
-Reflect on and describe how the client may engage in transference with you for similar reasons.
-Identify two strategies you would use to address countertransference and/or transference in this scenario.
Relating to the Client - As you have learned in previous weeks, in building the relationship with the client, the social worker seeks to use empathy, understanding, and unconditional positive regard. In addition to these social work skills, you will bring your own unique personality to each client interaction. Through self-awareness of your personality, you can develop your personal style of communicating to best serve your clients.
During sessions, you will regularly discuss the client's life situation. That life situation might include similar experiences to those in your background, or it might include activities that do not represent your personal values. Even in these instances, the client-social worker relationship requires that you take a step back and acknowledge the client's experiences without judgment or advice. This week, you explore the personal style you bring to the profession, as well as common problems social workers experience in their interactions with clients.Learning Objectives
Students will:
Analyze perceptions of personal communication style
Analyze the concepts of countertransference and transference
REQUIRED READINGS - Cummins, L., K., & Sevel, J., A. (2017). Social work skills for beginning direct practice: Text, workbook, and interactive web based case studies (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. Chapter 8, "Intake and Engagement" (pp. 163-194)
Giamportone, K. E. (2015). Counter transference in the face of compassionate care. Journal of Social Work in End-of-Life & Palliative Care, 11(3-4), 220-223.
Mirsky, J. (2011). Working through countertransference blocks in cultural-competence training. Psychoanalytic Social Work, 18(2), 136-148.